Douglas Addition. In a few days we went back and found Tom sitting on
the porch.)


Uncle Tom Douglas--Yas'm, ah members de wah. Ah wuz fo'teen when de wah
began an eighteen when hit closed. Mah marster wuz B.B. Thomas, Union
Parish, Louisiana, near Marion, Louisiana. Ah saw de fust soldiers go an
saw young marster go. When young marster come back at de close of de wah
he brought back a big piece of mule meat ter show us niggers what he
done have ter eat while he wuz in de army.

Ah nevah wuz sold but lots of marster's slaves wuz sold. They wuz sold
jes like stock. Ah members one fambly. De man wuz a blacksmith, de woman
a cook, an one of their chillun wuz waitin boy. They wuz put on de block
an sold an a diffunt man bought each one an they went ter diffunt part
of de country ter live on nevah did see one nother no moah. They wuz
sole jes like cows an horses. No'm, ah didn't like slavery days. Ah'd
rather be free an hungry.

(Tom is the only ex-slave who has told us that he had rather be free and
we believe that is because he has a bank account and is independent.)

Yo say tell yo about hants. There is such a thing. Yes mam. Some fokes
calls it fogyness but hit sho is true fuh me an Sarah has seed em haint
we Sarah. Here young missy, what is yo doin wid that pencil?

(After we had put up our notebooks and pencils and assured them that we
would not repeat it, they told us the following):

When me an Sarah lived out at de Moore place about three miles east on