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the name of Jones, came along and asked him to the effect "what he wanted there?" "if he was a white man's" he replied "Yes, I am a white man." "I will make you prove you are a white man" said "Jones", other words ensued when Jones pushed said Lewis at the same time made a pass at him, endeavoring to strike him, some say he did strike him, others state that he fell short of his reach, when the "Freedmen" struck him: several blows and kicks then followed, Lewis getting the better of the strife, when a large number of whites interfered and rushed the "Freedmen" into court for trial for the aforementioned offenses, where I found him at my arrival. I watched closely his trial, and a more complete farce on justice, equity, and law I never witnessed; no witnesses were examined for the prisoner. no counsel was allowed him, and when he endeavored to make his statement, he was "shut up" repeatedly and only portions of it was received, he then endeavored to defend his case, but was laughed and jeered at, the lawyers appeared very much perplexed that they could not find in their statutes a sufficient punishment for the "Contemptable Nigger" to satisfy

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-07-11 19:40:30