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CORRESPONDENCE 
PARTICULAR

Patrick's Ferry Polk Co. Texas Oct. 13th '67

Bvt. Maj. Gen. J.J. Reynolds U.S.A. Asst. Com.
Bu. R F & A.L. Austin Texas

Sir
On Thursday morning the 10th inst. as we were sitting in the house of Mr. Willis Darby who was entertaining us as his guests the room was suddenly & violently invaded by four men armed with double-barreled shot guns who demanded our surrender to their will whatever that might be & required Mr. Goddin to accompany them to Livingston. They exhibited no authority whatever in justification of their violent proceeding which they called an arrest but which was in fact an assault with an evident intent to kill if their will had not been instantly complied with. Having no power of resistance for the moment we submitted & were taken to the house of Capt. O. M. Wheeler where after being charged with murder which consisted in arresting the leader of the party during the illness of his wife who expired some two days afterwards, Mr. Goddin was liberated from further duress at the time on condition of remitting a fine of $100 imposed by him as Agt of the Bureau upon the leader of the party. This fine levied on behalf of the Government for contempt of its authority in the person of Mr. Goddin its commissioned representative he was not only required to remit but also to confess under the persuasive eloquence of four shot guns loaded with whistlers expressly for him, that he did & of his own free will & accord. Mr. Goddin was acquitted by this

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