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Justice Gordon either is ignorant of, unsuspicious of the character of his relatives, or entirely ignores these circumstances. I dont know whether he thinks anybody suspects his relatives or not but several influential & honest gentlemen told me that the young men Eaken & Connor [[strikethrough]] were [[/strikethrough]] long suspected of other murders & robberies which have taken place near Vaiden since the surrender, & if the military would arrest them, strong evidence could be got against them. The investigation before Justice Gordon is not concluded altho 14 months nearly have elapsed since the murder. All the evidence he has taken I send a copy of. He states to me that he cannot get any one to execute his orders in the county - there is a vacancy in the office of Constable in the Vaiden Dist. & cannot get any one to fill it, altho he has repeatedly tried. 

My opinion is that there should be a sudden arrest by the milatary and a trial by commission. There is no doubt but the perpetrators of this foulest of foul murders, could be brought to justice. No arrests by the civil authority have been made & I have confidence that any will be made by them.

I was informed by an intelligent gentleman living at Vaiden, that since the surrender as many as 1000 freedpeople have left that section, on account of [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] acts such as this murder that have been perpetrated there. 
C A Shields