ROSA GREEN                   1643-TEX/#281
     WHEN DE W'ITE FOLKS READ DE FREEDOM PAPER I WAS 13 YEjR-OLD.  IJES' LEAN U
P AGIN DE PORCH 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW DEN WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT.  I WARN'T BO'N I
N TEXAS, I WAS BO'N IN KETCHI, BUT I WAS RAIS' IN MANFIEL'.  LAW, YES, I 'MEMBER
 DE FIGHT AT MANFIEL'.  MY OL' MARSTER TUK ALL HE NIGGERS AND LEF' AT NIGHT.  LE
F' US LITTLE ONES; SAY DE YANKEES COULD GIT US EFFEN DEY WAN' TO, 'CAUSE WE NO G
OOD NO WAY, AND I WOULDN' CARE IF DEY DID GIT US.  DEY PUT US IN A SUGAR HOGSHEA
D AND GIVE US A SPOON TO SCRAPE OUT DE SUGAR.  'BOUT DE OL' PLANTATION, I WORK A
 LITTLE W'ILE IN DE FIEL'.  I DIDN' KNOW DEN LIKE I SEE NOW.  DESE CHILLEN BO'N
 WID MO' SENSE NOW DAN WE WAS DEN.  DEY WAS 'BOUT TEN CULLUD FOLKS ON DE-PLACE.
 MY OL' MARSTER NAME kOB qOLLINGSWORTH, BUT DEY CjLL (rMMAJOR, 'CAUSE HE WAS A
 MAJOR IN DE WAR, NOT DE LAS' ONE, BUT DE ONE WAY BOCK YONDnR. -OL'-MISSUS wOK
 DE LITTLE ONES ROUN' DE HOUSE AND UNDER DE HOUSE AND KEP' EV'YT'ING CLEAN AS
YO' HAN'.  THE OL' MARSTER I THOUGHT WAS DE MEANES' MAN DE LAWD EVER MADE.  LOOK
7LIKE HE CUSS EV'Y TIME HE OPEN HE MOUTH.  DE NEIGHBOR W'ITE FOLKS, SOME GOOD, S
OME BAD.  MY WORK WAS CLEANIN' UP 'ROUN DE HOUSE AND NUSSIN' DE CHILLEN.  ONLY T
IMES I WENT TO CHURCH WHEN DEY TUK US LONG TO MIN' DE CHILLEN.  WHEN DE BATTLE O
F MANFIEL' WAS, WE DIDN'T GIT OUT MUCH.  WHEN DE YANKEES WAS COMIN' TO GRAN' CAN
E, MY W'ITE FOLKS DIG A BIG PIT AND PUT DER MEAT AND FLOUR AND ALL IN IT AND COV
ER IT OVER WID DIRT AND PUT WAGON LOADS OF PINE STRAW OVER IT.  IT WAS 'BOUT FIV
E OR SIX MILE TO MANFIELD AND 'BOUT 49 OR 50 MILE TO SHREVEPORT.  MY OL' MARSTER
 TUK ALL HE NIGGERS AND WENT OFF SOMWERES, DEY CALLED IT TEXAS, BUT I DIDN' KNOW
 WHERE.  DE OL'ER ONES FARM.  DEY RAIS'EV'YT'ING DEY COULD PUT IN DE pROuN', DEY
 DID. -MY-PA WAS-KIRRIGE DRIVER FOR MY-OL'-MISS b. &HE f SB  SSNIGGER FO' DE CU
LLUD MEN WHEN MARSTER WAN'\ RIGHT DERE.  MY FATHER JIS' STAY DERE.  SEE, DEY FRE
E OUR PEOPLE IN JULY.  DAT LEAVE DE WHOLE CROP STANIN' DERE IN DE FIEL'.  DEY HA
D TO STAY DERE AND TAKE CARE OF DE CROP.  AFTER DAT DEY COMMENCE MAKIN' CONTRACK
S AND BARGAINS.  I WAS 22 YEARS OL' WHEN I MARRY DE FUS' TIME.  BOTH MY HUSBAN'S
 DEAD.  I HAD 13 CHILLEN IN ALL.
     DE FUS' TIME I WENT TO CHURCH, MISSUS TUK ME AND ANOTHER GAL TO MIN' DE CHI
LLEN.  I NEVER HEARED A PREACHER BEFO'.  I 'MEMBER HOW DE PREACHER WORD DE HYMN:
  COME, YE SINNERS, PO' AND NEEDY, WEAK AND WOUNDED, SICK AND SO'.
     I COULDN' UNDERSTAN' IT, BUT NOW WHnN I-LOOK mOwNON IT I SEES IT NOW.  I B
LEEVE US BEEN HERE GOIN' ON FO' YEAR' RIGHT YERE IN DIS HOUSE.