Viewing page 14 of 298

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

We are proceeding strictly in accordance with the terms of the Trust Deed and have named all persons in the notice of sale that rights of the hands on the place for the year 1867 should be respected. We had gone so far as to call on the Bureau Agent here and give him a full statement of the whole matter. His reply was that he "saw no reason why he should interfere". Yet upon the morning of the sale he came to the place of sale with armed soldiers,- prohibited the sale and seized the property as he declared to satisfy the claims which he said that the negroes had set up against Dr. John Crisp. That is he seized Hanford & Willard's property to satisfy the indebtedness of another man! Hanford & Willard standing by made no objections and they have since remained in possession of the property, exercising ownership over it and gathering the crop and sending it away to market notwithstanding the Trust Deed declares in express Terms that "no portion of the crop"- should be removed "until the debt was paid and satisfied." The Bureau Agent when remonstrated with on the subject declares that they are sending it away by his consent and sanction. If so what becomes of the pretended claims of the Freedmen for 1865? So, General, the seizure is a mere sham and excuse for stopping the Trust sale. The poor negroes have been made to play a part subserviant to the interests of other men. The sole idea was to cast about for a decent excuse to prevent the Trust Sale