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I thought I was bound to decide - as I did, that the Stock belonged to J. Bragg. I desire to know whether you are as the head of the F.B. of this State [[crossed out]] are [[/crossed out]] subordnate to Gen Wood or not: if so I shall feel bound to decide that the Stock belongs to John Bragg, otherwise, according to general order No 2 I shall decide the Stock belongs to the Claimants as they picked them up near Montgomery
I desire respectfully to submit that if the claim of J Bragg is to be admitted upon this decision of Gen Smith, why not allow all who can prove the claims facts? There are a number of cases, whose merits are just as much entitled to be respected as that of J.Bragg. It is doubtless true, that he had a large number of mules and horses carried off, and maybe by some of the Claimants but if that is a good reason for him to retain Stock brought to his place by his former Slaves, why not allow others, that had Stock brought upon their places to retain them? It was upon this assumption, that I decided that all the Stock brought upon the places of the Employers belonged to them, if brought there before the 10th April which was the case in every instance assessed.
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