Viewing page 198 of 270

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

of great deal of mischief and annoyance; keeping the negroes in a constant state of excitement and expectation; causing them to be suspicious of their employers, and to leave their homes; violate their contracts, etc. In time, however, they will understand matters more clearly , and will not credit these lying reports.
In Barbour and Pike counties the freedmen are evidently treated very badly by the whites; and there is a spirit for bitter retaliation on the part of the negroes. They talk here of going to the assistance of their fellow servants. One man asked me for arms, I of course stopped the thing, and told him that he would be arrested and sent to jail if I heard anything more about it. He went away, seemingly satisfied, and I had dismissed the matter from my mind, not apprehending the least danger from anything of this kind. I thought it my duty to mention this matter to you, as complaints are continually coming in from these two counties. The three counties under my superintendence are in a state of comparative quiet and peace. There are