*Interview with James Goings,*
*Cape Girardeau, Missouri.*
"Teresa Cannon wuz my mammy. She belonged to old Dr. Cannon, of Jackson;
when I was born. Tom Goings wuz my Daddy: He lived on a near-by
plantation. Mrs. Dunn bought my mammy and me. Den 'Massa' Lige Hill got
us fum her. I growed up out der near Whitewater. Dey wuz 'bout twenty
slaves on de place, 'en we wuz all living pretty good--plenty to eat,
an' clothes enuf. Dey wuzn't no school out dere, an' I didden know
nothin' 'bout readin' 'bout writin'--mostly, I jes' done 'chores'
carrin' in de wood 'en water en' sech like.
"I wuz 'bout ten years old wen de war wuz over, so I 'members well-nuf.
They wuz a battle over at White water, I didden see it, but I heard de
shooting and seed some o' de wounded men. De Southern soldiers had been
round de place for 'bout a week. 'Massa' had a grist mill 'en he had
lots o' corn. Dey wuz takin' our corn en' grindin' it for dey own use.
Dey wuz killin' our hogs, an' helpin' der selves to whut we had. Den
word came dat de 'Yankees' wuz comin'. 'Old George' was sent to take de
horses to de woods 'en hide 'em. Back in de woods he met two neighbor
boys, 'Willis' 'en 'Columbus Bain', en' dey showed him where to hide de
hosses, an' de sojers never did fin' 'em. Our young 'Massa Billie' 'en
de two 'Bain' boys got away--but de 'Yanks' druv de army clear to
Bloomfield 'en furder.
"De dead wuz laying all long de road an' dey stayed dere, too. In dem
days it wuzn't nuthin' to fin' a dead man in de woods. De 'Yankees' took
'Old Massa' 'en all de udder men in to Cape Girardeau 'en made 'um help
build de forte.
"We often seed sojers on de roads, but dey didden bother us much, but de
bushwackers, 'de wuz bad. One day, Bill Norman 'en his step-mother, fum
White water Station, cum up to our place. She had on a print dress 'en a
sunbonnet, 'en dat wuz all she had left in de world. Dey had burned up
everything for 'um--dey house, dey grist mill--everything. But sumtimes
de sojers got de Bushwackers--Dere wuz one fella named 'Bolen' dey got
him 'en tuck him to de Cape. Dere dey hung him on a high gate-post, jest
outside 'er town. My 'mammy', Teresa Cannon lived here in dis house wid
us for a long time. She died nine year ago at de age of one hundred 'en
fifteen."