at all. So because dey was up against it an'
never had any money or nothin', de white folks make dese 'free
niggers' sess (assess) de taxes. An' 'cause dey never had no money for
to pay de tax wid, dey was put up on de block by de court man or de
sheriff an' sold out to somebody for enough to pay de tax what dey say
dey owe. So dey keep these 'free niggers' hired out all de time most
workin' for to pay de taxes. I 'member one of dem 'free niggers'
mighty well. He was called 'free Sol'. He had him a little home an' a
old woman an' some boys. Dey was kept bounded out nigh 'bout all de
time workin' for to pay dey tax. Yas suh, Boss, it was heap more
better to be a slave nigger dan er free un. An' it was really er
heavenly day when de freedom come for de race.

"In de time of slavery annudder thing what make it tough on de niggers
was dem times when er man an' he wife an' their chillun had to be
taken 'way from one anudder. Dis sep'ration might be brung 'bout most
any time for one thing or anudder sich as one or tudder de man or de
wife be sold off or taken 'way to some other state like Louisiana or
Mississippi. Den when a mars die what had a heap of slaves, these
slave niggers be divided up 'mongst de mars' chillun or sold off for
to pay de mars' debts. Then at times when er man married to er woman
dat don't belong to de same mars what he do, then dey is li'ble to git
divided up an' sep'rated most any day. Dey was heaps of nigger
families dat I know what was sep'rated in de time of bondage dat tried
to find dey folkses what was gone. But de mostest of 'em never git
togedder ag'in even after dey sot free 'cause dey don't know where one
or de other is.

"Atter de War over an' de slaves taken out of dey bondage, some of de
very few white folks give dem niggers what dey liked de best a small
piece of land for to work. But de mostest of dem never give 'em
nothin' and dey sure despise dem niggers what left 'em. Us old mars
say he want to 'range wid all his niggers to stay on wid him, dat he
gwine give 'em er mule an' er piece er ground. But us know dat old
mis' ain't gwine agree to dat. And sure enough she wouldn't. I'se
tellin' you de truth, every nigger on dat place left. Dey sure done
dat; an' old mars an' old mis', dey never had a hand left there on
that great big place, an' all that ground layin' out.

"De gov'ment seen to it dat all of de white folks had to make
contracts wid de niggers dat stuck wid 'em, an' dey was su