4.
tan I hare now. I had plenty to eat, mOre?afl I haa now generally. I had

better in slavery than I have now. That la the truth. I‘m telling the truth, I did. Some didn‘t. One neighbor ~t mad and give each hand one ear of corn nine or ten o‘oloek. They take it to the cook house and get it
	f	eu
made up in hominy. Son~ would be so hungry they would p6rch the corn rather

‘an wait. He‘d. give ‘em meal to make a big kettle of na~ah. When he was good he done better. Give ‘em more for supper.

	“Preedcsa-‘.~oldiera come by two miles long look like. We tollowed them. There was a crowd following. Wiley Lyons had no children; he adopted a boy and a girl. Me and the boy was growing up together. Me and the white boy (fifteen or sixteen years old, I reckon we was) followed them. They said that was Grant ‚ s army. I ‘ t know. ‚ That made us free‘ they told us.

The white boy was free, he just went to see what was happening. We sure did sees We went by Canton to Vicksburg when fighting qttit. Folks re~ joiced, and then went back wild, ~nart ones soon got work. Sc~e got furnished a little provisions to help keep them tram starving. Mr. Wiley Lyons come got us after five months. We hung around my brother that had been in the War. I don‘t know if he was a soldier or a waiter. We worked around Master Lyons‘ house at Canton till he died. I started farming again with him.

	“I get $9 a month pension and high as things is that is a powerful blessing but it ain‘t enough to feed i~ good. It cost more to go after the commodities up at Marion than they come to (amount to in value).“