“When da war broke out I went right wid de Marster up to Corinth.  I stayed up dere in de camp for de longes’ time a-waitin’ on de sojers an’ nussing de sick ones.  I never seen much o’ de real fightin’.  But I heard de cannons roar an’ I waited on de sojers what got wounded.

“After dey moved camp de Marster sont me back home to he’p look after de Mistis an’ chillun.  De ’Federates had some cattle hid ’way in us pasture an’ I looked after ’em.  One night when I was comin’ home I met ’bout a hund’ed Yankees comin’ over a hill.  Dey saw de cattle an’ took ’bout ha’f of ’em.  I skidooed.  Dey aint kotched me yet.

“After de war de Yankees called deyse’ves ’Publicans.  Dey come down here an’ wanted all de Niggers to vote de ’Publican ticket.  Den, lemme tell you, I went to work for my white folks.  Dey was a-holdin’ big meetin’s an’ speakin’s, but I was workin’, too.  On ’lection day I brung in 1500 Niggers to vote de Democrat ticket.  De folks what saw us comin’ over de hill say us look like a big black cloud.  I reckon us sounded lak one wid all dat hollerin’ an’ shoutin’.

“All my folks was dead soon, an’ I went ’bout lak I was in a trance for awhile.  I went firs’ one place an’ den ’nother.

“When I was on de Cox place I met Dora an’ us married.  Dat was a big weddin’ an’ a big feas’.  Den us moved over to de Troup place an’ stayed dere for a long spell.  While us was dere I ‘member de Klu Kluxers an’ all de carryin’ on.  Dey would dress up in white sheets an’ come ‘roun’ an’ scare all de Niggers.  Dey’d whip de bad ones.  Some of ’em would git cow horns an’ put on dey heads.  One time dey chased a Nigger plumb under de house jus’ a-playin’ wid ‘im.  Dey was a-bellowin’ jus’ lak bulls.

“I can’t read an’ write.  I aint got much use for a Nigger wid a little education.  I went to school twict.  De firs’ teacher I had, dey come an’ carried to de pen for signin’ his old Marster’s name.  De nex’ teacher, dey put in jail for stealin’.  So I jus’ ‘cided twas jus’ better for me not to know how to read’n write, less’n I might git in some kinda trouble, too.

“Dora an’ me is got three out o’ eight chillun livin’.  Dora an’ me don’ live together no more.  She likes to stay in town an’ I aint got no patience wid city slickers an’ dey ways.  She stays wid us gal, Nanny.  I stays out here.  I goes in to see her ‘bout once a mont’.

“I don’t git lonesome.  Lawdee, no’m!  I’s got my two dogs.  Den de white folks is always a-comin’ out here.  Dey is good to me.  Dey is one right pert Nigger woman what lives down de road a-piece.  Her name is Katie, an’ I goes down dere when I gits tired o’ eatin’ my own cookin’.  She sets a plumb good table, too.”

NETTIE HENRY Meridian, Mississippi

Nettie Henry, ex-slave, 19th Street, Meridian, Lauderdale County, is 82 years old.  She is five feet tall and weighs one hundred pounds.