420170
EX-SLAVE STORIES (Texas)
P~4c~e One
: 75
ELLEN BET]~S, 118 L Live O&c S1~., Houston, Texas, is 84. All of her people and their masters caine frori Virginia and settled in Louisiana about 1853. Her grandparents belonged to the Green family and her parente, Charity ~nd Willi~n Gree~i, belonged to T olas ~ Parsons • Ellen 3. ives with friends ~io support her. Her sole belonging is an old trunk and sha carries the key on a string around her neck.
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	nI got born~d on de Bayou Teche, obst to Opelousac. Dat in St . Mary‘ s Parish, in Lo~iisi~na, and I belonged to Tol~~s Parsons ‚ what had ‘bout 500 slaves, c~intin‘ de big ones and de little ones, ~‘nd he had God know what else • When my eye s j es ‚ barely frech open ‚ Mar se Tolas die and will de hU.11 lot of us to he brother, william Tolas. Arid I tells you dat Marss !illi~ am de greates‘ man what ever walk clic e~rth. Dat‘s de truth. I can‘t 11e on him when de pore m~n‘s in he grave.

	“When a whixppin‘ got to be done, old 1~arse do it heseif. He ~ ‘low no overseer to throw he gale down arid. pull up dere dress and whup on clerc bottomè like I hear tel]. some of sein do. Was he still ~vin‘ I ‘spect o±te part of he hands be with him today. I knows I woi~ld.

	“When us niggers go down de road fc~Ths say, ‘Den~s Parson‘s niggers. D0n‘ t hit one dein n1g~ers for God ‚ s s&~ce ‚ or Parsons ~ eatS your j acke t lip.‘ fl
	~A3.lnt Rachel what cook in de big house for Miss Corneli~ had four yØ~flg~ uns arid dem • chilien fat eM slick as I ever seen. All de niggers halve to stoop to Aunt Rachel jes‘ like dey curtsy to Missy. I mind de
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