Viewing page 230 of 235

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands,
Headquarters, Sub-District York and James City Counties Va.
Yorktown, Va, April 4th 1867

General;

I have the honor to report that a most unfortunate "fracas" occurred on saturday last which resulted in the death of a colored man named William West.

The facts are briefly these. A large number of the several "Freedmens Societies" of this county marched in procession on that day celebrating the passage of the "Reconstruction Act." Everything passed off quietly and the best of feeling was manifest, especially towards this office, when after the festivities of the day was over and the procession was returning home a colored man rode back to this office and reported that one of his friends had been shot by a soldier. I immediately rode to the spot and found great excitement prevailed, but prompt action restored quiet. The soldier who committed the murder was taken charge of by my guards and the "Freedmen" appeared to be satisfied that justice would be done them. Upon an investigation of the "tragedy" I find that Private Fredrick Houlshoe Co "B" 5th Regt U.S. Arty was under the influence of liquor and had some high words  

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-10-04 10:06:21 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-10-04 11:15:44 to correct some typos and to add the " surrounding some things the original writer put in them, and to add other punctuation that was left out.