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0517

without any desire of compensation, the old and infirm negroes who formerly belonged to them and I understand that such is the prevailing custom throughout the county.

Upon my taking charge of the county I found a petition from a number of the citizens of the 9th Magisterial District setting forth that there was an armed organization of negroes in that District under the command of one George Williams alias George Coleman (Freedman) and asking for protection as [[strikethrough]] it [[/strikethrough]] a report was [[strikethrough]] a [[/strikethrough]]current that they were armed in anticipation of a distribution of lands among them and that they were to enforce their claim by force of arms if it was not obtainable in any other way. I visited the District with Lieut Buffum whom I relieved and took the affidavats of six of the principle citizens as to what they had seen of the organization as an armed one, and I suceeded in meeting about a hundred of the Freedmen whom I addressed on their duties as citizens & upon the necessity of a strict observance of the laws on their part. I forwarded a report of my action in the matter with the petition and affidavats to the Hd.Qrs. Sub-Dist of Petersburg requesting that a detachment of troops might be sent to the county during Christmas as it was feared that there might some trouble arise from the 

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