~jJf5~1. ~-~! EX-~SLAVE srpoi~x~s Page One (Texas) ~~MOS LINCOLN ‚ 85 ‚ was born a slave of Elshay Guidry, whose plantation was in the lower delta cowitry of Louisiana, abc~it fifty miles south of New Orleans. His memories of slave days are somewhat vagu.e. He has lived in Beaumont fifty-two . years. I “My t~onbue‘s ri~t smart thin~. I‘s ten year old when they blew up that fort. I mean ~‘ort Jackson. Grandpa was cookin‘. They wouldn‘t let him fight. The fort was in New Orleans. The‘r kilt lots of people. Th1~y oore holes in the ground and blow it up. A square hole, you know, !~ machine went in there, A man co~lc9 crawl in the hole, yes, yes, sho‘. The fort was long side tne river. The~r bore holes from the river bank. They had a white paper, a order for ‘~rn not to corne to New Orleans. They drag cannon in the bole and shoot up trie fort. HS~‘n!s freedo~n co~ my pa and ma was squatters on gov‘~ent land. It was good land and high lend. k~y pa had ‘bout 100 acres. One night soi~ebody come shoot nim. Shoot him in the back. Ma took the chillen t o Shady Bayou t o grandpa. “My grandpa corne from Africy. I never see my other people ‚ cause day ‘longe to other masters. My graxidpa die when he 115 year old. “Elisha Guidry he my master in slavery. He ha~ lots of slaves. He whip my pa lots of times. He was unwillin‘ to work. He whip my ma, ~ too. One time he cut her with the whip and cut one her big toes right off. Ma come up on the gallery and wrap it up in a piece of rag. . “Us have a diZ‘t house • The chimney made with ma~ . It ‚ s a good. ~ ‚ house. it hot in summer, The beds made with moss and. shucks and the