W'en de war come erlong, an' de Yankees done come an' tuk all dey want, an' 'stroy what dey couldn't use, den us had ter hide w'at us kin fer all ob us ter hab somefin' ter lib on. An' so, dat's how come us tell 'bout dat thicket an' de cave way off dar in de woods an' git ter hidin' food an' sech out dar. One time, one ob de young Marsters come home on er furlough kase he was kinder porely f'om de swamp feber. Well, us heard dat some Yankee soljers was er comin', so, ole Mistis, she git all worrited up, kase she 'feared dat effen de Yankee officers kotch young Marster, dey gwine put him in one ob dem Northern prison places. So, she ax some ob de oldest slaves w'at us gwine do, an' dey take de young Marster an' some beddin' an' things an' slip erway down through de woods an' take him ter de "prayin' cave" ez us all call hit. Er meny an' er meny er time, I'ze snuk down dar an' tuk him somefin' ter eat an' things. Us had put brushes in front an' fix hit so dat onles' you know 'bout hit, you ain't gwine git inter dat cave. Marse stayed dar 'twil he git ready ter go back ter his company. All endurin' de war, 'twarn't no onusual thing, way 'long in de dark ob de mawnin' fer ole Mistis ter wake up some ob de oldest slave men an' rush dem off ter dis cave an' thicket wid things dat she didn't want no Yankee ter git er holt ob, kase she done git de word dat "de Yanks am comin'". "Bye-me-bye, ole Marster Ben J ., he git wounded an' sont home on w'at dey call er ferlo'. 'Bout dat time, he 'cide ter run w'at niggers he had lef' down ter Texas. All ob de w'ite folkses think dat de war not gwine git ez fer south as Texas an' dat de slaves in Texas was not gwine be sot free in dat state. So, Marse Ben J. Kendrick git he things togedder an' us start ter Texas. Ole Marster had done been ter Texas an' trabelled 'roun' through de state er lookin' fer er place ter locate. He 'cided on er plantation close ter de Village ob Waco up nigh ter Marster George Barnard's Tradin' House. He git him 320 acres ob lan' at w'at dey call Whitehall, erbout five miles south west ob Waco. Dat was sho' some trip w'en us come ter Texas. Yo' see, chile, dar warnt no roads much, ner no bridges in Texas an' none ter brag erbout back in de ole states, kase de men folks, dey gwine erway ter de war an' de niggers w'at didn't run erway, dey buzy hopin' tek keer ob de w'ite Mistises an' de chillums. Lots ob places didn't hab much stock lef' fer ter wukk de lan' wid. Us on us place fared bettern dan er lot ob 'em, kase us niggers stayed wid us Mistis an' didn't go trapsin' off atter nobody. An' us kep mos' ob de cattle an' more hosses dan mos' folkses, kase us was kinder back f'om de trabbled ways an' had er lot ob wild, thicket lan' ter hide stuff in.

On de way ter Texas, dar was er big crowd ob us erlong ob de w'ite folkses, de chillun an' de slaves. Dar was some ob Marster's neighbors 'cided ter come erlong kase hit was safer fer er crowd ter trabbel togedder in dem onsettled times, w'en bushwhackers an' runerway slaves an' nefamious skallawags. Dar was de kivvered waggins, loaded wid beddin', clothes an' some fernichure, an' dey was pulled wid oxes. On top an' in de front seat was eidder w'ite folkses er niggers. Den dar was de Mistises' big kerridge wid de butler man an' de driber. Mistis an' her little chillun rid in dat. An' some ob de w'ite folkses in de waggin train had kerridges an' faetoms er some sech, too. De young w'ite boys dey rode hosses. Some ob de oldest men slaves rode hosses too an' hoped de oberseer, Marster White , ter keep track ob de cattle an' sech. Dar was boxes ob chickens, geese, an' pigs too. Us brung some plows an' sech too. Us chillun an' young shavers had er picnic ob de trip, but de older folkses allers tolt me dat hit was sho' er lot ob worry all de way. Us 'ud stop an' hunt er fish endurin' de hot part ob de day, an' de oxes an' de cattle, dey didn' trabbel none too fas' nohow. Hit tuk us erbout three months ter git ter de place in McLennan County whar us gwine locate. Dar wasn't no bushwhackers dat come nigh ernough ter us on dis trip ter git no damage done. Ole Marse he done fire him some ob dese here scouts w'at ride erhead an' watch. One ob 'em had one leg, an' todder had lost er arm. Dey had been sont home oner ferlo' too, same as Marster. Ole Marse Ben J . said dey wuzn't no whole men on dat bunch, but dat dey make up in grit fer er few arms an legs. Us had er big fine house fer de ole Marster an' Mistis back in Georgia but w'en us git out har dar wuzen't noddin' but er little log cabin on de place whar someboddy had built an' den quit libin' dar. So, ole Marse, he tell Mistis, she dat was Miss Margaret Bond , dat he gwine build her ez fine er house ez enyboddy git in dis country. He sont de ox waggins train down ter Calvert ter git de lumber ter build dis new house. Hit tuk er long time ter git hit all hauled ter de place kase in some places dar was pow'ful deep sand an' den us had ter build log bridges ober de streams an' ford some ob dem. W'en dar come er hard rain, den de goin' was sho' hard an'slow. De sandy places dey git ter be mud holes an' de ruts, dey cut pow'ful deep. But by-me-by, de house git all finished an' den dar was one gran' ball an' big supper an' er all-night dance. Ole Marster's boys was J. D .; James ; W. C .; and Meredith ; de girls was Mollie , Lucy , Alice and Maggie . Marster was w'at dey calls er Mason an' he an' he fambly was members ob de Baptist Church. Marster Ish an' Marse Buchanan was some ob de neighbors. One ob ole Marster's gran' daughters taught as de head teacher (Principal), ob de Wes' Junior High School in Waco, she was de daughter ob young Marse John Kendrick , de son ob Cap'n B. J. Kendrick . De ole house dat Marse Cap'n B. J. had built, dat I has bin tellin' erbout, has bin torn down an' dars er rent house out dar now. De ole place is now owned by de heirs ob Marse J. M. Kendrick , ole Marster's son, w'at buyed out all de odder chillum's part in de place. Miss Sue Kendrick , she bosses things on de place. She am one ob young Marse J. M. Kendrick's daughter. I 'members w'en dat Austin Street was noddin' much but er cow trail out beyont Third Street. Ebery body forded de Brazos ribber in dem days an' dar has bin er meny er hard headed ole cow washed down dat ribber w'en dey try ter ford hit endurin' er rize. Dar was brush an' woods all erlong de ribber banks den. I uster trade wid Marster C. C. McCulloch w'en he had er grocery an' general merchandize sto'. Hit was whar de Sanger buildin' am now. In dem days, 'twarnt' noddin' ter come inter one ob de Waco stores on Rat Row an' in de back ob de sto' dar was er big fireplace. On de side ob dis fireplace mos' en jeneril dar 'ud be er big hunk ob deer meat roasted an' hung up what de folkses w'en dey come inter de sto' could take deir knife an' cut 'em er slice ob dis juicy meat an' den git er few crackers f'om de box dat sot on de counter. Dat way dey could hab er lunch ter stay dem 'twill dey ride back whar dey come f'om. Dar ain't no sech good things ter eat now an' no sech good times now days. I uster enjoy comin' inter town an' watchin' de stage coach come in er leabe. Dey made up de stage erbout er block f'om whar dat Interurbun street kyar station am now. Dar was er libery stable run by Marse A. Powers erbout whar now am call Third Street an' Washington Streets an' hit was dar dat de folkses cotch de stage w'at was gwine ter places west an' northwest ob Waco an' on out towards de Comanche country. Marse Powers uster say dat de blast ob de big driber's bugle ebery mawnin ez he git ter de edge ob town was enuff ter wake de daid much less de trabblers. Dar was four stage coaches on dis root, an' dey call hit de "Star Root". Den I 'members w'en de folkses uster furst use dem ile lamps. One ob my jobs was ter keep de 'portant lamps at de big house all clean an' filled. Some ob de chillum hoped me, but dey was sho' fine, big lamps. An' erlong 'erbout dis time, de folkses in Waco 'cided ter do lak de big cities, an' hab some ob dem ile lamps on postses on de streets. Ebery day, jes' at sunset, er man would ride eroun' wid er torch an' git de lamps all lit up fer de night. Dem was de times dat Professor Madden had he big school an' purty soon, Miss Sue Kendrick, herself, come back f'om de ole states all finished up an' started herself er school. All de Quality folkses come to our Miss Sue's School. She had er fine music teacher an' er French teacher an' ebery thing an' dey fix up de house up dar on Austin Street so dat dey could bo'd some ob de scholers w'at come f'om outten town.

W'en Marse Will McGregor's father built him er house whar Eighth an' Washington am now, de folkses all ober town was worrited an' dey tolt Marse McGregor dat he sho' better be keerful 'bout Injuns an' wile animals. He had him er fine, big, red brick house built enyways an' back ob he house was er place whar de Injuns uset ter bury deir dead an' on er suttain full moon, dey uster come dar an' hab er ceremony. But dey done quit dat w'en he built dar. One wall ob dis brick manshun was allers er sinkin' dey said 'twas kase de Injuns had dug under de groun' so much. Ebery time er hole was dug on de McGregor place, dey 'ud dig up er part ob some Injun's skeleton an' some ob de gourds, beads an' arrows an' sech things dat de Injuns uster use. I 'members w'en Marster George Barnard had him er paschure dat tuk in de lan' whar de big Waco school on Eighth an' Columbus am now an' dis paschure went on down south to whar de Katy Railroad station am now. An' f'om de Katy station house on out ter de Cotton Palace Park was er prairie dat Marster Sul Ross owned. Yassum, dar was er lot ob wile men 'roun Waco erlong atter de war an' on up to de nineties. Marse Dan Ford and Marse Peter Ross , dey had 'em er time hopin' ter kerall some ob de wile ones. Down roun' whar de town ob Moody am now, dar was de hang out ob er wile one, he call Dudley Hansford an' anodder quick one wid er gun was Aus Simms . Dis Hansford was er hoss an' cow thief an' Aus Simms run eroun' wid him. Aus kilt er man name Melton an' er crowd ob de w'ite men eroun' Moody git tired ob deir carryin' on an' atter Melton git kilt, dey git 'em er crowd ob de citizens togedder an' cotch Hansford an slung him ter de limb ob er tree. Aus Simms was er little quicker dan Dudley Hansford , an' all de crowd cotch ob him was he hat, but effen dey had cotch him, he'd bin hung sho' ez shootin'. Dar was two odder bad men dat did er lot ob damage in dis county an' dey was name Lawless an' Fisher . Dem was sho' two dressed up young men an' fine lookin', too, onless you knowed erbout dem men's ergoins on you wouldn't think ter look at 'em dat dey was outlaws. Dar was one thing in dem early days dat was sho' er sight fer all ob us w'at come f'om de ole states. Dat was w'en de buffalo hunters 'ud come in town f'om er hunt out in de Comanche country. De ole folkses tolt us dat de great herds ob buffalo used ter come through Waco on deir 'gration south fer de winter. Dey 'ud jes stomp on eny thing in deir way an' folkses was feared ob dem. Effen de herd wuzn't turned dey would stomp down de fields an' ruin all de crops. So, w'en some one saw er heard de buffalo herd er comin' dey 'ud git on deir hoss an' ride eroun' er shoutin' "Har come de buffalo." An' eberybody 'ud use stop what dey doin' right den an' grab guns, dishpans an' enything else dat 'ud make er loud noise an' git in waggins an' make er line ob de waggins eroun' de fields an' de town an' make loud noises to turn dem buffaloes roun' an' sabe de crops. Den, fer er day er two, de men 'ud shoot w'at buffalo meat dey wanted fer de winter supply ob meat. But by de time us git out here all de buffalo done driv fudder west. I'ze made buckskin breeches an' moccasins jes ez good ez de Injuns made. Ole Marster taught me ter read some an' ter write er little, but mos' de time w'en I was er youngster, I was too busy wukkin' er playin' er fishin' an' huntin' to sit still wid er book. Mistis allers say I was too sleepy headed ter do much learnin'. I bin er member ob de Baptist Cherch sence de war. Ob kose in my younger days, I danced wid de bes' ob 'em, an' I played de fiddle er lots, so dat I'ze had ter be prayed ober er lot. Dey don't hab good times an' big dinners now lak dey uset ter, but I guess dis ole man doin' bery well, praise de Lawd.