*Abe Livingston, 83 years old, was born a slave to Mr. Luke Hadnot,
Jasper Co., Texas, the owner of about 70 slaves. He now lives in
Beaumont, Texas.*
"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 ten;
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.
[Illustration: _Abe Livingston_]
"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
spikin' on the railroad. Freedom didn' mean much to me, 'cause I didn'
know the difference. I done well anyhow."