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Executive of Texas.

Austin Jany 31st 1867.

Maj Genl Griffin
Com'd'g Dist of Texas
Galveston,

General-
Your two communications of 28th inst., with enclosures, touching the murder of a freedman by one Cogwell, in McLennan County, and the arrest and confinement in jail, of Dr Bell and Mr McCreary, and contemplated arrest of Dr Irving, for castration of a freed boy, is just received.
I beg to express my thanks for being thus furnished by you with this information, and trust that the disposition manifested by you to enable the the civil authorities to show their willingness to discharge their duties will have the happiest effect.
I had the honor to address you on the subject of your letter, two or three days since. In which communication I stated that these parties, as far as I was enabled to learn, were held without any lawful authority.
I have re-read with care the 14th Sec. of the Act. of July 16th, and with much defference to your judgement, and the highest respect for your opinion, I must say that I cannot see that that section of the law authorizes the arrest and imprisonment of citizens of the country (after the Proclamation of Peace)