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No. 6

was taken away and severely whipped by the parties named, no one else being present but the three prisoners. The evidence of the three prisoners, and the wife and daughter of Sandy Wooden swear positively to their being at Sandy's house at nine o'clock on that night, and that they did not go near the house of Hatchell on that night, and knew nothing of the whipping until Monday, and the three prisoners swore that they had no bottle, with them, one of them Edmond swore to having a flask locked up in his valisse.

The result of the trial was, that the evidence of one white man (Hatchell) was taken in preference to the oath of five Colored people, and the jury convicted and sentenced them to an imprisonment of five years in the Penitentiary. There was no doubt but that some person or persons did whip Hatchell and that in a brutal manner, but there was a doubt, and a rational doubt too, as to who done it, and the benefit of that doubt was given to the prisoners in the manner of imprisonment for five years, and not as the law directs or intends.

My opinion is, that they were only convicted by the jury, merely for the purpose of setting an example and thereby terrifying the Freedmen, and that if they had been white, instead of Colored, they would have been acquited.

Transcription Notes:
11.6.2023 - Transcribed per guidelines (spelling transcribed as is) and marking for review -- inserted punctuation as in original ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-11-07 15:21:10 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-11-08 13:51:25 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-11-08 15:55:02