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	~	~L.sLAvE: STORL~8	PageOne	5r~)
	.	(Texas)	p


LEITffi~AN SPINKS, 82, was born a slave to Pay Thompson, In Bankin County, Mississippi. Soon after Le1tb~ana birth, Mr. Thompeon moved to L Teliciaxia Parish, L~iieiana. Leithean was happy in slave days, and atayed with her master two years after she was freed. She lives at 2600 Merrick St., 7ort Worth, Texas.



	“Does I look old ‘nough to be birthed in slavery? l‘s eighty..twi years old and mammy had it right there in de Bible, marked when I~s birthed, in 1855. Ps birthed in Mississippi but a little while after, massa goes to Louisiana, over in ~aet J‘eliciana Parish, and when I~a old ~nou~ to t~eniber, wetuns am there, ‘twixt New Roads and Jackson, right user the Missiuippi River.

	“Massa Thompson had a awful big plantation and more‘n 300 cullud folks, and three rows of cabins ‘bout two blicks long, and ‘bout one family to a cabin. ~o floors in dem cz~ ins, you stands on dirt ‚ and de fu~rnit~xre am eOu%ething you knows ain‘t there, Why,‘ man, there am jus‘ benches to sit on and a homemake table and bunk.. Dere am de fireplace but all de main COOki~1 am done in de big cookin‘ died, and old Mammy Dice done it, with fc~ir to hoip her.

	“De bell ~ rung when meal time oom~s and all de slaves lines up, with their ptuis and eups and passes de service table, and de food am put on dere

pans and milk in de cup. Dat de one time massa could allus ‘pend on de niggers. when de bell say, ‘Come and git it,‘ ail u. am there. Us takes de food te de cabins and eats it.

	“Dis old nigger come near gwine to Glor~y once when mamy am gene to de cook shed. Row ‘twas amdis—a—w~. She latches de door on de itside
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