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Wetumpka Aug 31st 1866

Maj Gen Swayne
Montgomery Ala
 
Dear Sir
Your attention is called to a matter concerning the freedmen - About the first of January last,  I hired for a nurse, a little colored girl, Sarah Bachelor, from her mother By close attention, my [[Strikethrough]] cured [[/Strikethrough]] wife cured her of a cough of several years standing. Upon the improvement of her health, we found her to be unusually intelligent, her education having been begun by her former owners. This, together with her virtuous principles induced me to believe that she might become very useful to her own race; if her education could only be continued. I then spoke to her mother about binding her to me as apprentice.  She neither consented nor raised any objection.  I then took the initiatory steps of executing a bond and filing circumstances of the case, in the Court of Probate of Coosa co Ala.  The judge instead of citing the parties to appear as I expected merely sent me a Certificate of apprenticeship in the case.  I called then on the mother and informed her of the facts in the case.  She raised objections, but not very strenuously.  Afterwards the mother became very ill and I sent her daughter to wait on her.  When she     grew better she (under the influence of others) detained the girl.