The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-11-30
PEN.PICTURES OF THE 0LDEN Time
BY COL w L. CLAYTON.

| When the war of 1861 had
closed and the survivors of the
army returned to their homes,
they found many changes had
taken place in their absence, and
especially was this noticeable in
! the border land of the country.
In the first place, all property in
slaves was destroyed, and the
I supply or horses and mules had
been reduced very much. Such
a thing as a good saddle horse or
a good wagon mule could not be
found, unlessthey had been hidden
out, and this was a very danger
Gus thing to do. Some enemy
or some slave would be almost
sure to point out the hiding place
of the stock, and if the enemy
came, he took them, and if the
friend happened along, he inn
pressed them for service, and in
either event, the stock was gone
and the owner none the better
off, as the scrip given by the
friend proved Of no more value
toward the last than the want of
it by the enemy. To the ever
lasting credit of the negroes it
must be said that they were so
! far loyal to their owners as a
general thing that they remained
I at home and worked faithfully,
and in many instances had the
care and possession of the en-
tire interests of their masters
farms and stock, and were ever
ready to do and suffer whatever
might be required for the inter-
est of their owners. After the
war in all the thinly settled slave
districts, like North Mississippi,
they still remained at home and
finished the crops before they
were turned loose as free. Ihave
often thought that as the slaves
assembled round the cabin
hearths in the days succeeding
the close of the war and before
the time of their final release,
they had wonderful reasonings
among themselves as to what
would be theoutcome of the war
to them. You must remember
they could neither read nor write,
and only in a few instancds had
anyone explained to them that
Lincoln had issued his proclama-
ton freeing them, and as we
went on with our work as for
merly they must have endeav-
ored often to peer into wonder
land to find what it would bring
to them. And yet how cautious
they must haye been, because of
the fear of punishment. They
had not yet learned that they
were no longer in fear of the
Patrolers if they failed to carry
a pass from their owners, and
consequently had not moved
about much. l remember very
we'll that our slaves were just as
obedient and worked as we'll du
ring the making of the crop Of
1865 as they had ever been and
done. So one morning after the
crop was completed, / said to my
father, Father, l think we had
better tell our negroes they are
free and have a right to go where
they please" He agreed it was
the course to take, and we called
them up and told them of their
light to go or remain as they
might choose, and that they were
as free as we were, and l think
we might have added, a little
freer. And / assure you that
the white women had the cook
ling to do that day, and many
women who had never made a
biscuit or fried ham and eggs,
were forced to look into cook
books to learn that which SEEM
ed to have come to the old black
mammie by instinct. But, as the
negroes were all moving about
the same time it was not long
until anybody could get a COO.
who wanted one.
But l want to tell you it did
not take a lifetime for the poor
ignorant negroes to learn the eX.
tent of their freedom and THEN
rights Hereunder. When the.
ascertained the fact that they
had a right to stand and lister
to a white man talk, and nont
dare molest or make them afraid,
they took advantage of every
opportunity to listen and to learn.
And when the reconstruction
measures were passed by Con-
gress they were not long il.
learning that the bottom rail wa.
on top. / remember and shall
never forget the wonderful in
| fil1ence any worthless carpetbap-