Viewing page 76 of 214

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Now all this crop is so inferior and damaged that one of my neighbors who saw the fodder said it was not worth 50¢ per hundred. The pease are to show for themselves being half rotten the corn is badly shrunken not coming near up to the standard weight. I was only offered 10¢ per pound for the tobacco by a manufacturer. And the cotton was of such an inferior quality that I only got 20¢ per pound for it in trade (not able to sell it at all for cash) when cotton (good) was worth 25 cents in the same market.

On the 21st day of August The whole of Anthony's family left of their own accord without any provocation. Two days after he came back repentant and I took him back, thereby violating the contract in the first instance.

A short time after one of his children quit and never came back. Violation 2d.
 
Nov. 22d The whole family left again of their own accord and I told him then he never should return. I can prove by two respectable witnesses that he told me in my own yard the he would work no longer and that he was done with me for good. I can also prove that he said I had fulfilled the contract to a letter and that he was to blame on his first leaving.

As to the gun, he first came out with his gun in his hand and then I got mine This I can prove.

So far as destroying the crop is concerned the statement is simply this.

I had a beef to kill and I told Anthony

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

that if he would help fattener her that I would give him one quarter. We both then agreed to put her in the pea field where she remained till I killed her. He left with a large portion of the crop ungathered leaving me with all the trouble vexation and difficulty of getting hands to gather it. He had all of his portion of the potatoes and carried away hogs & other things that I had sold him to the amount of nearly $100.

He made just about one half that the land and force employed should have made thereby damaging me that much. He left the first man who employed him after his freedom just as he did me without any provocation after he had worked a short time. He is a negro of notoriously bad character before and after his freedom both amongst white & colored people.

He stold enough from me to pay what he earned some of which I caught him & his family in the act of.

I offered to settle the difficulty with his grown son or any number of black and white persons he might name, but he has refused all the time to settle it any way except by law. I have all the while been willing to settle according to contract and am willing to do so now but you see he wants more than the crop is worth. I am desirous and have been all the time to have it settled by impartial men. I would be glad for you to send an agent down here