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WILLIAM WARD                 0758-GEO/#361
     DE BEDS DAT ALL O' DE SLAVES SLEPT IN WUS CALLED GRAND RASCALS.  DEY WUS MA
DE ON DE SOME ORDER AS A BOX.  DE WAY DEY MADE 'EM WUS LIKE DIS:  DEY TOOK FOUR
STRIPS OF NARROW WOOD, EACH ONE OF 'EM 'BOUT A FOOT WIDE, AN' DEN DEY NAILED 'EM
 TOGETHER SO DAT DEY WUS IN DE SHAPE OF A SQUARE.  DEN DEY NAILED A BOTTOM ONTO
DIS SQUARE SHAPE.  DIS BOTTOM WUS CALLED SLATS.  WHEN DIS WUS FINISHED DEY SET D
IS BOX ON SOME LEGS TO KEEP IT OFF'N DE FLOOR, AN' DEN DEY GOT BUSY WID DE MATTR
ESS.  DEY TOOK AO' OAT SACKS AN' FILLED 'EM WID STRAW AN' HAY AN' DEN DEY PUT DI
S IN DE BOX AN' SLEPT ON IT.  DERE WUSN'T NO SPEINGS ON DESE BUNKS AN' EVERYBODY
 HAD A HARD TIME SLEEPIN'.
     DE REAL NAME OF DESE WUS SONOVA-BITCHES BUT DE SLAVES CALLED 'EM GRAND RASC
ALS 'CAUSE DEY DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR 'EM USE A BAD WORD.
     AFTER SHERMAN COME THROUGH ATLANTA HE LET DE SLAVES GO, AN' WHEN HE DID, ME
 AN' SOME OF DE OTHER SLAVES WENT BACK TO OUR OL' MASTERS.  OL' MAN GOVERNOR BRO
WN WUS MY BOSS MAN.  AFTER DE WAR WUS OVER OL' MAN GORDON TOOK ME AN' SOME OF DE
 OTHERS OUT TO MISSISSIPPI.  I STAYED IN PEONAGE OUT DERE FER 'BOUT FORTY YEARS.
  I WUS LACATED AT JEST 'BOUT FORTY MILES SOUTH OF GREENWOOD, AN' I WORKED ON DE
 PLANTATIONS OF OL' MAN SARA JONES AN' OL' MAN GORDON.
     I COULDN' GIT AWAY 'CAUSE DEY WATCHED US WID GUNS ALL DE TIME.  WHEN DE LEV
EE BUSTED DAT KINDA FREED ME.  MAN, DEY WUS DEVILS; DEY WOULDN'T 'LOW YOU TO GO
NOWHERE - NOT EVEN TO CHURCH.  YOU DONE GOOD TO GIT SUMPIN' TO EAT.  DEY WOULDN'
T GIVE YOU NO CLOTHES, AN' IF YOU GOT WET YOU JES' HAD TO LAY DOWN IN WHUT YOU G
OT WET IN.
     AN', MAN, DEY WOULD WHUP YOU IN SPITE OF DE DEVIL.  YOU HAD TO ASK TO GIT W
ATER - IF YOU DIDN'T DEY WOULD STRETCH YOU 'CROSS A BARREL AN' WEAR YOU OUT.  IF
 YOU DIDN'T WORK IN A HURRY DEY WOULD WHUP YOU WID A STRAP DAT HAD FIVE-SIX HOLE
S IN IT.  I AIN' TALKIN' 'BOUT WHUT I HEARD - I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT WHUT I DONE
SEED.
     ONE TIME DEY SENT ME ON OL' MAN MACK WILLIAMS' FARM HERE IN JASPER COUNTY,
GEORGIA.  DAT MAN WOULD KILL YOU SHO.  IF DAT LITTLE BRANCH ON HIS PLANTATION CO
ULD TALK IT WOULD TELL MANY A TALE 'BOUT FOLKS BEIN' KNOCKED IN DE HEAD.  I DONE
 SEEN MACK WILLIAMS KILL FOLKS AN' I DONE SEEN 'IM HAVE FOLKS KILLED.  ONE DAY H
E TOL' ME DAT IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN GOOD LOOKIN', I NEVER WOULD SLEEP WID HER AGAI
N 'CAUSE HE'D KILL ME AN' TAKE HER AN' RAISE CHILLUNS OFF'N HER.  DEY USTER TAKE
 WOMEN AWAY FUM DERE HUSBANDS AN' PUT WID SOME OTHER MAN TO BREED JES' LIKE DEY
WOULD BREED CATTLE.  DEY ALWAYS KEPT A MAN PENNED UP AN' DEY USED 'IN LIKE A STU
D HOSS.
     WHEN YOU DIDN'T DO RIGHT OL' MACK WILLIAMS WOULD SHOOT YOU OR TIE A CHAIN '
OUN YOUR NECK AN' THROW YOU IN DE RIVER.  HE'D GIT DEM OTHER NIGGERS TO CARRY DE
M TO DE RIVER AN' IF DEY DIDN'T HE'D SHOOT 'EM DOWN.  ANY TIME DEY DIDN'T DO WHU
T HE SAID HE WOULD SHOOT 'EM DOWN.  HE'D TELL 'EM TO KETCH DAT NIGGER, AN' DEY W
OULD DO IT.  DEN HE WOULD TELL 'EM TO PUT DE CHAIN 'ROUN DERE NECK AN' THROW 'EM
 IN DE RIVER.  I AIN' HEARD DIS - I DONE SEEN IT.
     IN 1927 I WUS STILL IN PEONAGE BUT I WUS BACK IN MISSISSIPPI ON GORDON'S FA
RM.  WHEN DE LEVEE BROKE IN MAY OF DAT SAME YEAR I LOST MY WIFE AN' THREE CHILLU
NS.  I CLIMBED A TREE AN' STAYED DERE FER FOUR DAYS AN' FOUR NIGHTS.  AIRPLANES
DROPPED FOOD AN' WHEN I GOT READY TO EAT I HAD TO SQUEEZE DE WATER OUT OF DE BRE
AD.  AFTER FOUR DAYS I GOT OUT OF DE TREE AN' FLOATED ON LOGS DOWN DE RIVER 'TIL
L I GOT TO MOBILE, ALABAMA, AN' I WADE FUM DERE TO PALMETTO, GEORGIA, WHERE I GO
T DOWN SICK.  DE BOSS MAN DERE CALLED GOVERNOR HARDEN AN' HE SENT DE GRADY HOSPI
TAL EXAMINERS DOWN DERE AN' GOT ME AN' I BEEN IN ATLANTA SINCE DAT TIME.