e 'bout a year, dere am heaps of trouble. Dere was a
neighbor, Shields, he's drivin' wood to town and goes n'cross masta's
yard and dey have arg'ments. One day we chillen playin' and masta
settin' on de front porch and Shields come up de road. Masta stops him
when he starts to cross de yard and de fust thing we knows, we hears
'bang' and dat Shields shoot de masta and we sees him fall. Dey sen's
young Alex for de doctor and he makes dat mule run like he never run
'fore. De doctor comes in de house and looks at de masta, and listens to
his heart and says, 'He am dead.' Dere was powerful sorrow in dat home.

"After dat, Masta Alex takes charge, and in 'bout one year, he says,
'We'uns goin' to Fort Worth.' So we goes, and if I rec'lec's right, dat
year de war started. After dat, dere was times dere wasn' enough to make
de clothes, but we'uns allus had plenty to eat, and we gives lots of
feed to de army mans.

"I don' 'member bein' tol' I's free. We'uns stayed right dere on de farm
'cause it was de only home we knew and no reason to go. I stays dere
till I's twenty-seven years ole, den I marries and my husban' rents
land. We'uns has ten chillun and sometimes we has to skimp, but we gets
on. When my husban' dies fifteen years ago, I comes here. I's allus been
too busy tendin' to my 'sponsibilities for to git in de debilmen' and
now I's happy, tendin' to my great gran'chile.

420147

JOHN FINNELY, 86, was born a slave to Martin Finnely, in Jackson
Co., Alabama. During the Civil War ten slaves escaped from the
Finnely plantation. Their success led John to escape. He joined the
Federal Army. John farmed from 1865 until 1917, then moved to Fort
Worth, Tex., and worked in packing plants until 1930. He now lives
at 2812 Cliff St., Fort Worth, his sole support a $17.00 monthly
pension.

"Alabama am de state where I's born and dat 86 year ago, in Jackson
County, on Massa Martin Finnely's plantation, and him owns 'bout 75
other slaves 'sides mammy and me. My pappy am on dat plantation but I
don't know him, 'cause mammy never talks 'bout him 'cept to say, 'He am
here.'

"Massa run de cotton plantation but raises stock and feed and corn and
cane and rations for de humans sich as us. It am diff'rent when I's a
young'un dan now. Den, it am needful for to raise everything yous need,
'cause dey couldn't 'pend on factory made goods. Dey could buy shoes and
clothes and sich, but we'uns coul