-4-

Den he sent me to de hospital.  Dey t'ought dey'd have to tek my han'

off, but I diden want em to dat. So dey kep' me in de hospital 'bout

thirty days an' doctored it, an' fin'lly I wuz back in de lines fightin'."
      "De day we wuz 'manicipated we wuz at Petersburg, Virginia, an'

I nebber heerd ez much shoutin' an' hollerin' in my life.  When de wah

wuz ovah I went back to Emmonds plantation, an' dey ax me whut I'se goin'

to do now  I wuz free.  I tole em I wuz goin' to wuk, but dey tole me no

free darkies cud stay on de plantation."

      "I went to Mason County and hired to a Major Read.  He wuz

abolitionist, an' went 'bout de country tryin' to git de plantation owners

to hire de free slaves an' he'p mek good citizens of 'em.  Major Read paid

me $20.00 a month, an' board an' clo'es.  I wuz able to save a good little

sum, an' I left an' went up to Ripley."

      "I married Sylvia Settles, an' we had one boy what died when he

wuz jes' a baby.  Den in a year or so Sylvia she died. I fin'lly met an'

married Eliza Co'win, of Ripley, an' we had twelve chillun-two girls an'

ten boys.  All but one is daid.  Guy, de one I mek my home wid. is de

     on'y one livin'.  I have three gran'chillun an' two great gran'chillun."

    "All de slaves wo'shipped Abra'am Lincum;  but dey so' did hate

ole Jeff David.   I know lots of de Rebels who wuz s'posed to be strong
fur de South hated Jeff David, an' wuzn't true to de South lak dey


pu'tended.  De fact wuz dey knowed slavery wuz wronwg."

      "I,se proud of my race, of  Fred Douglas,  an' of any of de folks

of my race whut got to  ge great men.  Why, little ez I seen an' know,

I know more'n mos' of dem smart ones 'bout big colored folks- 'bout whut
            
dey done, an' is doin' now, an' whut dey got."




			

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Ex-Slave Narratives

William Emmons, Ex-Slave Narrative