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informed by good authority is a self constituted agent of the Bureau, yet his statements may be true as I have seen statements in journals of outrages there, such as burning of a church etc Freedmen from more remote counties universally state that many were killed but they have not seen but few if any dead bodies. Where there is so much smoke, there must be some fire. Bands of "Regulators" take upon themselves the punishment or even killing of Freedmen hence, none are sent to the penitentiary from certain counties, because there is a more [[?]] and expeditious way of correcting them than by process of civil law. I am sir Very Respectfully Your Obt Servt Thomas Bayley Col 9th Regt USC Troops Sub Asst Com