ield.

"Massa have de log house and us live in little houses, strowed in long
rows. Dere wasn't no meetin's 'lowed in de quarters and iffen dey have
prayer meetin' de boss man whip dem. Sometime us run off at night and go
to camp meetin'. I takes de white chillen to church sometime, but dey
couldn't larn me to sing no songs 'cause I didn' have no spirit.

"Us never got 'nough to eat, so us keeps stealin' stuff. Us has to. Dey
give us de peck of meal to last de week and two, three pound bacon in
chunk. Us never have flour or sugar, jus' cornmeal and de meat and
'taters. De niggers has de big box under de fireplace, where dey kep'
all de pig and chickens what dey steal, down in salt.

"I seed a man run away and de white men got de dogs and dey kotch him
and put him in de front room and he jump through de big window and break
de glass all up. Dey sho' whips him when dey kotches him.

"De way dey whip de niggers was to strip 'em off naked and whip 'em till
dey make blisters and bus' de blisters. Den dey take de salt and red
pepper and put in de wounds. After dey wash and grease dem and put
somethin' on dem, to keep dem from bleed to death.

"When de boss man told us freedom was come he didn't like it, but he
give all us de bale of cotton and some corn. He ask us to stay and he'p
with de crop but we'uns so glad to git 'way dat nobody stays. I got
'bout fifty dollars for de cotton and den I lends it to a nigger what
never pays me back yit. Den I got no place to go, so I cooks for a white
man name' Dick Cole. He sposen give me $5.00 de month but he never paid
me no money. He'd give me eats and clothes, 'cause he has de little
store.

"Now, I's all alone and thinks of dem old times what was so bad, and I's
ready for de Lawd to call me."

420280

AGATHA BABINO, born a slave of Ogis Guidry, near Carenco,
Louisiana, now lives in a cottage on the property of the Blessed
Sacrament Church, in Beaumont, Texas. She says she is at least
eighty-seven and probably much older.

"Old Marse was Ogis Guidry. Old Miss was Laurentine. Dey had four
chillen, Placid, Alphonse and Mary and Alexandrine, and live in a big,
one-story house with a gallery and brick pillars. Dey had a big place. I
'spect a mile 'cross it, and fifty slaves.

"My mama name was Clarice Richard. She come from South Carolina. Papa
was Dick Richard. He come from North Carolina. He was slave of old
Placid Guilbeau. He live near Old Mar