in' water from deir faces, one
Sunday evenin'. A terrible thing happen one time at de baptism. It was
while de war was gwine on. Marse Johnnie had come back from Virginia, on
a furlough for ten days. Old Marse John come to see him and fetch Rev.
Mr. Cartledge wid him. People was pow'ful consarned 'bout 'ligion 'long
'bout dat time. Me and all de little slave boys jined dat time and dere
was a little boy name Ike, a slave of old Doctor John Douglas, dat
jined. Him was just 'bout my age, seven or eight years old. After him
jined, him wanna back out of goin' down into de water. Dat evenin',
after dinner, us was all dressed in a kind of white slip-over gown for
de occasion. When it come Ike's time to receive de baptism, him was led
by his mammy, by de hand, to de edge of de water and his hand given to
de preacher in charge, who received him. Then he commenced: 'On de
confession----'. 'Bout dat time little Ike broke loose, run up de bank,
and his mammy and all de slaves holler: 'Ketch him! Ketch him!' Old
Marse John holler: 'Ketch him!' They ketch little Ike and fetch him back
to old Marse John and his mammy. Marse John explain to him dat it better
to have water in de nose, now, than fire in de soul forever after.
Little Ike say nothin'. His mammy take his hand and lead him to de
preacher de same way her did befo'. Little Ike went down into de water.
Preacher take him but when little Ike got down under dat water, de
preacher lose de hold and bless God, in some way little Ike got 'twixt
and 'tween de preacher's legs and comin' out behind him, turnt him
sommersets and climb out on de bank a runnin'. Little Ike's mammy cry
out: 'Ketch him! Ketch him!' Old marster say: 'No let him go to de
devil. Thank de Lord him none of our niggers anyhow. Him just one of Dr.
Douglas' Presbyterians niggers dat's destined to hell and be damned, I
reckon."

=Project #1655=
=W.W. Dixon=
=Winnsboro, S.C.=

=JESSE WILLIAMS=

=_EX-SLAVE 83 YEARS OLD._=

At the end of one of the silent streets of west Chester, S.C., that
prolongs itself into a road leading to the Potter's Field and on to the
County Poorhouse, sets a whitewashed frame cottage. It has two rooms,
the chimney in the center providing each with a fireplace. A porch,
supported by red cedar posts, fronts the road side. In this abode lives
Jesse Williams with his daughter, Edna, and her six children. Edna pays
the rent, and is a grenadier in the warfare of keeping the wolf fr