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and returned; that no arms were displayed except one Freedmen was seen to a broken sword & a drum; no military orders given; no overt act committed; no insult or indignity offered; no violance perpetrated; that Dr. Lewis was not heard to give any military orders or assume any command over them, only that he was seen siding by the side, at the head & sometimes a long distance ahead of them. It was proven by the evidence in the defense that the march above mentioned was wholly an impromptu thing on the part of Dr. L. and the men who participated in it : that a political meeting assembled at the residence of Dr Lewis on the day mentioned as it had been accostimed to do for several weeks previous at stated times, and that after the meeting it was proposed by some one of the members that they (to use the language of the witness) "take a little march for amusement". Dr. Lewis was heard to tell them that it was against orders to have anything like military displays or parades, but that he did not know as there would be any harm in their having a march in the road, but that no arms were to be displayed &  military orders given: that the march thus took place as stated accompanied by Dr. Lewis and women & children; that no unusual noise and no disturbance occurred; that Dr. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lewis took no part; that the march was uncontemplated & never took place before or since, only on the following week some members of the same political club met at Dr. Lewis, & their place of holding meetings, and marched to J W Jones' a distance of about five miles, where it had been noticed that there would be pubic speaking. This was every act committed by Dr. Lewis out of which the prosecution attempted to prove that he had created & perfected military organizations and that insurrection must follow as a natural consequence, coupled with statements purported to have been made by Dr. Lewis subsequent to the investigation held by Lt. Sylva S.A., to Jon B Drummond & E.A. Tillman who were introduced as witnesses for the prosecution. It was only known by them that Dr Lewis had a personal spite against Dr RS Powell. Stephen Tillman & one or two others; that he said that they were interfering with him, trying to break up his school & club and that if they did not stop interfering with him that "the next thing they would know they would'nt know anything." A very common expression. - Irrelevant evidence and hearsay testimony was admitted by the Court for the prosecution throughout the trial, notwithstanding

Transcription Notes:
Not certain of spelling of proper names.