project 1885...1
Polkiore	39038C	Edited b~
spartariburg, Dist.4	.	Elmer Tuf~a~e
Oct. ~	7

STORIES PROM EX..~SLAVES

	vt1 live wid ray fourth wife arid she is much younger dart me. I am unable to work ami have to stay in bed lots o±~ de time. My ~iie vs~orks at odd. jobs, like washing, ironing arid cooking. We rent a two-.room house from Miss Arm Ruff.

	“I belonged to John Hiller. He ~as a goou ni~ster but he worked his slaves hard. Dat ~vas in Léxir~ton County.

	‘II heard dat Gen. Grant said de slaves ought to ~et 40 acres of land. and a mule so dey could ~o to work; but dey never got any dat I knows oi~. Atter Preedom dey worked as wage earners and sharecroppers. Some went to other farms to ~et jobs. Dat‘s about what dey do noi~, but some ofdem saved a little money and bou~ht ±arcns and some started little businesses o~ deir own.

.	“De Ku Klux didn‘t have ~nuch iri±luence v~id deslaves or ex~ slaves. As soon as de war broke, dey went ridiri~ up atid down de pub-.lic roads to catch and beat niggers. My brother run or±~ when dey got atter him. He went to Orarigeburg County and stayed dov~n dere.

	“J: voted twice den, once at Prosperity and again at New~ berry. I was a Republican, of course. Some 0± de Niggers of dis state was elected to office, but dey was not my kirifoiks nor special friends. I think niggers ought to vote so dey could vote fer good white folks; and dey ought to run fer office ii dey could be elected by good white folks.

	“I was sixteen years old when de Yankees conic tftrough dis country. Dey caught me in de road arid made me go iivid dem to Broad