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IV

there was eight or ten of the colored men armed. 
Dr. Thomas (white citizen) was at the Station when the trouble began was not armed told the colored people so, used his best endeavors to have the two parties keep the peace. States also that John Bated is looked upon by the colored people as a military leader in the District that he goes armed continually and traveling through the county he has a body guard with him that he reads orders purporting to have come from Governor Scott and that he is a dangerous man to the welfare and good order of the community
I would respectfully recommend that John Bates be removed from the District. I had to ride fifteen miles on sunday in order to find some of the colored men who had been at the Station when the riot took place, and after finding them I could get no information from them. They acted as though they did not wish to tell me anything in regard to the subject. 
I take this opportunity to state: that in my opinion, the sheriff of District did
(over)