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4
went in the early part of December '66, from Charleston into the country bordering on the Santee river, and so on down to McClellanville, and lectured to the freedmen, in regards to contracting for the coming year: and organizations were formed in accordance with the advice of these two lecturers, for the purpose of controlling the labor question: nothing that I learned seemed to point to these lecturers, as advising any armed force, and as so far as I can judge, the organizations under arms were got up for show and perhaps a kind of intimidation, it might occasion. I did not find an instance of unlawful threatening, or violence, or anything unlawful, except the existence of the armed parties: that these did exist, and were exercised under the supervision of Sam Pyall, Toney Garrett and Mott Blake, I have no doubt, up to the time of Major O'Brien's visit, about Christmas - Major O'Brien states he then warned them of the consequence of such meetings, and there is no evidence that any have been held since. There are however, but few of the freedmen, who have not guns (and on the other hand all the whites I visited have them)
In riding from Mt Pleasant to Dr Doars place, 

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