-2-	87



at the post office twenty-two years and. don‘t git but ten d.ollar8 a month. They ought to gin~ne more.

	“M~r father‘s Lame was Jeff Wells. i~y rixther‘s naine was Tilda Bailey. She was married twice. I took her master‘s name. Jeff Wells was my father‘s name. Governor Bailey ou.ght to give nie somethin‘. I got t1~ same nan~ he has. I know him.

	“My father‘s master was Stanley——Jeff Stanley. That was in slavery time. ‘that was my slave time people. i. was ju.st a little bit of a boy. i am glad. you are gittin‘ that to help the colored people out. i~re they goin‘ to give the old slaves a pension? What they want to ask all these questions for then? sell, 1 guess there‘s somethin‘ else‘ besides money th~it‘s worth while.

	“My father‘ s master was a good. man. 1~1e was good t o him. Ye s ßaby Jeff ~iel1s, that my fat~:er‘s naine. I was a little baby settin‘ in the basket ‘round in the yard and they ~ould put the cotton all ‘round me. ~ihey carried me out where they worked and put me in the basket. I couldn‘t pick no cotton because I was too young. ~Vhen they got through they wou~d put me In that big old wa.gon and carry me home. There wasn‘t no trucks thez~. Jeff Wel is (that was my father) ‚ when they g~t through pickin‘ the cotton, he would say, ‘Put t~m children in the wagon; pick ‘em up ~ put ‘em in the wagon. ‚ I was a litti e b1tt~ old boy. J. could.n ~t pick no cotton the n. &it 1 used. to pick it after the surrender. ~

	“I remember what they said when they freed my father. They said, ‘You‘re free. You children are free. Go on back there and work and let your chu... dren work. Don‘t v~rk them children too long. You‘ll git pay fbr your work.‘ That was in the Monticello courthouse yard. They said, ‘You‘re freej Free‘