Booker T. Washington: “If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.”

Even the most ignorant members of my race on the remote plantations felt in their hearts, with a certainty that admitted of no doubt, that the freedom of the slaves would be the one great result of the war, if the Northern armies conquered.

Even to this day I can recall accurately the tortures that I underwent when putting on one of these garments.

This tenderness and sympathy on the part of those held in bondage was a result of their kindly and generous nature.

These discussions showed that they understood the situation, and that they kept themselves informed of events by what was termed the “grape-vine” telegraph.