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The State of Texas County of Fayette}

To Maj Genl Griffin commanding the department of Texas

The undersigned who are acting as counsil for one Samuel Priestly beg leave to make the following statement of facts and to ask you to make such an order as is forever after indicated.
Mr Samuel Priestly was a few days ago arrested by Lieut Horne commanding the Post at Round Top in Fayette County, and is charged with having committed a rape on a colored girl about the age of Eleven or Twelve years in this neighborhood, and is now confined in the guard house by Lieut. Horne to await further orders from you. Mr Priestly is a stranger in this community and has no relatives or friends in any convenient distance who can speak or act for him and is a young man about Eighteen or Nineteen years old_ he says he is innocent of the charge. this of course we do not pretend to Say is true or false. We learn from Lt Horne that it is contemplated to try this young man before a military commission in a very