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white folks Can tell you ‘bout Mr. Preacher Hamlin. He was a preacher an‘ a school teacher mixed. He had de firs‘ boardin‘ school for young white ladies. It‘s stai~din‘ rigrit dare on Eighth Street right now. I ‘members de firs‘ one to *gragurate frum it. ~tVøli, Mr. Hamliri ‘nitiated my pappy right dere in de white folks‘s church, de Firs‘ Baptis‘ Church; it burnt up long time ago. My pappy was Isam Alibrook. He was de firs‘ cullud deacon ordained in Mer~‘ree‘~dian.

	“I. was ten years old at de 5urrerider, but I took notice. Dem was scarey times an‘ when you is scared you takes trigger‘notice. It wa~ nex‘ to de las‘ year o‘ de War ‘fore Sherman got to Mer—ree~dian not Shernan hisse‘f but ~iis sojers. Dey burnt up dat big house on Eighth Street hill an‘ built camps for de sojers in de flower garden. De cap‘ns went an‘ live at Marse Greer‘s house. Marse Greer had done sunk all de silver in de duck pond an‘ hid out de horse3 an‘ cows in de big cane~brake what used to be on dis side o‘ Sowashee Creek. But, Lort it didn‘ do no good. Sherman done caught on by dat time ‘bout how to fin‘ things. Dey got ever‘thing an‘ burned Marse Greer‘s barn. Dey lef‘ de hou5e an‘ didn‘ bother de fam‘ly ‘cause dey called deyse‘fs company. De good Lord knows Marss Greer didn‘ ‘vite ‘ernt But de Cap‘ns bein‘ dore kep‘ de *rip~.rap sojers frum tearin‘ up ever‘thing.

	“When word come dat dey was comin‘ ‚ it souri‘ lak a moanin‘

•••iin‘ in de quarter ~ver‘body was a-‘sayiri‘ ‚ ‘De Yankees is commt ~ De Yankees is comin‘ ~‚ Us chu1iu~ was scared, but it was lak Sund‘y,

*gr~juat e
*rjff..~ff
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