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	E~âL~ EI~RS~ PB~EC!	~
	~r1cari Quid~s, (Negro Writers1 unit)	~
Jackeonville, YIOZ‘ida


BILL AJ~1STIH
Martin 1d~cbardIon		~
J‘ield Worker
Slave InterYiew
Complete		. .
966 Word..	.
4 Pa~

Bill Austin ~— he se~s his n~e is hOT W±111I ~ je en ex

who gaineô~ hie freedom because hie mistress found it more thvant.

to free him than to watch hla.

	A*stin livee D~eù Gres4wood, Jackson Coiuit7, honda, on a ~ll

farm that he and~ bu children operate. He says that h ~oee not know his a&~, does not rex~ber ever having head~ it. But he moat be pretty‘ o1d~, he saye, ‘~caiise I was a right uiart size when Mistih ~th pent off to fight.‘ He thinks he may be over .a h~ndred aM he looks it ~ bitt he is not sure.

	A*stin was born between Greene a~ Hancock Counties, on the Oconee River, in Georgta. He ~.ses the nemes of the counties intercban~sab1y; he cannot be definite as to jist Which Ofl• i‘as him birthplace. ‘The line between teii~ was ri~tt there by ‘as ‚ ~ he says.

	His father was Jack; for want of a s~rna~ofhis oin be took that of his father and called himself Jack ~aith. kriEg a t~Ora17 shorta of funds on his master~a part, Jack and 3il1~s mother wrs sold. to a plan— ter in the northern part of the state. It was not until lon€ a~ter hii SU~a2acipation that Bill ever saw either of them sum.

	Billes father Jack wa~s regarded as a fairly good carpenter, ~eon and~ bricklayer; at tisse his aaster would let hi‘s do small Jebe of rs~paiz‘.. ing o! bUi1~1±IJg for nei~bortig planters. ?hese Jobs s~*et1ae~ ne$tsd ht~ hazns~ bit. of cor~al, cloth for dresses for his wifi aM ahil4re~, sad