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what they did in the premises deliberately, and adhere to their engagements - that I should rely on them, and should make no further effort to get any more hands to come out as laborers. They pledged their words, that they would stand up to their engagements. And yet, when I left on the morning of June 17th - four of them failed to show themselves. The following are their names - Richard Collins, Davy Lane, Davy O. Roke, and Charley Holloman. They may pretend they did not know I was coming that day. If they do, I assure you, General, it will be a falsehood. Lewis Manly who is a reliable man of truth, tells me he notified all of them the day before (Sunday) that we were to leave next morning, & they promised to be ready. On Monday morning, he saw Rich'd Collins, & on asking him if he was ready, he told him he would join us at the depot. But he was not again seen. I had applied, through Gen. Miles, for transportation, for the whole seven, and had obtained it.

Now, General, I really think some discipline 

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should be administered to these four men. Not by way of vengeance, for really I feel none towards them - but for the example, in its influence on the well-being of that class of population.  They have injured me in two ways.  First, by my confiding in them, I made no further effort to get the number of laborers I wanted. Secondly, by representing themselves [[strikethrough]] to me [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] anxious to get to work to make an honest living, and as having no money to pay their expenses out here - I was misled, to that extent, into practicing a deception on the Bureau, through an honest purpose on my part to befriend them. They practiced a deception on their fellow freedman, Lewis Manly, who is really much mortified, at the way in which he has been deceived, and has innocently misled me. - Again, these four men have abused and trifled with, the generosity and kindness of the Bureau, in granting them transportation. They have wronged, and done an injury to, their own colored race, by subjecting them to the suspicions, and the charge of deception and falsehood.