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178 Toledano Street
New Orleans 
April 23rd 1870

Major Gen. O.O Howard

[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

General 
Col C.W Mason has informed me that he does not wish to have any further communication with me respecting my contract with the U.S. Government to build the Straight University. Therefore, I hope you will consider it in place for me to inclose my account to you, which is herewith respectfully submitted.
I believe that I am accused to you of having refused, or that I have neglected to perform, my part of the contract; or that unskillful hands have been employed by me on the work. Permit me here to state that the Architect by his certificate already forwarded to you contradicts such an assertion. The repairs of the roof of which the Architect speaks [[strikethrough]] speaks [[/strikethrough]], are not required to be made on account of any deficiency in my work, as  was supposed by Col E.W. Mason. The defect was in the work done by the slater; I had nothing to do with it. The slating was not in my contract. When I made an examination, and found that the leaks where from the defects in what had been wrought by the slater, I informed him and he promised to attend to it. The floors in the Chapel gallery mentioned

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