~~A:Labani~ .	.	56


ing..with the jailer‘s children. 6he had told me not to play with them because they were not good. company for me. She said. that she wanted to raise me to be good and. truthful, and. that the jailer‘s little white c~u1cLren told. lies and talked bad.“

.	Esther. remembers well the mobilIzation of grey—uniformed troops at the courthouse which stood only a block frOm
~1 ~he iS~ing residence. “The town was filled with soldiers for -severäl c‘~.ays»‘ she said. “They assembled about the courthouse and had speak— ings. One day -~ passed there with my papa and saw Abraham Lincoln hangii~ig from a noose in the courthouse square. Of course, it was only an ~ of Abraham Lincoln which was used to show what the soldiers ~wught of hirn. Papa told me that the soldiers shot the effigy full of bulle~t holes before they left town.

	“Before Captain King left he brought a man with him from the courthouse to value his property. The slaves were valued, too. I re— ::ie‘~ib~ Captain king liftIng me high above his“head and. saying to the :‘lan ‘I wouldn‘t take a thousand dollars for this little gem.‘“

	She paused a moment. The light in her eyes showed that she was ~el~ing the t~ill of that childhood incident.

	“Then Captain King left with the other soldiers . Papa stayed E•~nd took care of the ‘white lady‘ and the house. After a while my bro—

~	~her ran away and joined the troops to fight for Cantain King. He came ~‘~ck after the war, hut Captain King did not. Several years later I S~y~T a man down in south Georgia who told me that he belonged. to Captain

~	troops. He said that he was standing near him when he was killed. N*fter the proclamation the slaves werefree. Most of them leaseã

out to plantat ion owners . I stayed with mamma arid the ‚ whit e lady. ~ Mrs. King had taught the little slave girl to read and write,

~	~t,rhen schools were opened for the freed slaves she told the child‘s

‘:vY~-Lpr to send her to school. Fees of fifty cents a month were charged,