"'Sisters, won't you help me bear my cross,
Help me bear my cross,
I been done wear my cross.
I been done with all things here,
'Cause I reach over Zion's Hill.
Sisters, won't you please help bear my cross,
Up over Zion's hill?'

"I seed a smart number of wagons and mules a-passin' along and some camp
along the woods by our place. I heared they was a war and folks was
goin' with 'visions and livestock. I wasn't much bigger'n a minute and I
was scared clean to my wits.

"Then they's a time when paw says we'll be a-searchin' a place to stay
and work on a pay way. They was a consider'ble many niggers left the
Bolings. The day we went away, which was 'cause 'twas the breakin' up of
slavery, we went in the wagon, out the carriage gate in front the
Boling's place. As we was leavin', Mr. Boling called me and give me a
cup sweet coffee. He thought consid'ble plenty of me.

"We went to a place called Mantua, or somethin' like that. My paw says
he'll make a man of me, and he puts me to breakin' ground and choppin'
wood. Them was bad times. Money was scarce and our feedin' was pore.

"My paw died and maw and me and the children, Nancy and Margina and
Jessie and George, moves to a little place right outside Sherman. Maw
took in washin' and ironin'. I went one week to school and the teacher
said I learned fastest of any boy she ever see. She was a nice, white
lady. Maw took me out of school 'cause she needed me at home to tend the
other children, so's she could work. I had a powerful yearnin' to read
and write, and I studied out'n my books by myself and my friends helped
me with the cipherin'.

"I did whatever work I could find to do, but my maw said I was a
different mood to the other children. I was allus of a 'ligious and
serious turn of mind. I was baptised when I was fifteen and then when I
was about twenty-five I heared a clear call to preach the Gospel-word. I
went to preachin' the word of Gawd. I got married and raised a family of
children, and I farmed and preached.

"I was just a preacher till about thirty years ago, and then Gawd
started makin' a prophet out of me. Today I am Mose Hursey, Head Prophet
to the World. They is lesser prophets, but I is the main one. I became a
great prophet by fastin' and prayin'. I fast Mondays and Wednesdays and
Fridays. I know Gawd is feedin' the people through me. I see him in
visions and he speaks to me. In 1936 I saw him at Commerce and Jefferson
Streets (Dallas) a