o. I'se
proud I'se a old sojer, I seed de men fall when dey was shot but I was
not skeered. We et bread when we could git it an' if we couldn' git it
we done widout.

"Afte' I lef' Mr. Lampton I'se come here an' went to work fer Mr. Enoch
at Fernwood when his mill was jes a old rattletrap of a mill. I work fer
him 45 years. At fust I hauled timber out'n de woods an' afte' whil'st I
hauled lumber to town to build houses. I sometimes collec' fer de lumber
but I niver lost one nickle, an' dem white folks says I sho' was a
honest nigger.

"I lived here on dis spot an' rode a wheel to Fernwood every day, an'
fed de teams an' hitched 'em to de wagons an' I was niver late an' niver
stopped fer anything, an' my wheel niver was in de shop. I niver 'lowed
anybody to prank wid it, an' dat wheel was broke up by my gran'chulluns.

"Afte I quit work at de mill I'se come home an' plow gardens fer de
white folks an' make some more money. I sho' could plow.

"I jined de New Zion Baptist Church here in Magnolia an' was baptized in
de Tanghipoa River one Sunday evenin'. I was so happy dat I shouted, me
an' my wife bofe. I'se still a member of dat church but I do not preach
an' I'm not no deacon; I'se jes a bench member an' a mighty po' one at
dat. My wife was buried frum dat church.

"Doan know why I was not called Jim Sandell, but mammy said my pappy was
named Henry Cornelius an' I reckin I was give my pappy's name.

"When I was a young man de white folks' Baptist Church was called Salem
an' it was on de hill whar de graveyard now is. It burnt down an' den
dey brung it to town, an' as I was goin' to tell yer I went possum
huntin' in dat graveyard one night. I tuk my ax an' dog 'long wid me an'
de dog, he treed a possum right in de graveyard. I cut down dat tree an'
started home, when all to once somethin' run by me an' went down dat big
road lak light'ning an' my dog was afte' it. Den de dog come back an'
lay down at my feet an' rolled on his back an' howled an' howled, an'
right den I knowed it was a sperit an' I throwed down my 'possum an' ax
an' beat de dog home. I tell you dat was a sperit--I'se seed plen'y of
'em. Dat ain't de only sperit I ever seed. I'se seen 'em a heap of
times. Well, dat taught me niver to hunt in a grave yard ag'in.

"No ma'm, I niver seed a ghost but I tell yer I know dere is sperits.
Let me tell yer, anudder time I was goin' by de graveyard an' I seed a
man's head. He had no feet, but he kep' lookin' a