eft out. We jus' traveled
at night and rested in daytime. We was scart to make a fire. Dat was
awful times. All on de way to de Mississip', we seed dead men layin'
everywhere, black and white.

"While we's waitin' to go cross de Mississip' a white man come up and
asks Marse Barrow how many niggers he has, and counts us all. While we's
waitin' de guns 'gins to go boom, boom, and you could hear all dat
noise, it so close. When we gits on de boat it flops dis way and dat
scart me. I sho' don't want to see no more days like dat one, with war
and boats.

"We fixes up a purty good house and quarters and gits settled up round
Athens. And it ain't so long 'fore a paper come make us free. Some de
slaves laughin' and some cryin' and it a funny place to be. Marse Barrow
asks my stepma to stay cook and he'd pay her some money for it. We
stayed four or five years. Marse Barrow give each he slaves somethin'
when dey's freed. Lots of master put dem out without a thing. But de
trouble with most niggers, dey never done no managin' and didn't know
how. De niggers suffered from de war, iffen dey did git freedom from it.

"I's already married de slave way in Mobile and had three chillen. My
husband died 'fore war am over and I marries Las Gilmore and never has
no more chillen. I has no livin' kinfolks I knows of. When we come here
Las done any work he could git and bought this li'l house, but I can't
pay taxes on it, but, sho', de white folks won't put me out. I done git
my leg cut off in a train wreck, so I can't work, and I's too old,
noways. I don't has no idea how old I is.

420245

[Illustration: Andrew Goodman]

ANDREW GOODMAN, 97, was born a slave of the Goodman family, near
Birmingham, Alabama. His master moved to Smith County, Texas, when
Andrew was three years old. Andrew is a frail, kindly old man, who
lives in his memories. He lives at 2607 Canton St., Dallas, Texas.

"I was born in slavery and I think them days was better for the niggers
than the days we see now. One thing was, I never was cold and hongry
when my old master lived, and I has been plenty hongry and cold a lot of
times since he is gone. But sometimes I think Marse Goodman was the
bestes' man Gawd made in a long time.

"My mother, Martha Goodman, 'longed to Marse Bob Goodman when she was
born, but my paw come from Tennessee and Marse Bob heired him from some
of his kinfolks what died over there. The Goodmans must have been