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020

BUREAU REFUGEES, FREEDMEN AND ABANDONED LANDS,
HEADQUARTERS ASS'T SUB-ASS'T COM'R 4TH DIV. 2ND. SUB-DISTRICT,
Burkeville, Nottoway Co. Va., February 29th 1868.

Bv't. Brig. Gen'l O. Brown
Ass't Comm'r Bu. R.F and A.L.
District of Virginia
(Thro' Head Quarters 2d Sub-District)

General:
In accordance with the requirements of Circular No. 10, Series of 1866, Head Quarters Assistant Commissioner State of Virginia, I have the honor to submit the following report of the manner in which justice has been administered in this Sub-Division during the month of February 1868.

So far as reported, there has been no injustice done in cases in which Freedmen were interested tried by the Civil Authorities during the month, except in one instance where I was obliged to take a case out of the hands of a Magistrate of Lunenburg County and try the same myself, as Military  Commissioner; he having decided in direct opposition to the law and the facts.

The supervision of the Military authorities is exerting a healthy influence upon the civil Magistrates and they are improving somewhat in practice, if not in principle: