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Detailed Report of the manner in which the Order contained in Circular No. 10, C.S. Ass't. Com's. Off. Va. by restoring as the State authority jurisdiction in criminal cases over colored persons has resulted.   

Reported by Lieut. J.B. Clinton Asst. Supt. Dinwiddie Co. Va. for the month ending Aug. 31st 1866.

At the session of the county court in this county for the month above written there were no trials in which colored person were parties or in which the evidence of colored persons were taken.

On, or about the 6th inst. there were two Freedmen arrested for trepass and brought to the county jail. I knew nothing of their arrest until they were in jail, when I gave the matter immediate attention and learned that they were in the habit of going every Saturday to an old battle ground to gather lead and iron. The ground was timber land belonging to a Mr. Gilliam on which he had a saw-mill.

They were injuring his timber very much by using an axe to chop the lead from the trees. He had told them repeatedly not to chop into his timber, but they still persisted in so doing, until he finally charged them that if he caught them at one more repetition he would have them arrested, to which they gave no heed.

He then made his complaint to the proper authority, and by a legal procedure they were fined each $5.00 as a result of which was they were confined for the period of thirty days, not being able to pay their fine

Transcription Notes:
Circulars are the documents that instruct the officers how the rules change. This bundle of letters talks about Circular No. 10. ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-25 15:13:18 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-25 16:57:54