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profile. And while I do this I must ask that a too implicit confidence should not always be placed in the statement of negroes, and even others. Suggesting that in all such cases, that upon investigation, fair and impartial, a different state of facts may be found to exist, from that first represented.

In regard to the reports from Prairie Lea, I have to say, when I received the petition, a copy of which was enclosed from your office, although it was not respectful in its language to me, as the Governor of Texas, and was really insulting in its insinuations against the President of the U.S., and was evidently penned with such feeling, yet I directly called upon the Com'd'g officer of this post, and requested him to send a sufficient number of men to that place to afford all the protection needed. I also wrote to the Civil Authorities of that County, that the troops had been sent there by my request, and would be kept there until the laws were enforced by the authorities; with further instructions to ferret out the offenders complained of. Notwithstanding the troops were sent immediately upon their request, yet they send off a copy of their petition to the Executive, as if they had received no attention. It is proper that I should say, that this point, Prairie Lea, is in a remote corner of the County, distant from the County seat; and in that precinct, one of the petitioners, had been elected a magistrate, and refused to qualify, thus leaving his neighborhood