project 1865.-1	.
POLKLORE	~ 	‘~on1 ~ 	Editei by : ~ 	5
spartarib~irg	Dist.4	~	Elmer Turna~é
June 1~, 1937

STORL~S FROM EX.SLAVES

	“I ~as born :1.n 1835 in Lexington County, ~s.O. I ktaovv I ~vas 12 years old. ~e last year of de war. I belonged to John Hiller in Lexirx~ton County, near Columbia, ~.O. Old Marse Hiller was strict to his slaves, wasn‘t mean, but o±~ten vvhipped ‘em. I thought it was all right then. ;Then de Yankees come through burning, killing and stealing stock, I was in marse‘s yard. Dey come up whar de boss was standing, told him dere was going to be a battle, grabbeã him and hit hirn. Dey burned his house, stole de stock, and one larikee stuck his sword to my breast at~d said ~er me to corne wid him or he ~vvould kill me. O‘ course I lNerit along. Dey took me as fer as Broad River, on t‘other side o‘ Chapin; then turned me loose and. told me to run fast or they would shoot me. I ~vent fast and found my way back home by watching de sun. Dey told ine to not ~o back to dat old mari.

	ttDe slaves never learnt to read and write. I±~ any o‘ dem was caught trying to learn to read or write, dey was ~Iiipped bad. I kotched on to what de white chilluns said, and learnt by myself to say de alphabet.

	“We went to de white churches atter de war, and set in de gallery. Den de niggers set up a ‘brush harbor‘ church fer ~ selves. We went to school at de church, and atter school was out in de atternoori, we had preaching.

	“Befo‘ freedom come, de patrollers v~as strong dere, and whipped. any niggers dey kotched. out without a pass; vvouldn‘t let dem go to church without a pass.