2.	~.	84




	“The post office was at Mxb. Sexton‘s and we called it Sexton‘ s post office ‚ on the Raleigh and Fayetteville Road. The stage run on this road and brought xnail to this place. This post in n~r yard is part of a stage coach axle. You see it? Yes sir, that‘s what it is. I got it at Fayetteville when they were selling the Old. stagecoach. We bought the axle and wheels anô~ made a cart. We got that stuff about 1870; my father bought it. He gave twelve dollars for jes‘ the wheels and axle. This was after we had taken the iron clad oath and become more civilized.

	“We were daresome to be caught with a paper book or anything if we were tryin‘ to learn to read and write. We had to have a pass to go around on, or the patterollers would work on us. I saw a lot of patterollers. Marster gave his Negroe s a pass for twelve months • He sent his timber to ~ilmir~gton, and worked timber at other places so he gave his slaves yearly~ passes. Then when the war was abot~t up me and him went to the post office, and he got the paper. All the niggers were free. We stopped on the way hoir~e at a large sassafras tree bi the side ‘ the ro ad where he always stopped to read, and he read, and told me I was free.

ni did not know what I t was or what it meant • We c.atne pa to the house w~re n~r mother was and I said, ‘Sissie,