mother, and now they tried to made the
Yankees shoot her because she wouldn' tell where the silver was hidden.
My mother was a good cook and she fixed food for the Yankees camped on
the place, and this softened the soldiers' hearts. They burned both the
plantation houses, but they give my mother a horse and plenty of food to
last for some time after they left."

"What did your mother do after the war?" we asked.

"She spent the rest of her life cookin' for her young Mistis, Mrs. Dr.
Madden in Jacksonville. She was Cap'n Bill's daughter. That was her home
till shortly after the World War when she died."

"Did your Master live through the war?"

"Yas'm. He come home. Some of the old slaves had stayed on at the
plantation; others followed the Yankees off. Long time afterward some of
'em drifted back--half starved and in bad shape."

"'Let'em come home'", Marster said. "And them that he couldn' hire he
give patches of land to farm."

"'Member de war? Course I do!" said Easter Jones, "My Marster went to
Savannah, and dey put him in prison somewhere. He died atter he come
back, it done him so bad. I 'member my brudder was born dat Sunday when
Lee surrender. Dey name him Richmond. But I was sick de day dey came and
'nounced freedom."

Augustus Burden, a former slave on General Walker's plantation at
Windsor Springs, Ga., served as valet for his master, said, "Master was
killed at Chickamauga. When the war ceased they brought us home--our old
master's home. My old Mistis was living and we came back to the old
lady."

When the Yankees came through Georgia the Walkers and Schleys asked for
protection from gunfire. Because of school associations with Northern
officers nothing on the plantation was disturbed.

"Mrs. Jefferson Davis came there to visit the Schleys," said Augustus,
and his face lit up with enthusiasm, "She was a mighty pretty woman--a
big lady, very beautiful. She seemed to be real merry amongst the white
folks, and Miss Winnie was a pretty little baby. She was talking then."

Louis Jones was seven years old when he was freed. He said, "I kin
'member de Yankees comin'. I wasn't skeered. I wanted to see 'em. I hung
on de fence corners, and nearabouts some sich place. After freedom my Ma
didn't go 'way. She stayed on de plantation till she could make more
money cookin' some udder place. I don't think dey did anything to de
plantation whar I wus. I yeared dey cay'd out de silver and mebbe hid it
in places