Viewing page 87 of 344

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

NARA 565

feeling well satisfied of his evil designs & conduct to his wife as well as general bad character, forbade his ever putting his foot upon his plantation at the peril of his life. That ban has not been removed nor will not be except he is backed by a stronger force than he can raise. His character is looked upon not only as bad but notorius as will I am satisfied be testified to by numbers of his own race & color. Within the last year or two he married another woman & I have heard was all the time in a feud  & has finally deserted her. This girls labor in real value is almost nothing. I could get a dozen just such for the binding, but my wife raised her from almost infancy, was attached to her mother & says that she will keep her and train her up as well as she can for future usefulness and she is well satisfied that it will be far better for her than to be raised up under such influences & examples as her father would set. The girl too wishes to remain with us & so wishing was bound by the Court of the County until she would be twenty one years of age. These Major are about the facts in the case.  I have half a dozen boys & girls about the same size & age of the girl Mary, that are not bound in any way but are only too willing to remain and be fed.  I have all the time as manny as I want & sometimes more.  Mary is all the one I ever wanted or asked to have bound and that was as before stated, My wife's kind feelings & attachment to the family

I remain Major very truly & sincerely yours
C. T. Murphy