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Agency of Bureau of Refugees F & A. L.
Washington Geo Decr 28th 1865

1st Lt. Geo H Pratt}
AAA Genl} Dear Sir On the 16th day of October last Albinus N. Snelsen a White Man of this County made oath before me that a Freedman named Jas Chenault, Stole a black Horse, the property of his (Snelsen's) Mother. I issued a warrant for the arrest of the Freedman Chenault, and it was executed in Augusta. The Freedman was arrested and the Horse recovered and returned to Snelsen. The Freedman came back to his Home in Lincoln County, where Snelsen had him arrested again and as Judge Reese would not take cognizance of the case. The jailer would not feed him at the expense of the county hence he was discharged again. To day Snelson finds him in Washington makes affidavit that Jim Chenault Freedman stole the horse and has never been tried and punished for the offense he Chenault was arrested and brought before us. and on examination states. That he was tried for the offense in Augusta before a Military Court and punished and had to not only return the horse to Snelson (Which he says he bought from another Freedman) but had also to compensate Snelson, We of course had to be governed more by the oath of Snelson Than by the verbal statement of Chenault but concluded to write to Augusta to enquire whether the case had ever been disposed of and how, in the mean time we have committed the Freedman to jail until we