American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1868-04-11

Z
son. it was The most lucky thin
they brought agin me We evel
heard : That | had furnished {
buShwhachcr wild horse, a week
before Many Thing, mi hit hev
been brought agin me that
couldn', get off 50 well as that
but that was aisy. >es |, 'Mr
flee, yure folks took all me
bosses and mules, two months
ago, so that | hey not had one
to go to mill or any other place
and am sure had none &c
i've to IA buShwhacker.' SO they
tells me TO go home and behave
me>iIf. ! makes me bow to them,
and l was gid to eff SO very
aisy.
But they use me bad-took me
little thiagS-cursed me, and threat.
ed me so badly that l had bad
thoughts and sed bad words-and
l began to feel mighty bad. l could
not see the praste, and me sins be.
saocto pile up on me- add felt aw,
lul bad! They would not let me
into " widout pass; and they
wouldn't give me pass widout |
would take their Internal oath-and
that l would not take to save their
Ii, cs.
~ felt so bad that one blessed
Sabbath morn, | determined to see
the praste. So | takes the Bible,
wild the blessed cross on it, and a
bottle o. whiSkey, and coming to
the guard, l SEES: See here, you
rescal, must go III to see the
praise; and here is the blessed Bible
that leads to Heaven, and here is
the whiskey, that leads to He'll; now
take your choice, and let me in
He took the bottle, and told me to
go where | plaised. So | got in to
see the praste; and fine time we
had of it, too, that day. 1t WAS Il
day, PaIson, long to be remembered
by a poor body who had been divel.
ed us | had, ard shut out fir III the
praste so long.
"But it was not so aiSy to get
ont, Parson, rs it was to get into
the city. | had no bottle o whiokcN,
and the guard would net let me
pass, but carried me to the officer,
who, he said, must give BIC II pass,
or he wouldn't let me go home. SO.
widout letting him report me. | walk
ed up to the officer, and SOS | to him,
Sir, would We be SO kind as to give
IA body Il pass, that may go home,
seeing | live in the country, and il
is getting late, yer honor 7 But he
wouldn't so much as notice Il hody-
so | made bold to ask him a1in.
Hev We taken the oath 2 seq he
And wha: oa,h does yer honor ask
me about ? THE oath of loyalty
SEES he. No, sir; but | hey always
been loyal. | was loyal to the Uii e
States, before the war began; and
was loyal to the Conietherates, whin
they was here; and if III y should
come wild bigger aro"A Inan We
has, and drive Ne away, Cana nope
they maya l would be loyal to
thin. 'And how did ye get in here,
ef We hev not taken the oa'h nor
had pass = SEES he. Then | began
to feel IA little queer, lest l might
tell story or tell on some body and
get him into a difficulty. So, SEES |,
= That's Il Srcrpt-and I'm not gong
to tell you how got in AT thar
he began to look fierce, and cursed
me, and said ! should nor hey amy
pass till took the oath. Yer honor
srs, i hey always been 10y al to the
powers that be-. | WAS loyal before
the war, was loyal to the ConIeIhcr-
ate Sand they did not make me
take an oath, and to take an oath
now, fthe COmftderates should come
in bigger army than we has and
drive We away (and | hoped they
would) as ] could not so mid him |
would be in bad fix. Do We think,
sir, am fool enough to fight whole
army meselfl No, sir, | have always
been loyal to the powers that be +;
aud don't wantto take your oath as
the Confcderatcs might use me bad
when they git the City back, and |
pray how soon that may be.
SO when he found | would not
take the oath, and WIS always loyal
and wanted the ConfrdrrateS back,
he called one of his clerks to give
me pass that | might go home, for
if | Staid there | would corrup the
whole city. And see" .sed he,
: that we do not c)ns t. thus city
again; for if We do, and | catch We.