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NARA 1022

Garlandsville Miss
Apr. 12th, 166

Jno J. Knox
Sir
What you have written on Alex Evan's Contract has created a great deal of dissatisfaction among some of the Freedmen hired on the plantation of Maj. J.P. Tatum & Hm. H. Chambliss. Gon say "No man can understand what constituted a "share" and "that two hands should [[strikethrough]]should
[[/strikethrough]] draw two hand's share".' Now if this should be the case, where would be the Employer's share? The Freedmen, according to the Contract, are to have half of what is made. So, of course two hands are not to have two hands share; for, in that case, the Freedmen would get the Services of both stock & land free of charge and no Southern farmer now is able to be so liberal. We are working 12 1/2 hands on this plantation; expect to plant 33 acres, which is 20 acres to the hand. The Freedmen, as I said above, are to have half of what one hand makes, that which he makes, of course, is considered a "share" but what that share will be time alone can tell. It will depend principally upon their industry.

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