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I must say that altho' it was a very hard case upon my client Bob Lynch to lose his property after having paid its value for it, that the Court was right in deciding according to our law, that his title was defective.

The case of Fund against John Lewis was as follows.

John Lewis, a freedmen, about the same time in the end of the year 1862, bought of Jane Lynch the widow of Frank Lynch dec'd, a steer, for which he paid a full price at the time. After Fund, who married the widow, had administered upon Frank Lynchs estate he ordered Lewis to produce the steer at the sale of Lynchs effects. Lewis employed me to get an injunction from the Court to restrain Fund from selling the steer. The Court (very properly in my judgment) refused to interfere, leaving Lewis to his action at law. I informed Lewis that as the steer was included in the list of property vested in every widow by the law of Virginia, she had a right to sell it & hence his title was a good one & if Fund did sell him, he could recover it by suit. Lewis, however thro' want of intelligence, considered that as Lynch had lost the cow, he would lose the steer, (not perceiving the great difference between the cases in law)  I therefore allowed his steer to be sold & bought it himself for $25 & paid the money.

In both cases I must add that no money can be recovered of Jane Lynch or her husband as damages - as they have no more property than that allowed by law , an exparte from levy of execution. Also the status of all the parties was always (even before the war) that of free colored persons. Any other information needed I will supply cheerfully.

Yours &c.
Wm Pope Dabney.