Litchfield enquirer., 1875-06-17

1 few runaway nlggers dar, what was united togedder in akind of a band, and they want ed fur me ter unite wid 'em, but wouldn't and den dey wouldn't gib me muffin more t eat. watched my chance, and one night when day was all asleep I run away. De nex' evenin' wentured out towards Mir. Erskine's plantation, 'caus I knowed his niggers wasn't watched bery close, and l thought I'd get a chance fur ter get sui fin [ eat. Feared like must run any risk, was so mortal hungry. l got as fur as de gin-house, and den I crep' up and hid among de piles ob cotton, and fore I'd been dar long I heard some one a-creepin' creepin' up. I made ready ter fight fur my life, and den de step come creepln' along, and l saw twas anodder runaway nigger. Gransome was his name. He kivered hisself mp close wid de cotton, and 'peared like he was waitin' fur sufin and shore huff, fore long woman come in mighty softly.
 ''Sh-h, 'sh-h!'' says she. ''Puss. puss, pussr'
 ''Miaw; I'm here," says he. ''Dar," says she, givin' him a lot of vietuaIs, ''dar's enuff ter last you two or free days. Keep still and don you stay i 'roun' yere long, cause massa Il be home l! tomorrow"
 ''All right" says he. and he crep' back under de cotton and fell to like good un. Tell you, de water come in my mouff ter hear him crackin' and crunchin'
 s'Hem Gransome P says in whis- per
 ''Who's dar?" says he.
 "'Sh-h, 'sh-h! friend" says I. 'Joe Mcintyre. Fur de Lords sake gib me suffin ter eat, says I. ''Ef yer don't, I'll hab ter take 1t, and I'm stronger'n you"
 You kin hab some," says he, and eat till l was satisfied. had good sleep dat night, and when I woke up Gransome daybreak, and de nex' night I sIep' in an- odder gin-house, furder up de bay. Oar wa n't no one dar, and mixed some pone from some corn meal found, and set 1t down to de fire to bake. Iknowed no one wouldn't be back dat night. y'mby 1 l went up a tree sos to look 'roun' de coun- try. Oar wa'n't no one in sight, but when 1 come down ag'in to git my bread, I was scented by an old dog. He come up and scented me, and glib me terrible fright, so tuck a run and tuck to be ribber, but all was quite, and fore midnight I come slippin' back ter git my bread. De fire was out, so t wasn't burned, and had good meal off it.
 De nex' day come mos to de edge ob de plantation, and laid down under some willows to watch till I'd git chance to git sufin to eat. l laid low all day; pear ed like could mos spread my body even wid de ground, but got no morsel to eat dat day. De nex.as l was hangin' roun', l smelt dried beef, plain as could be, Lord! when you're wanderin' and starvin' like dat, pears like you. can smell like a1I IL T.. drawd my nose to 1t straight as could be; l found 1t was in a gin-house, whar de men was worain' all night. I waited and watched till dey was all asleep, and den I made tracks wid de beef made a good meal off it, but arter dat I had terrible hard time az in. De dogs was out arter me agin, and was runnin' night and day. l was year and half iE de swamp, and l member de fust few weeks de best of all. Ihadn.t no thought left 'ceptin' to hide and fight. made dat my reverent idea was shot at, fust and last, eight times, and l got ter feel more like wild beast nor a man. I didn't know muffin bout de war, nor de .Norf, nor muffin But I'll nebber forgit de fust United States soldier 1 seen. It was de end ob my trubbles. It was Ge last day was hidin', and was out huntin' fur sufin ter eat l didn't know whar I was, not at all. but knowed was many long day s journey away from de old plantation. I'd been maxim long march huntin' food, and was most were out, when come on an open place in de woods whar some men in red and blue clo'es was runnin' across field and goin' fro some man9uvres. 1 was watching of 'em like one 'stracted, when they caught sight ob me, and | put 1 | haF VI m holi iof in
 ''Hallo! stop! stop!" dey says, rnnnin' arter me. We're friends! stop! stop.'' But put fort all de more. I wes dat desprit and strong I felt like I could run 8 hundred miles, and de soldiers dey come arter me ickety-split.
 By'mby felt my strength gibin' out, and jus laid down and slammed dead Feared like my head sunk and my heart busted ,and 1 didn't know muffin more till l come to myself and found was lyin' on de ground, de soldiers all 'roun' me, and one on 'em pourin' water down my throat Don't be afraid" dey say,''we're friends ob de slaves" Arter dat, soon's I was able ter walk. dey tuck me back ter camp, and de fus' ting l noticed was big ket- tie, and pork and beans and corn and to- mats all biiin in it togedder. I was dat starved dat was goin' fur dat ar kettle de fus' ting, but de Zouave what tuck me he held on to me. ''Hold hard ole feller," he says. Fl must take you to de capn first. and den yer can eat as much as yer want"
 De cap'n was mighty kind to me; he gin me some clos, and tole me to go to de brook and wash myself, and put 'em on, and den could eat till I was satisfy. Gollyi set down by dat are kettle, and I eat till l couldn't eat no more, and den I went ter sleep huggin' of it. De soldiers all came 'roun and larfed at me- Lord! dat was my best time! wouldn't do nuf- in but eat and sleep de fust two days, and l got so filled up couldn't hardly creep 1 was sick arter dat, and put into de hos pital, and when got we'll I listed. Tell you, missy, dat ar was proud day when my name went up to de president. I was mustered into Company c, United States Colored Rangers. tuck to soldierin' as natural as duck to water, and dey was mighty good times arter all I'd cone fro. My captain was good, kind man; he writ fur me good many times to try and find what had come ob my wife and four child ren what left behind me on de ole plan tatlon, but couldn't nebber hear muffin about em. When we went inter battle I fit like tiger, and liked 1t arter de fust few minutes. lost my arm in de battle ob Savannah. I was long time in hos pital arter dat, and was moved a good many times. Fust was moved to Beau fort; Souf Ca'lina, and den when I got better was brought up Norf and put in a hospital on David's Island. I was a good while gittin' well, and when I was discharged Dr. Wetmore gin me a good recommend fur a gardner, and got me nice place. I'm doin' we'll now. bought dis we're little house, and paid fort, and what with garden work, and sellin' vege- tables and eggs and sioh, git on mighty well. Only this spring de fowls has tuck ter eatin' dere eggs, and make a heavy loss by dat
 Yes, I'm married. When I found I couldn't yere muffin about my fust wife, 'peared like ough' ter git married. So l got engaged to two colored ladies, one in Washington and one yere. Yis one was I