Viewing page 4 of 305

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

D 70

Office B.R.F & A.L. 
Brenham Oct. 26. 67

Lt - 

I have the honor to say that, in reporting action & remarks in the case of Freeman Saunders the following is submitted -

Mr. Ed Randall is a young, inexperienced and easy going planter, paying little attention to his business, very indulgent to his hands, and allowing things to go loose generally - consequently the hands were careless & lazy - drew largely in advance - the crop - which Sanders called "fine" - was badly cultivated - and the result, notoriously the worst worked plantation in Washington County.

So long as the hands worked at their leisure, drawing liberally in advance, everything went well, but as the season progressed, the advances were stopped and the scanty crop, the result of laziness & neglect, was not encouraging for the Freedmen to stay for, and gather on shares [[strikethrough]] work [[/strikethrough]] if they violated their contracts by leaving, they forfeited what there was of the crop.