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Ex-Slave Stories
	~! LOVeSA1~TM8fl	~	Page 5.	;	29




slaves, and lt made dem so happy, dey could not work well, and dey got so~no one could manage dem, when dey found out dey were to be freed in such a short tirne~

	“Father told his owner after he Thund out he wouldn‘t sell him, dat if he whipped him again, he would run away again, and keep on running away until he made de free state land. So de nlg~er trader begged my father not to run away from Marse Lewis, because 1f he did Lewis would be a ruined man, because he did not have another man who could manage de workers as father did. So the owner knew freedom was about to be declared and my father would have de privilege of leaving whether his owner liked it or not. So Lewis knew my father knew it as well as he did, so he sat down and talked with my father about the future and promised my father if he would stay with him and ship his tobacco for him and look after all of his business on his plantation after free-V dom was declared, he would give him a nice house and lot for his family right on his plantation. And he had such influence over deother slaves he wanted hith~ to convince de others dat it would be better to stay with their former owner and work for him for . their living dan take a chance on strangers they did nąt know and who did not know dein. He pleaded so hard with my Lather, dat