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at a critical period, as, for instance, in the time of harvest, they might not be able to supply their places and their crops would be injured, if not entirely lost. Owing to this consideration some gentlemen, who would prefer them but cannot secure colored laborers for the year, are either hiring white hands, or curtailing the size of their prospective crops.

Compared with the large number of Blacks in the county few criminal cases have occurred among them, and these few of the lighter character such as petty larceny. I have no reason to complain of any injustice exhibited towards those who were accused or have been tried. On the contrary they have had the privilege of securing bail, and been treated, in other respects, as Whites are treated under similar circumstances. This remark applies with almost equal force to civil cases in which they are parties. But then it must be recollected that the  Freedpeople labor under the disadvantage of being ignorant, poor, and in many cases, stupid. Besides this they labor under the additional disadvantage of the evidence of people of their own color being often introduced against them and I regret to say that this evidence can be easily purchased by the money, threats, or cajolery of the unprincipled.

My opinion is that they stand as good a chance of obtaining justice here as they would anywhere else under similar circumstances. We must recollect that they are a lower class of society in a transition state, and that such being the case, they are subject to imposition and injustice from covetous, base, and dishonest people who have money, wit, and friends. At the same time I must say

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-10 11:18:05