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and the term of confinement in the Penitentiary fixed at one year. I requested Williams counsel to forward to the Major General Commanding through Colonel Cooley Military Commissioner a petition requesting to have the verdict set aside and Williams discharged which they done. It was signed by two of the court one of the jury and one of the grand jury and upwards of forty of the most respectable citizens (white) of the county. To show how bitter a large number of the people are I will quote a remark made by one of the citizens when asked to sign the petition he said he "believed this boy (williams) was inocent but it was necessary to do something to keep the negros down." There was but one other case The Commonwealth vs. George Magee alias George Burrell charged with the theft of tobacco the jury although a clear case of alibi was proved sentenced him to one year in the Penitentiary but after a strong argument by his counsel Judge Daniel and Jas. F. Johnson they granted him a