, but I's alive, but in slave times I'd be dead long time
ago, 'cause white folks didn't have no use for old niggers and git shet
of dem one way or t'other.

"It ain't till de sojers comes we is free. Dey wants us to git in de
pickin', so my folks and some more stays. Dey didn't know no place to go
to. Mammy done took sick and die and I hires out to cook for Missy
Howard, and marries her coachman, what am Woodson Howard. We farms and
comes to Houston nigh sixty year ago. Dey has mule cars den. Woodson
gits a job drayin' and 'fore he dies we raises three boys and seven
gals, but all 'cept two gals am dead now. Dey takes care of me, and dat
all I know 'bout myself.

420275

LIZZIE HUGHES, blind Negress of Harrison County, Texas, was born on
Christmas Day, 1848, a slave of Dr. Newton Fall, near Nacogdoches.
Lizzie married when she was eighteen and has lived near Marshall
since that time. She is cared for by a married daughter, who lives
on Lizzie's farm.

"My name am Lizzie Fall Hughes. I was borned on Christmas at Chireno,
'tween old Nacogdoches town and San Augustine. Dat eighty-nine year ago
in slavery time. My young master give me my age on a piece of paper when
I married but the rats cut it up.

"I 'longed to Dr. Fall and old Miss Nancy, his wife. They come from
Georgia. Papa was named Ed Wilson Fall and mammy was June. Dr. Newton
Fall had a big place at Chireno and a hundred slaves. They lived in li'l
houses round the edge of the field. We had everything we needed. Dr.
Newton run a store and was a big printer. He had a printin' house at
Chireno and 'nother in California.

"The land was red and they worked them big Missouri mules and sho'
raised somethin'. Master had fifty head of cows, too, and they was
plenty wild game. When master was gone he had a overseer, but tell him
not to whip. He didn't 'lieve in rushin' his niggers. All the white
folks at Chireno was good to they niggers. On Saturday night master give
all the men a jug of syrup and a sack of flour and a ham or middlin' and
the smokehouse was allus full of beef and pork. We had a good time on
that place and the niggers was happy. I 'member the men go out in the
mornin', singin':

"'I went to the barn with a shinin', bright moon,
I went to the wood a-huntin' a coon.
The coon spied me from a sugar maple tree,
Down went my gun and up the tree went me.
Nigger and coon come tumblin' down,
Give the hide to