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	241--Jim Allen, Clay Co.	.	.	~	5
	FEC
	Mrs. Ed Joiner
	(	  j	           ‘SI seed 81bve3 sol‘ oft‘ener dan you got fingers an‘ toe~3.
~::~	~ ~•	 ~	You know I toi‘ you dere was a sellin‘ block close to our sto‘. De~t
		 \	plen‘y niggers had to be chained to a tree or post ‘cause he would
		 ;	run ‘way an‘ wouldn‘ wuk.
			           “Dey would track de rwrnw&y~ wid dogs an‘ someti~s a
			white scal‘wag or slacker wud be kotched dodgin‘ duty. I seed as many
			deserters as I see corn stalks ober in dat fiel‘. Dey would hide out
			in day tinie an‘ steal at night.
			           “No ‘m I didn ‚ learn t o read an ‚ write but my folks te ached
			me to be honest an‘ mm‘ Old Miss an‘ Granny. D~y didn‘ want us to
			learn how to go to de free country.
		„/‘	          “We had a neighborhood chu‘ch an bofe black sn‘ white went
			~to it. Dere was a white preacher an‘ sometimes a nigger preacher would

	sit in de pulpit wid him. De slaves set on one side of de aisle an‘ ‚ white folks on de other. I allus liked preacher Williams Odem, an‘


&~ ~ his brudder Danje I ‚ de tSlidin ‚ Elder ‚ (1). Dey come frum Ohio. Marse
: ~ ‘~:‘~	Bob Allen was head steward. I ‘members lots of ~y fav‘rite songs.	J

Some of Jem was ‚ 4p1 I bor~LM~Dtt, ~ ~ ~Y1JaY~ ~ an‘ ~‚ ~ ~ The preacher ~ say ‘Pull. down de line and let de spirit be a witnes, workin‘ fer faith in de \~_. future frum on high. ‚

‘I seed de patyrollere every week. If de rtiggers didn‘
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