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	EX...SLAVE STORt~ES	Page One	35
(Texaz )	S


JOHN FTh)tELY, 86, was born a slave to ~artin rinn~~1y, tu Jt~ckson Co., Alabama. Du5ring the Civil War ten s1ave~ escaped from th~ Finnely
plantation. Their succec~ led. John to escape. ~e joined the Y~dera]. Army. John farmed from 1865 untIl 1917, then moved to Fort Worth, Tex., and worked. in packin~g plents until 1930. He now lIvt~ ~t 2812 Cliff St., Yort \~orth, hI~ eole support a $17.00 monthly pension.



	~	am de state wh.re I‘s born ann d~tt 86 year~go, in ~Thckson County, on Massa Martin Finnely‘s plantation, and h1r~ owns ‘bont 75 other slaves ‘sides mammy and me. My peppy am on dat plantation but I don‘t know him, ‘cause n~xnmy never taik~ ‘bout him ‘cept to say, ‘He ~ here.‘

	‘~M~ssa fin de cotton plantation but rais~&s stock and. feed and corn

and cane ~nd rations for de humans sich as us. 1t ~irn diff‘rent when I~s

a young‘im dan now. Den, it 21fl needful for to reise ever~thin~ yous need,

~	dey couldn‘t ‘pend on factory m~de goods. )ey co~t1d buy shoes an~

clothes and sich, but we‘uns could m&ce (~ein SO much cheaper.

	TtThat weI1.lns rn~ke? ‘Low .~ae to ‘collect a~i‘l. Let‘s see, we‘uns m2ke shoes, ‘~nd leather ~d clothes ~nd cloth apd ~rirxds de meal. .knd. wesuns cures de rne&t ‚ preserves de fruit ~nd m~e !l~ssas arid brown sug~r. All de harness for d4 rirules ~rtd de hosses is m~Jce and d~ carts for haulin‘. Am d~~t all? Oh, yes, rnass~ ranke pe~.ch brandy and him have he own still.

	“Do work ~n 1vldecj. ‚ twixt de cullud foLks and us ~1lus have certp~in duties to do. I‘s ~ti do field hand and befo‘ l‘s old ‘nou,~h for to do dat, dey has ins help with do chores and errands.,

“Us have de cabins of loge with øne room ~nd one door and one window

hole and bunks for sleepin‘. But no cookin‘ am done dore. It an done in