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Selma April 6th, 1866

Maj Gen Wager Swayne
Asst Gen Bureau R F & A.L.
Montgomery

Sir
About the 24th of last month a couple of young men Harry J Mason and Jno H Thetford of Greene County were arrested by order of Maj. Pierce of Demopolis and were sent to this place for safe [[strikethrough]] custody [[/strikethrough]] keeping, and are now in custody (imprisoned) in Selma. The charge as supposed is "shooting a Freedman named Oscar," The circumstances in brief are these

This negro formerly belonged to a Mr Hines, a gentleman of high social position, he is the uncle of young Thetford, Oscar was a favored servant and (As was here strangely but too often experience from such by our people) prove an ingrate and enemy to his late master Mr Hines hired him up to Christmas of last year but treated so badly and offensively that at the end of the year, he dismissed him and forbid his coming upon his premises. This prohibition was repeated time and again and finally Mr Hines told Oscar he would punish him if he did not keep away. On the day of this occurrence Oscar came to the plantation of Mr Hines, rode into the enclosure Mr Hines came smiting him and arrested him roughly, Oscar turned his mule and rode off and while running his mule as fast as he could go, was fired at several times by some one near the road This was after he had passed a considerable distance but of range of shot from Mr Hines. One of the shots took effect inflicting a flesh wound in the leg between the calf and the ankle as far as I have been able to learn he was not

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