to build de breastworks. I saw lots of soldiers. Dey'd sing a
song dat go something like dis:

"'Jeff Davis rode a big white hoss,
Lincoln rode a mule;
Jess Davis is our President,
Lincoln is a fool.'

"I 'member when de slaves would run away. Ole John Billinger, he had a
bunch of dogs and he'd take after runaway niggers. Sometimes de dogs
didn' ketch de nigger. Den ole Billinger, he'd cuss and kick de dogs.

"We didn' have to have a pass but on other plantations dey did, or de
paddlerollers would git you and whip you. Dey was de poor white folks
dat didn' have no slaves. We didn' call 'em white folks dem days. No,
suh, we called dem' Buskrys.'

"Jus' fore de war, a white preacher he come to us slaves and says: 'Do
you wan' to keep you homes whar you git all to eat, and raise your
chillen, or do you wan' to be free to roam roun' without a home, like de
wil' animals? If you wan' to keep you homes you better pray for de South
to win. All day wan's to pray for de South to win, raise the
hand.' We all raised our hands 'cause we was skeered not to, but we sho'
didn' wan' de South to win.

"Dat night all de slaves had a meetin' down in de hollow. Ole Uncle
Mack, he gits up and says: 'One time over in Virginny dere was two ole
niggers, Uncle Bob and Uncle Tom. Dey was mad at one 'nuther and one day
dey decided to have a dinner and bury de hatchet. So day sat
down, and when Uncle Bob wasn't lookin' Uncle Tom put some poison in
Uncle Bob's food, but he saw it and when Uncle Tom wasn't lookin', Uncle
Bob he turned de tray roun' on Uncle Tom, and he gits de poison food.'
Uncle Mack, he says: 'Dat's what we slaves is gwine do, jus' turn de
tray roun' and pray for de North to win.'

"After de war dere was a lot of excitement 'mong de niggers. Dey was
rejoicin' and singin'. Some of 'em looked puzzled, sorter skeered like.
But dey danced and had a big jamboree.

"Lots of 'em stayed and worked on de halves. Others hired out. I went to
work in a grocery store and he paid me $1.50 a week. I give my mother de
dollar and keeped de half. Den I got married and farmed for awhile. Den
I come to Fort Worth and I been yere since.

420198

SARAH ALLEN was born a slave of John and Sally Goodren, in the Blue
Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Before the Civil War, her owners came
to Texas, locating near a small town then called Freedom. She lives
at 3322 Frutas St., El Paso, Texas.

"I was birthed in time of b