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NARA 205

To the freedmen's Bureau }
Jackson Miss }    

Gentlemen
Your letter of the 16th of Nov has been received by the hand of Vina Maclenen and must be allowed to state that the charges [[strikethrough]] brought [[/strikethrough]] made by said Vina are entirely false. I have never threatened her life neither have I attempted to drive her off of the place knowing that she having paid her part of the rent that I had no right to do so. Neither do I exercise any right or ownership over the cabins she & family occupy, nor any other part of the farm only the houses I occupy and small spot of ground that I worked this year. I presume you read the agreement between said Vina and myself  I have allowed her part of the crop of cotton from the first bale to the last that has been gined [[ginned]]. Thinking that she might be troublesome I called on Mr J. E. Davis Mrs Wells agent to settle with Vina for me as said Davis drew the agreement between us and well understood our contract. The simple fact of the case is this Vina has a large family of children to support and oweing to the shortness of the crop and low price of cotton last season she had nothing to live on this year and as planters generally were hard up for funds to run their places  it was with dificulty that a woman with five children could [[strikethrough]] not [[/strikethrough]] get a home and supplies for the year  I made her the proposition expressed in our agreement and she [[strikethrough]] be [[/strikethrough]] accepted it. And I am prepared to prove that Vina and her oldest son has [[strikethrough]] be [[/strikethrough]] worked
 

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-01 16:20:21 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-04 08:28:24