again, they took his property because he had lied to them. His wife
followed the soldiers pleading, begging, and crying, until they gave up the
property. In his case, lies did not prove to be a satisfactory refuge.

At Cole Camp, about twenty-five miles from our place lived some
Germans--good honest people, who had worked hard and had gotten quite a bit
of property together. These thrifty farmers were not disturbing either
side, but some men around Windsor, who called themselves "Home Guards,"
went down to Cole Camp, killed these inoffensive Germans, stamped their
heads with their boot-heels, took all of their goods that they could carry
away, while the poor wives were begging for the lives of their companions.
Then these miscreants returned to Windsor and divided the spoil. One of my
brothers, a mere boy, who was working for one of the "Home Guards,"
overheard his employer quarreling with another man over the division of the
booty.

Before the "Home Guards" started on this raid, a preacher named Pierce, of
the M. E. South denomination, prayed for their success. After their return,
my father overheard him and one of the raiders talking. Father overheard
this man tell Pierce that his brother had killed nine Germans and stamped
them on the head with his boot heel. Upon hearing this the preacher,
throwing back his head, laughed heartily. He seemed to enjoy the story very
much. Up until this time Father was a member of the M. E. South
denomination; but after overhearing this conversation he no longer
professed to be one of them. It has often been remarked that war makes men
wicked; but Mother used to say that usually the wickedness was in the men
already and that war merely gave them a chance to put their wickedness on
exhibition. Boys, of course, were especially demoralized by soldier-life,
coming in contact as they did with so many wicked influences.