chained to
each other by the legs, some by the arms. They called the leg chains
shackles. I have lived a hard life. I have seen mothers sold away from
their babies and other children, and they cryin' when she left. I have
seen husbands sold from their wives, and wives sold from their husbands.

Abraham Lincoln came through once, but none of us knew who he wus. He
wus just the raggedest man you ever saw. The white children and me saw
him out at the railroad. We were settin' and waitin' to see him. He said
he wus huntin' his people; and dat he had lost all he had. Dey give him
somethin' to eat and tobacco to chew, and he went on. Soon we heard he
wus in de White House then we knew who it wus come through. We knowed
den it wus Abraham Lincoln.

We children stole eggs and sold 'em durin' slavery. Some of de white
men bought 'em. They were Irishmen and they would not tell on us. Their
names were Mulligan, Flanagan and Dugan. They wore good clothes and were
funny mens. They called guns flutes.

Boss tole us Abraham Lincoln wus dead and we were still slaves. Our
boss man bought black cloth and made us wear it for mourning for Abraham
Lincoln and tole us that there would not be freedom. We stayed there
another year after freedom. A lot o' de niggers knowed nothin' 'cept
what missus and marster tole us. What dey said wus just de same as de
Lawd had spoken to us.

Just after de surrender a nigger woman who wus bad, wus choppin' cotton
at out plantation in Georgie. John Woodfox wus de main overseer and his
son-in-law wus a overseer. Dey had a colored man who dey called a nigger
driver. De nigger driver tole de overseer de woman wus bad. De overseer
came to her, snatched de hoe from her and hit her. The blow killed her.
He was reported to de Freedman's Bureau. Dey came, whupped de overseer
and put him in jail. Dey decided not to kill him, but made him furnish
de children of de dead woman so much to live on. Dere wus a hundred or
more niggers in de field when this murder happened.

We finally found out we were free and left. Dey let me stay with Miss
Julia Brown. I was hired to her. She lived in Dooley County, Georgia. I
next worked with Mrs. Dunbar after staying with Mrs. Brown four years.
Her name wus Mrs. Winnie Dunbar and she moved to Columbia, South
Carolina takin' me with her. I stayed with her about four years. This
wus the end of my maiden life. I married Isaac Austin of Richmond
County, Georgia. He wus a native of Warr