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Hayneville ala
Feby 13th 1866
Genl Wager Swayne
Sir,
I have on my hands an old helpless negro woman about ninety years of age; she was left in my care some six years ago, and has been an expence to me all that time; she was owned at the time she came to my house by my wife's mother who died at my house some two or three years since leaving the old servant in my hands, I have endeavored to have her well attended to, but my own servants having left me except our man, I find it almost impossible to get the hired servants I have to pay any attention to the poor old woman, without large extra pay, which I am not well able to do, having lost pretty much all I had except the small spot of ground + improvements thisuse in this place which I have occupied for many years: the loss of property was not all: I was thrown out of business entirely; consequently, find it an up hill business to get along with any degree of comfort.

The Commissioner Court for this county was in session yesterday in this place and I went before them and stated the facts to them proposing to continue to take care of the old woman provided they would make a reasonable appropriation to enable me to furnish her with clothing and proper attention which the court declined doing, saying there was not a dollar in the county Treasury nor had they any authority to take charge of