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My name is Mary Wallace Bowe. I was nine years ole at de surrender.
My mammy an' papoy, Susan an' Lillman Graves, fus' belonged to Marse Fountain an' Mis' Famy Tu'berville, but Marse Fountain sold me, my mamy an' my brother George to Mis' Fanny's sister, his' Virginia Graves. Mis' Virginia's husban' was Marse Docter Graves. Dey lived on de ole Elijah Graves estate not far from Marse Fountain's plan tation here in Durham county, an' Mis' Virginia an' Mis' Fanny seed each other near 'bout every day.
I was little when Marse Fountain an' Marse Doctor went to de war but I remembers it. I remembers it kaze Mis' Fanny stood on de po'ch sailin' an' wavin' at Marse Fountain 'til he went 'roun' de curve in de road, den she fell to de floor like she was dead. I thought she was dead litie Mis' Virginia th'owed some water in her face an' she opened her eyes.
De nex day Mis' Virginia took me an' mamny an' we all went over an' stayed wid Mis' Fanny kaze she was szeered an' so dey'd be company for each other. Mammy waited on Mis' Virginia an' he'ped Surella Tu'berville, Mis' Fanny's house girl, sweep an' make up de beds an' things. I was little but mammy made me work. I shook de rugs, brung in de kindlin' an run 'roun' waitin' on Mis' Virginia an' Mis' Fanny, such as totin' dey basket of keys, bringin' dey shawls an' such as dat. Dey was all de time TeeRin 'bout de folks fightin' an' what dey would do if de Yankees come.
Every time dey talk his' Fanny set an' twist her han's an' say: what is we gwine do, Sister, what is we gyine do?"
Mis' Virginia try to pacify Vis' Fenny. She say, 'Don' yo' worry none, Honey, I'll fix dem Yankees when dey come.' Den she set her mouf. When she done dat I rvn an' hid behin' Mis' Fanny's chair kaze I done seed Mis' Virginia set her mour befo' an' I knowed she meant biznes'.
I didn' have sense tnough to be skeered den kaze I hadn' never seed no Yankee sojers, but twen' long befo' I was skeered. De Yankees come one mornin, an' dey rieved, Oh, Lawd, how dey did rip. Then dey rode up to de gate an' come stompin' to de house, Mis' Fanny 'gun to cry. 'Tell dem somethin', Sister, tell dem somethin', she tole Mis' Virginia.
Mis' Virginia she ain' done no cryin'. When she seed dem Mankees comin' 'cross de hill, she run 'roun' an' got all de jewelry. She took off de rings an' pins she an' Mis' Fanny had on an' she got all de things out of de jewelry box an' give dem to pappy. "Hide dem, Lillmam" she tole pappy, "hide dem some place whare dem thieves won' fin' dem.
Pappy had on high top boots. He didn' do nothin but stuff all dat jewelry right down in dem boots, den he strutted all 'roun' dem Yankees Laughin' to heself. Dey cussed when dey couldn' fin' no jewelry a tall. Dey didn' fin' no silver neither kaze us niggers done he'p Mis' Fanny an' Mis' Virginia hide dat. We done toted it all down to de cottin gin house an' hid it in de loose cotton piled on de floor. When dey couldn' fin' nothin' a big sojer went up to Mis' Virginia who was standin' in de hall. We look at her an' say: 'Yo's skeered of me, ain' yo'?'
Mis' Virginia ain' batted no eye yet. She tole him, "If I was gwine to be skeered, I'd be skeered of somethin'. I sho ain' of no ugly, braggin' Yankee."
De man tu'ned red an he say: "If you don' tell me where you done hide dat silver I'se gwine to made you skeered."
Mis' Virginia's chin wend up higher. She set her mouf an' look at dat sojer 'til he Srap his eyes. Den she tole him dat some folks done come an' got de silver, dat dey done toted it off. She didn' tell him dat it was us nigers dat done toted it down to de cotton gin house.
In dem days dey was peddlers gwine 'roun' do country sellin' things. Dey toted big packs on dey banks filled wid everythin' from needles an' thimbles to bed spreads an'fryin' pans. One day a peddlar stopped at Mis' Fanny's house. He was de uglies' man I ever seed. He was tall an' bony wid black whiskers an' black bushy hain an' curious eyes dat set way back in his head. Dey was dark an' look like a dog's eyes after you done hit him. He set down on de po'ch an' opened his pack, an' it was so hot an' he looked so tired, dat Mis' Fanny give him er cool drink of milk dat done been settin' in de spring house. All de time Mis' Fanny was lookin' at de things in de pack an' buyin', de man kept up era runnin' taele He aue her how many niggers dey had; how many men dey had fightin' on de 'Federate side, an' what was she gwine do if de niggers was set free. Den he ax her if she knowed Mistah Abraham Lincoln.
'Bout dat time Mis' Virginia come to de door an' heard what he said. She blaze up like a lightwood fire an' tole dat peddlar dat dey didn7 want to know nothin' 'bout Mistah Lincoln; dat dey knowed too much alrealy, an' dat his name wuzn' 'lowed called in dat house. Den she say he wuzn' nothin' but a black debil messin' in other folks eacirics, an' dat shs'd shoot him on sight if she had half a chance.
De man laughed. "Maybe he ain't so bad, he told her. Den he packed his pack an' went off down de road, an' Mis' Virginia watched him live he went out of sight 'roun' de bend.
Two or three weeks later Mis' Fanny got a letter. De letter was from dat peddlar. He tole her dat he was Abraham Lincoln heself; dat he was peddlin' over de country as a spy, an' he thanked her for de res' on her shady po'ch an' de cool glass of milk she give him.
When dat letter come Mis' Virginia got so hoppin' med dat she took all de stuff Mis' Fanny done bought from Mistah Lincoln an' made us niggers burn it on de ash pile, Den she made pappy rake up de ashes an' th'ow dem in de creek.
N. C. District No. 2 Subject Ex-Slave Recollections Worker Mary A. Hicks"
