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The circumstances of the negro William Howards difficulties, so far as I know them, are about as follows. 

S. M. Kennedy made an affidavit before Justice Cleummack charging William with having stolen Five Bales of Coton. Upon that affidavit William was arrested. And after an examination the Justice decided to hold him to bail for his appearance at the next term of the District Court, and required him to give security for such appearance in sum of three hundred dollars. These proceedings were all exactly in accordance with the Penal Laws of The State. They are just such proceedings as would have been had if the accused had been a white man.
 I was employed by William as his Attorney and charged him a hundred dollars, which for a felony of the grade with which he stood charged, was a very moderate fee. I succeeded in getting the Bail Bond fixed at a very low figure, considerably less than the value of the property alleged to have been stolen. And then, to keep William out of jail, I myself went William's security for three hundred dollars taking no security myself, but two very poor horses, both together not with one hundred dollars. 

William was afterwards charged having committed an assault and battery upon another Freedman. For this he was tried and fined. The fine and costs amounting to twenty dollars. This fine I paid out of my own money receiving his pistol as security for its repayment. He afterwards borrowed twenty dollars