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499

Bureau R.F. & A.L.
City Point Virginia,
August 10th 1866.

Bvt Brig Gen'l O. Brown
A.A.A. Gen'l. Richmond

Sir.
I have the honor to report that I attended the Quarterly Court of this County as  per orders, and that there was little business of interest to this Bureau transacted. The proceedings were mostly [[strikethrough]] thorough [[/strikethrough]] before the grand jury, and I am unable to report in regard to their action, as the preliminary hearings of all the cases were held before I came to this County.

I have not yet seen enough of the magistrates to form any opinion in regard to them-

I made one mistake, which although irrelevant I will mention as an illustration of "chivalry." 

The prisoners were all freedmen, except one, a woman, "Things" are so much "mixed" down here that it is sometimes hard to distinguish "American citizens of African descent, so I inquired, and was told that she was probably a negro, I went to her, and told when she was asked whether she was guilty, or not guilty? I simply say not guilty, and not commit herself by acknowledging part of the accusation as freedmen often do, but my advice was naught, She was convicted and sentenced to ten  lashes. Alas the shifts that chivalry resorts to, that it may "wallup the nigger"-


I am, very respectfully, 
Your obt servt,
J. Arnold Yiertley
Lt & Asst Supt-

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-24 22:17:27