bber ment to whup me, jes scare me little.

"I mind 'bout de wah. We niggahs neber know whut it 'bout. We jes go on
an' work. Nebber see nothin', nebber hear nothin', nebber say nothin',
but de wah all 'roun'. Evah day we heah dat de Yankee sojers comin'. De
plantations was gittin' robbed. Evabody kep' a hidin' things. It was a
tubble time. I mind plain when dey comes to Selma. All de fokes was at
church when de Yankees come. Day warn't no fightin' much, dey didn' hab
time. Dey jes march in an' take de town. But O, Lawdy, dat night dey
burn de stores an' houses an' take all de things dey want. Cannons and
guns all 'round, it war tubble sight.

"Marse Ellis' plantation 'bout 15 mile from Selma on Pea Ridge. I mind
one night Marse come home from town and he say: 'Lizabeth.' I say,
'Yes, suh.' He say: 'Bring me some fresh watah from de spring.' I run
as fas' as I kin an' bring de watah an' gib it to him, den he say:
'Lizabeth, de Yankees am comin' soon, an' I knows yo'se gwin to tell
'em where I hide all my 'longings, guns an' ebberthing.'

"'No' I says, 'jes why would I tell whar yo' hide yo' guns an' things?'
Missy come in den and she say: 'Go on an' let Lizzie 'lone, bettah be
feared dem niggahs you done so mean to gwine tell, dats all you got to
be feared of. But you, let Lizzie 'lone, she b'long to me.'

"Marse Ellis he go out an' hide some mo' stuff. Dat night de sojers
burn Selma. Dat war on Sunday. Next night we wake up in de middle of de
night an' de house what we keep de bes' carriage an' horse was
a'burnin'. De pore ho'se done break outten de barn an' was a runnin'
roun' all over de place a'screamin' wif her poor back bu'nt tubble. We
nebber find out iffen de Yankees set de barn fire or not. Guess dey
did. Dey done set Marse Hyde's house afire an' burn it to de groun'
with Marse Hyde in it. Marse Hyde he had plantation in New 'Leans and
when de Yankees take de town Marse Hyde he promise not to leave but
when de sojers [HW: know] he 'scape and come to his house on Pea Ridge,
so when de Yankees fin' him here dey burn him in de house wif all his
'longings.

"On de Tuesday mawnin' after dey burn Selma I wake up to see Marse
Ellis' plantation all surroun' wif Yankee sojers. I war nigh scared to
death. I so 'fraid dey hurt me an' Missy but dey didden, dey jes march
through de house an' when dey see Marse Ellis dey ask him for he guns
an' things dey want. Marse Ellis show dem whar de things war. 'Twarn't
no use to