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Centre Ville Bibb Co Ala July 1867
Maj Gen Wager Swain

Sir
I w rite to inform you that wee have no Peace makeing Officers in this town to make the People behave themselfs, I say wee need some Body to make the People do rite, I am the onely White man in this town that can take the oath of office But wee have some men in this town that was oppose to the war, that wants to do rite, and are very clever men, I have kepted the Postoffice one year this month July 3rd 1867-and I feel myself in danger to walk the streets, I want protection, one man by the name of Lafaett Fraser, tried to kill me last sunday morning with a chair, in the Probate office, the Probate Judge Jack Gardner was there, and never tried to hinder him from it; if he did it was after.  I got out of his office, he through the chair at me, and I fended it of with my left hand, and he took another one in booth hands, But i got out of the office, with my hand and rist and shoulder, hert very Bad, he has made his brags to some of my friends that he would have killed me if I had not got out of the office as quick as I did, I want to know if it would be justifiable for me to carry arms to defend myself with, he volunteered in this town to go to the war in the first company that went from this town, and he distributes the rations to the poore indigent People, I was raised in the north, and the people generally that was in the war, is down hard on the Yankees, I have a wife and one daughter living with me, And if i was able I would leve here and go to some other cuntry, where I could live in peace, for I cant do so here, I was in tolerable good circumstances before the war, but I lost all in time of the war, I was autherised by the second Assistant Postmaster General to see that some contracts for curring the United States mails, was executed and sent back to washington, and that was the reason that said Fraser fell out with me, he was not willing to dur rite, and I kepted the contracts, week or ten days and sent them back to washington D,C, he wanted another man to take the oath and for him to have the management, he wanted a printed oath and, I would not let him have one, untill he let me see the Contract, 
Respectfully  your most obedient, 
Nathaniel Tompkins, Postmaster
Centre Ville Bibb Co. Ala

Transcription Notes:
many many spelling errors in original, very few punctuation marks.