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Martha A Brown col'd v James A. Barnes
Relative to two sons of Plff claimed to be held by Deft as apprentices.

Col. O. Brown, Asst Commissioner &c

Colonel, 
In this case it clearly appears that one of the boys, Peter Y. Brown was never apprenticed at all, and that the Defendant has no right to retain him against his mothers demand. 

The other boy, Ananias Brown, can only be held under an Indenture executed on 17th Jany 1866, the permission to bind him out being 15th March 1860, between which dates the deft took no pains to perfect his rights to the services of the boy as apprentice. It is stated that the claim of the mother was made in Decr 1865 when there was no right in Mr. Barnes to hold the boy, and it does not seem proper that he should be allowed to patch up his case by procuring the execution of an Indenture post litem motam. Besides this, during the intervening time there was a change regarding such indentures both in the law of Virginia and by reason of the requirements of the Bureau relative to the instruction of colored apprentices which rendered it important that Mr. Barnes should, in the Indenture executed in January last, 

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-07-11 11:25:03