“After freedom a heap of people say they was going to name their selves over. They named their selves big names then went roaming ’round lack wild, huntin’ cities. They changed up so it was hard to tell who or whar anybody was. Heap of ’em died an’ you didn’t know when you hear ’bout it if he was your folks hardly. Some of the names was Abraham an’ some called their selves Lincum. Any big name ’ceptin’ their master’s name. It was the fashion. I herd ’em talking ’bout it one ebenin’ an’ my pa say fine folks raise us an’ we goiner hold to our own names. That settled it wid all of us.
“Ma was a sickly woman all her life. They kept her ’round the house to help cook and sweep the yards. Not a speck of grass, not a weed growd on her yard. She swep it ’bout two times a week. It was prutty and white. The sand jes’ shined in the sun. Had tall trees in the yard.
“I can’t recollect ’bout my papa’s master cause I was raised at my mama’s master’s place. He said many and many a time Joe Guidon never had to whoop him. After he growd up he never got no whoopins a tall. Joe Guidon learned him to plow an’ he was boss of the plow hands. His wife was named Mariah Guidon. He say she was a mighty good easy woman too.
“Saturday was ration day and Sunday visitin’ day. But you must have your pass if you leave the farm an’ go over to somebody elses farm.
“When I was a boy one thing I love to do was go to stingy Tom’s still house. His name was Tom Whiteside. He sure was stingy and the meanest white man I ever seed. I went to the still house to beat peaches to make brandy. It was four miles over there and I rode. We always made least one barrel of peach brandy and one of cider. That would be vinegar ’nough by spring. ’Simmon beer was good in the cole freezin’ wether too. We make much as we have barrels if we could get the persimmons. He had a son name Bill Whitesides.
“Once an old slave woman lost her mind. Stingy Tom sent her to get a Bull tongue and she chased after one of the bulls down at the lot try in’ to catch it. She set his barn fire and burned thirteen head of horses and mules together. Stingy Tom had the sheriff try to get her tell what white folks put her up to do it. He knowed they all hated him cause he jes’ so mean. The old woman never did tell but they hung her anyhow. There was a big crowd to see it. Miss Lucy jes’ cried and cried. She say Satan got no use for Stingy Tom he so mean. That the first person I ever seed hung. They used to hang folks a heap. The biggest crowds turned out to see it.
“The old woman’s son he went to the woods he so hurt cause they going to hang his ma.
“The Missouri soldiers were worse than the Yankees. They waste an’ steal your corn and take your horses. They brought a little girl they stole and let Stingy Tom have her. He kept her and treated her so mean. They thrash out wheat and put it on big heavy sheets to dry. The little girl had to sit outen the sun an’ keep the chickens offen it. I seed him find her ’sleep and hit hard as he could in the face wid big old brush. It was old dogwood brush wid no leaves on it. He wouldn’t let that little girl have no biskit on Sunday mornin’. Everybody had all the hot biskit they could eat on Sunday mornin’. Well after freedom, long time, her aunt heard she was down there and come an’ got her. She grow up to be a nice woman. Them same Missouri soldiers took Henry Guidon (younger brother of Lee Guidon) off. Stole him from the master—stole his mule. They was so mean. They found out when they shoot, the mule so scared it would throw Henry. They kept it up and laughed. Course it hurt Henry. Liable to kill him. They say they making a Yankee soldier outen him that way. One night before they got too fur gone he rode off home. They burn whole cribs corn. Could smell it a long ways off. They was mean to eberybody.
“I recken I do know ’bout the Ku Kluck. I knowed a man named Alfred Owens. He seemed all right but he was a Republican. He said he was not afraid. He run a tan yard and kept a heap of guns in a big room. They all loaded. He married a southern woman. Her husband either died or was killed. She had a son living wid them. The Ku Kluck was called Upper League. They get this boy to unload all the guns (16 shooters). Then the white men went there. The white man give up and said, ‘I ain’t got no gun to defend myself wid. The guns all unloaded an’ I ain’t got no powder and shot.’ But the Ku Kluck shot in the houses and shot him up like lace work. He sold fine harness, saddles, bridles—all sorts of leather things. The Ku Kluck shure run them outen their country. They say they not going to have them ’round and they shure run them out, back where they came from.
“Charles Good had a blacksmith. They [the Missouri soldiers] opened a fence gap when they came through. They took him, tied him to a tree and shot him in the face with little shot. He suffered there till Wednesday when he was still living. They tied him to the tree wid his own gallowses. They was doubled and strong. Then some of them went down there and finished up the job beating him over the head with the guns till he was dead. The Ku Kluck broke up every gun they could find. They sure better not ketch a gun at the quarters of colored folks. They whoop him and break up the gun. Ask him where he got that gun and start more bad trouble.