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I have arrested John Anderson and now have him in confinement. Samuel Anderson has fled, but I hope to be able to arrest him. I do not believe that adequate redress to the injured party can be obtained from the Civil Courts. — In the first place, as I am informed by legal authority, it is the universal custom in Virginia, when any affray takes place, to bind over all parties concerned, to keep the peace, the innocent as well as the guilty. The unresisting victim of an unprovoked attack, as well as the aggressor, and either party failing to give the bonds required is of course committed to prison. So that a person whose position or property enables him to give bonds may make groundless and utterly wanton attack on one who has neither property nor friends. There may be no resistance whatever, and yet, in the first instance, the assailant will be at large, and the assailed be in prison. So well is this understood here that the freedmen in many Cases will not make Complaints to a Magistrate for fear of imprisonment.

Secondly, — From all quarters of the State I receive reports that while the Judges of the higher Courts, are disposed to administer the law equitably for the protection of the freedmen, the lower Magistrates are reluctant to act against whites on the Complaint of a negro, and Juries are to a great extent prejudiced in favor of their own Color and against the blacks.- 

Negro testimony is received, but very little weight is attached to it. — Outrages are frequent, but there is scarcely any notice taken of them. — If therefore I turn over the Andersons to the Civil Courts, the injured woman will in all probability be consigned to prison, while they until their trial shall take 

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place, will go free, and, in my judgement, the chances that they will ever be adequately punished are but slight.-

Your recent Circular No 8. enforces strongly upon the Assistant Commissioner, and other Officers of the Bureau, the duty of protecting the freedmen, and it is most certainly my earnest desire as well as my duty to do all in my power to this end and to implicitly obey your order, but here I am met by General Order No 26. C.S. War Dept, May 1. 1866, which forbids the trial of Civilians by Military Commission in places where the Civil Courts have been 
re-established. Civil Courts have been fully re-established in Virginia, the whole machinery for the administration of justice is in operation, and therefore I am unable to try Civilians before Military Courts. Neither am I at liberty to try them before Bureau Courts, as I understand the matter. — They are Courts deriving their sole authority from Martial law, and are therefore Military Courts, they are included in the prohibition of Genl Order No 26. — I am thus restricted to endeavoring to influence Civil Magistrates to a thorough and impartial performance of their duty, a means entirely inadequate to the end sought, entirely inadequate to enable me to fulfil the duty laid upon me by Circular No 8.-

I can see no remedy for this difficulty except such a modification of G.O. No 26. as will enable me, while martial law continues, to exist to send such cases before Military tribunals.

The assault above mentioned is one of many outrages which have come to my notice, some of which are even more aggravated, extending to the taking of life on the most trivial pretexts.

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