420095
	EL.SLATE S~ORI~S	Page One	~	24
(Texas)


ABE LIVfl4G~STON, 83 years old, was born a slave t o Mr • L~ike Hadnot ‚ Jasper Co. ‚ Texas, the owner of about 70 slaves. He now lives in Beaumont, Texas.

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	“I done well tn slavery, ~~&use I belonged to Iv~as5a Luke Hadnot ~nd h~ had some bov~ pnd they and me grew up togethe~r. When ~ny daddy beat me I~d go up to the big house and stey there with txie boys end we‘d git something to e~t from the kitchen. When de whi. te folks has ‚ we gits what lei ‚ • ~assa Luke done well by his nig~ers, he done batter‘n rims‘ of ‘em.

	“Ils boys, white boys and. me, h~d lots of ~in when us

growth‘ up. I ‘memb‘~r the gaines us pley and we‘d. sing this:

‚t ‘Many Bright ‚ Many Bright,
Three score and ten;
Kin you git up by candleligiat?
Yes, Iffen your legs
Are long and limber arid light.‘

	“Sometimes us boys, not tne white ones ‘cause they couldnt, would go in the woods and stay aU night. We builds camp~ fires and. watches for witches and. hante. I seen some but what they was I (Ion1 know. By the waterhole, one tall white hant used to con~e nearly every night. I couldn‘ sc~y much hov~ it looked, ‘CaUSS I was too scart to git close.

	“I was jus‘ about big enough to handle the mule when the war bust o~it . My daddy was t~ servant in the army and he help cd. dig the breastwork rou.nd Mansfield fox‘ ttie battle.