DOLLY WHITESIDE              1486-ARK/#052                                   034
         I RECKON I DID LIVE IN SLAVERY TIMES - LOOK AT MY HAIR.
         I BEEN DOWN SICK - I BEEN RIGHT LOW AND THEY DIDN'T SPECK ME TO LIVE.
         WELL, I'LL TELL YOU. I WAS OLD ENOUGH tO KNOW WHnN THEY-RuNNED  S  O3 E
XAS SO THE YANKEES COULDN'T OVERTAKEN US. WE WAS IN TEXAS WHEN FREEDOM COME. I R
EMEMBER I WAS SITTIN ON THE FENCE WHEN THE SOLDIERS IN THEM BLUE UNIFORMS WITH G
OLD BUTTONS COME. HE SAID "I COME TO TELL YOU YOU IS FREE." I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I
T WAS ALL ABOUT BUT EVERYBODY WAS SAYIN' "THANK GOD". I THOUGHT IT WAS THE JUDGM
ENT DAY AND I WAS LOOKIN' FOR GOD. I SAID TO MYSELF, I'M GOIN' HAVE SOME BUTTONS
 LIKE THAT SOME DAY.
         COLONEL WILLIAMS WAS MY MARSTER. MY MOTHER WAS A NURSE AND TOOK CjRE-OF
THE COLORED FOLKS WHEN THEY WAS SICK. I REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE WASN'T GIVEN NOTHIN
' BUT BLUE MASS, CALOMEL, CASTOR OIL AND GRUEL, AND EVERYBODY WAS HEALTHIER THAN
 THEY IS NOW.
         I'M THE ONLY ONE LIVIN' THAT MY MOTHER BIRTHED IN THIS WORLD. I WAS BOR
N HERE, BUT I BEEN TRAVELIN', I BEEN TO MEMPHIS AND AROUND.
         NO MAM, I DON'T REMEMBER NOTHIN' ELSE. I DONE TOLE YOU ALL I KNOW.
   X   XXX
STP