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Clinton Miss
Oct. 11th 1865

Col. Donelson Act. Asst. Comr. &c

Dear sir
A case somewhat friendlier in its bearings has been brought before my Court, it is between employer & employee, where there had been no written contract entered into, but a verbal contract clearly proven; now the laws of our State recognise a verbal contract as binding as a written one, except in conveying real estate, and I find that the action of the Bureau for Freedmen has been to return laborers to their employers where a "bona fide" contract was proven. in the case which I have tried a contract, verbal, was clearly proven, the freedman had agreed to work until christmas for 10$ pr month, but becoming dissatisfied without any cause from his employer & being offered a greater consideration, he acknowledged that he left his employer & entered into an other contract, and gave as his reason that he had been told by the Military Authorities that he could ^[[insertion]] work [[/insertion]] where he pleased, regardless of a Contract having been made, unless it were a written one. I decided that he should return to his employer & finish the first contract, he would not at first agree to do so & I placed him in the hands of the Sheriff with a mittomus to deliver him into the custody of his employer at a place where he had contracted to work called Zoso Gap on the S.R.R.  he finally agreed to go & was released & instead of doing as he had again promised to do, went to Jackson & reported to Lt. C. R. St Clair, & I suppose from

Transcription Notes:
mittomus = mittimus = a warrant issued by a court to commit someone to inprisonment