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Mobile.  June 14th 1867

Genl. Swayne 

Dear Sir

I want you to see if the following is just.  We the Barbers of Mobile before the war never paid any License or ever was required to do so on account of us being recognized as Property.  At the session of the Legislature of Alabama in 1866 adjourned February 1867 there was a Law passed then requiring Barbers to have License and without giving us Notice.  There was an inditement found by the Grand Jury against us which you will see by papers sent by me to you through Maj. Tracy.  In which the fine was Seventy One Dollars and fifty cents or go to jail and I borrowed the money and paid the fine and if I had not done this I would have to give a bond of Five Hundred Dolls and stand a trial and even after paying the above amount I had to get out a License of $43.75/100 - and now the City requires me to get out another License of $25.00 and I cannot get them out.  And with this kind of treatment I cannot make any living having no other support but being a Barber.  I have a wife and seven small children and if they continue this kind of treatment there is no chance for us to make an honest living there is so much predujise against the Loyal men and I being of that class