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in town, they found every body quiet and peaceable disposed, and so they made but a short stay. In the summer of 1866, he ran for Chief Justice of this county, and we don't believe that he received 20 votes in the county. Last Winter, he applied for, and obtained the position he now holds of Agent of the Freedman's Bureau, and since that time the work of oppression has been steadily on the increase. He uses every means possible whereby to keep up a continual disturbance between the whites and blacks; and instead of making his office beneficial to both as it was designed that he should do, he has made it a perfect curse to our community. Where negroes were working on perfectly satisfied, he has used every means in his power to make them dissatisfied; and he has been pretty successful in this art of his mission; and we assure you that it will prove ruinous to thee farming interests of our county another year, and that many of the freedmen will find hard to forget homes under existing circumstances, because the citizens are not going to risk investments upon such great uncertainties. His continual interference with the civil authorities, though, is the worst thing that has happened us. A few days since, while acting as Attorney in a case in Justice's court, the question was raised by the opposite counsel, as to the eligibility of a negro to give in testimony, where the whites alone were concerned, referring at the same time to the acts of the last legislature, when Johnson forthwith presented the civil rights bill, and officially, not as an attorney informed the court that he (the court) had it to obey. Not permitting the court to make his own decision, Other things too, have occurred. such as taking persons away from the civil authorities, one of whom was accused of horse stealing, and after taking him from the civil authorities, he appointed him one of his guard, fed him on the soldier's rations, and then cursed the soldiers because their rations failed to hold out, and accused them of selling them. He arrested one citizen for spending his opinion too freely about some of his (Johnson's) affidavits. for instance, sending a negroe's money off to the savings bank.
Maj. Cook, our District Clerk was made to pay $12, for throwing an old mattress out of his own kitchen belonging to a f.w.c. who seemed determined to live there whether Cook was willing or not. Now, this same negro had been persuaded by Johnson to move into Cook's kitchen, be well knowing what the result would be; and it was all done too, on account of an old grudge. This is only one case in many; because you are apprised of this fact, that a man who had been so badly defeated in a popular election, would have a  good deal of animosity towards the people: and Johnson makes use of his agency to wreak revenge on those he don't like.
Now we say, give us any one in preference to one of our own citizens, who can take the oath of office, because a stranger would have no private grudges, for which he could want to seek revenge. These are not the twentieth part of the facts, we have collected concerning the corrupt manner in which our Bureau administration has been carried on, but we will close for the present promising more anon.
In emgy that in May 1862, he hired David M. Morrow to go as a substitute in Capt Ballenger's company, promising him tract of land and a mule and after Morrow had been sworn into the service and he Hornswagler had received a certificate from Capt B. that he had furnished a substitute in the Confederate service, he had the meanness to refuse to pay said Morrow anything and Morrow never has received his land or mule. Times getting to hot for this individual in Trinity in 1862 he moved to Goliad Country where he claimed he had furnished a substitute and was therefore exempt. And from there he finally found his way to Mexico, not because he was principaled against secession, because he loved for secession and was loud in his denunciations against those that did not so vote, but because he was too bad a coward and platoon to stand up to the principals he had time and again publicly avowed. Now he is so unprincipled as to tell a citizens of this place that he believes that there ought to be a confiscation of rebel's property to pay his, and others of the same ilk, expenses to Mexico and back.
The records of the District Court of this county show that he pled and sworn to it, that Claughlin, Mellin & Co. and Brutis & Green citizens of the city of New York were alien enemies. And Suits that they has instituted against him for mechanise bought of them, were dismissed on that plea, filed by him in our District Court the Spring term of 1861. And so poor Claughlin, Mellin & Co. and Burtis & Green were swindled out of thousand of dollars by this man who now claims to be a good Union man. How can a man with such antecedents, take the Iron Clad Oath with our perjuring himself ---? How can Northern Military Commanders consistantly appoint such a man to any office of profit? Do they give him appointments to remunerate him for wronging and defrauding one of their own citizens. How can the aforesaid citizens of N. Y. --- respect such good Union men?
The Criminal Dockett of Trinity shows that he was indicted in Spring of 1861 for an assault on B. S. Magnum while he was protecting a negro on his own premises against the abuse of this man D. S. Horn swagger mule driver ---. Now is he not a pretty agent to be appointed by our Northern negro lovers, to protect the interests of the negro?
Now Dear Editor will you do us the favor to recant your charge that we sent you this Bureau agent and was the cause of your losing a gentlemanly one!
Yours respectfully
THE CITIZENS OF TRINITY COUNTY.

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-04-12 16:05:48