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Office Sub. Asst. Comm Bu. R.F. and A.L.
Sterling, Texas. July 19th 1867.

Lieut J.T. Kirkman,
A.A.Adjt. General,
Galveston, Texas

Lieut
I have the honor to respectfully inform you that the man Ryan, charged with firing his revolver among the freedmen upon the plantation of J.S. Able, without provocation & severely wounding two freedmen & one freedwoman, & whom I have had under the strictest guard ever since last Sunday night, succeeded this morning in making his escape. It appears that he bribed the sentinel on duty, who deserted & accompanied the prisoner in his flight. I have been satisfied for some days that that the prisoner would escape or be rescued. I took every precaution possible. I dared not put on an extra guard of white men lest they help the prisoner to escape. The prisoner offered me $300.00 in gold to let him off. I should have put him in irons the next minute if I could have got them. The jail at Owensville is of no acount. If the soldiers had been there the prisoner could not have escaped.

Very respectfully
Your Obt Sv.
J. L. Randall, S.A.C.