I done well in slavery, 'cause I belonged to Massa Luke Hadnot and he had some boys and they and me grew up together. When my daddy beat me I'd go up to the big house and stay there with the boys and we'd git something to eat from the kitchen. When de white folks has et, we gits what lef'. Massa Luke done well by his niggers, he done better'n mos' of 'em. Us boys, white boys and me, had lots of fun when us growin' up. I 'member the games us play and we'd sing this: Marly Bright, Marly Bright, Three score and tem; Kin you git up by candlelight? Yes, iffen your legs Are long and limber and light.' Sometimes us boys, not the white ones 'cause they couldn', would go in the woods and stay all night. We builds campfires and watches for witches and hants. I seen some but what they was I don' know. By the waterhole, one tall white hant used to come nearly every night. I couldn' say much how it looked, 'cause I was too scart to git close. I was jus' about big enough to handle the mule when the war bust out. My daddy was a servant in the army and he helped dig the breastwork round Mansfield for the battle. News of the freedom come 'bout 9 or 10 o'clock on a Tuesday morning. Mos' us goes home and stays there till nex' Monday. Then Yankees come and told us we's free. About 80 of 'em come and they sho' laughed a lot, like they's glad war is through, Seem like they's more for eatin' than anything else and dey steal the good hosses. They take everything to eat, and 40 big gobblers and they eat the hawgs and beeves, too. How them Yankees could eat! I never seen nothin' like it. I come to Jefferson County after freedom and got me a job. It was snipin' on the railroad. Freedom didn' mean mich to me, 'cause I didn' know the difference. I done well anyhow.

It was a typical scene of the south; a gaunt white horse picking his way slowly along the field; the broken plow, and stooped old darky directing its wavering progress. Abe Livingston, despite his 83 years, was one of the most active of the ex-slaves interviewed. Under the blazing sun at midday, he was out in the field, his kinky white head partially shaded by the tattered remnants of an old straw hat; and his garb similar to the Jacob's coat of Biblical fame, patches of varying sizes and colors comprising the ensemble. Abe was originally one of the younger slaves of Mr. Luke Hadnot , of Jasper county, but after freedom, became a "sniper" on the railroad, and later a farmer. My marster he done very well by his niggers, he done bettern' mos' of 'em. I was jus' 'bout big 'nough to handle d' mule when d' war bus' out. I had to take d' barrel of water on a slide an' take it to d' han's in d' fiel'. My marster didn' make me do no mo' wuk in d' fiel' 'cept dat. Part d' time I had to min' d' turkeys to keep d' hawks off. Dey was 'bout 60 or 70 niggers on d' plantation. My daddy was a servant in d' army. He help' dig d' breas' work 'roun' Mansfiel' fo' d' battle. D' news of freedom come 'bout 9 or 10 o'clock on a Tuesday mornin'. Mos' us went home an' stay dere 'til nex' Monday. D' Yankees come an' tol' us we free. Dey was 'bout 80 in d' bunch, an' dey laff a lot like dey glad d' war thru'. Seem like dey mo' fo' eatin' dan anyt'ing else tho'. Dey come from d' eas', 'cross d' Sabine Ribber. W'en dey come dey see d' good hosses. Dey steal 'em an' take 'em on. Nex' place dey come to somebody see d' hosses an' dey steal 'em from d' Yankees an' take 'em somew'er else an' sell 'em. D' Yankee' come an' take anyt'ing. Anyt'ing dey see w'at dey want to eat dey take too. W'en dey come to us dey take 'bout 40 big gobblers, an' dey eat d' hawgs an' beeves too. 'Bout five boys mos' grown went off wid d' Yankees w'en dey lef'.

I done well in slavery. Me an' d' Hadnot boys we growed up togedder. W'en my daddy beat me I wouldn' go back to d' cabin fo' a week. I go stay wid d' w'ite boys up in d' big house. We git somethin' to eat from d' kitchen. We git d' same t'ing d' other folks git. W'en d' ol' folks git up from d' table we git all dats lef'. Us boys, d' w'ite boys 'n' me had lots 'r' fun w'en us growin' up. I 'member d' game us play 'n' sing dis, 'Marly Bright, Marly Bright, Three score 'n' ten. Kin you git dere by candlelight? Yes, iffen your legs 'R' long, 'n' limber 'n' light, 'Watch out fo' d' ol' Blue Witch on d' Road.' Den d' boys run t' git t' d' base fo' d' Witch kotch 'em. W'en us beat d' witch t' d' base d' game was all ober. Us play lots day way. Mo' fun dan game' was atter us git big 'nuf t' go t' d' wood. Us go out 'n' stay in d' wood all night. Soon's it git good 'n' dark d' meanes' boys, I's usually one 'r' dem, us run off from d' skeery ones. Dey t'ink dey los' 'n' yell 'n' yell. Den us wait 'til dey git tire' 'n' lay down t' sleep 'n' den mek all kin's 'r' ghos' noises up in d' trees 'n' down in d' holler Eben sneak up in d' dark 'n' mek like a ba'r 'r' snake done crawl up dey leg 'r' sumpthin'. Us sho' hab fun wid dem skeery ones. D' w'ite boys carry a compass like a watch so's dey neber git los'. W'en us buil' camp fire in d' wood d' ol'der boys tol' ghos' story but I dis'member dem now. I 'member dem tellin' d' story 'bout d' Deer 'n' Ol' Man Tuttle (turtle) w'at had d' race. Dey bet who could win d' race, but d' Deer say it no fair cause d' Tuttle he hab one 'r' he relatives sot at ebry pos' 'long d' way t' mek d' Deer t'ink he git dere fus', 'n' he ain' been now'ere. Den dey tell d' story 'bout d' Big Brown B'ar dat d' marster kotch in d' co'n fiel'. D' B'ar he gedderin' up a arm-full 'r' co'n. Boss Man say, 'Ba'r w'at you doin' in my co'n fiel'?' Ba'r he say, 'Jus' gettin' me a sumpthin' t' eat.' Boss say, 'You ain' got no bus'ness in dere. I sic d' dog on you.' Ba'r he grab mo' co'n 'n' ain' said a word. Boss call d' dogs 'n' say, 'Gittim.' So 'way go Ba'r, glomety, glomety, 'n' here come dogs, light foot right atter 'im. D' Ba'r he go up one hill 'n' lose a yere 'r' co'n. Dat 'grow d' dog off. Dey smell 'roun' 'n' smell 'roun' den pick d' trail ag'in. D' Ba'r he go up under hill 'n' lose anuder yere 'r' co'n. Dat lead d' dog wrong ag'in. But w'en d' Ba'r go up d' las' hill d' dog so clost he heel he lose all d' co'n. Dat mek d' Ba'r so mad he ain' care iffen d' dog gittim 'r' not. Den he see a bee-gum 'n' he git a big ideer. He know he got big t'ick fur 'n' d' bees ain' gwinter hurt him so he run clost t' d' bee-gum. D' dawgs so 'cited dey ain' see d' bees 'till d' git right dere. Den w'at a c'motion dey is. D' fus' dawg git bit on d' yere 'n' he run howlin' home. D' secon' dawg he git bit on d' nose 'n' he run howlin' home. D' las' dog git bit on d' tail jus' as he go ober d' hill. An' d' ba'r he jus' laff 'n' laff 'n' laff. Atter freedom I lef' Jasper county an' come t' Jeff'son county. I mos' done snipin' on d' railroad an' some farmin'. I ain' forgit d' w'ite folks tho', an' dey still nice t' me. D' las' time I in Jasper d' ol'es' Hadnot boy he take me huntin' like w'en we boys. I aim to shoot d' ol' jack rabbit an', he say, 'Boy, wha' you tryin' do, shoot me?' An' I say, wha' fo' you t'ink I shoot you dis time, w'en us be'n shootin' dis way fo' 'bout 75 year? Freedom didn' mean much. I didn' know d' difference. I done well anyhow.