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War Department,
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands,

Washington June 15th, 1865.

Col. O. Brown
Asst. Com for State of Virginia

Colonel

A Committee of Negroes from Richmond have just called on Genl. Howard and report that the negroes of Virginia have been very badly treated; that large numbers of them have been driven from their homes by their late rebel masters and have been compelled to go to Richmond where they have been thrown into prison and almost starved; that old rebel civil authority of Richmond are again in power and act very badly towards this class of persons; that the rebel policemen compel them to show passes and if they do not, arrest and lock them up, and that Mayor Mayo threatens to shut up their schools and churches and to revive the old whipping post and slave laws of

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