"The owners went to work and notified the slaves that they were free.
After the proclamation was issued, the government had agents who went
all through the country to see if the slaves had been freed. They would
see how the proclamation was being carried out. They would ask them,
'How are you working?' 'You are free.' 'What are you getting?' Some of
them would say, 'I ain't gettin' nothin' now.' Well, the agent would
take that up and they would have that owner up before the government.
Maybe he would be working people for a year and giving them nothin'
before they found him out. There are some places where they have them
cases yet. Where they have people on the place and ain't paying them
nothin'."