"One time I saved his life. Dey was going to kill him, ’bout 75 or 100 men on horses. I warned de Colonel two hours before dey got dere. Dis is how it happened. Col. Harper gave me de first day of Christmas to go to see my mother. Us children went out in de woods playing and when we come back de yard was all cut up with horses hoofs. Dr. Sharp put me on my horse and told me to tell Col. Harper dis message, dat ’dere was so many soldiers dat you might get hurt, you can come again some other time.’ I told Col. Harper and he left. I didn’t see him again until I was cutting wheat.
"My mistress lived dere for some time without any menfolks ’round ’cept de slaves. Dere was a horse kept dere on purpose so I could come to town every day for de mail. After a while, my mistress and her daughter went to Jarod Harris’s to stay. Den I went to Harris’s every morning for de mistress orders and to Montgomery each afternoon for de mail. I took de mail to de camp at night. Dat was Bill Anderson’s camp over in Callaway County. Dey moved dat camp pretty often but I found it. One time de bushwhackers came to burn de depot but Col. Harper had it full of tobacco and wheat so dey didn’t burn it.
"Young Billy Mathis was a lieutenant. He used to come to see mistress almost every day and bring her messages. Once a gang of blue coats was coming down de road. He got on one of mistress’ horses and she told me to go ’long and bring de horse back. We went down through de woods with de bullets whistling through de air and cutting off de limbs of de trees."
Dave had apparently studied about the voodoo doctors and their wiles for a question as to conjure doctors brought a quick response:
"We call dem ’two headed Negroes’. You know dat if he could do any tricks he would keep dem from whipping him or selling him and dey couldn’t do dat or dey would have done it long time ago. Tear open a pillow and sometimes dere is a mat of feathers. Sometimes dey puts things under de door step but I don’t pay no ’tention to it. Dey is some dat thinks dere is something to it.
"Mother used to tell a tale ’bout when she was a little girl. Her mother went to frolics but her father went to bed, he was always tired after his day’s work. One night my mother saw a woman come to her father’s bed and rub her hand over his head. It didn’t wake him up. De next day he took sick and soon died. I don’t believe in hoodoo doctors but it is like de blood hounds can run and tree a man but if you can’t find de goods it don’t count.