Journal of freedom. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1865-186?, 1865-10-14

farm. The result was that they had re-
ceived Only their board from the doctor,
and were twenty-five hundred dollars in
debt! The ration, too, was insufficient
for laborers, being only one pound of
bacon, three mackerel, and a peck of meal
a week to zach a~ble-bodied man, a little
less for the women, and nothing at all for
the children. The day previous the doctor
had told his hands that they were entitled
to no pay, but, on the contrary, were
owing him yet, fearing trouble, he had
given five dollars a piece to the men and
two to the.boys. Gen. Howard enlighten-
ed him as to his duty, paciied the negroes
by assuring them that Justice should be
done them, and left the matter in the
hands of Capt. Lacy, the agent of the
Bureau. On Tuesday the generaladdress-
ed the citizens and planters of Charlottes-
vile. The latter expressed a desire to
deal fairly with the freedmen, and to have
some form of contract established, prom
Using to aid the operations of the Bureau.
They were told that it would be well if
two good men could be found, one accept
able to the blacks and the other to the
whites, who would work in connection
with the agent in drawing up and witness
ing contracts, and in ~adiudicating cases of
minor Importance. Col. Brown has acted
upon this suggestion, and issued an order
to his agents in Virginia. The citizens
of Orange and Louisa counties wers after
wards addressed by appointment at Cor
louisville, briefly, and Gen. Howard re-
turned to Richmond the same evening
Guesday.) The trip has thus far been
very satisfactory, and it has been ascer-
tanned that the condition of the freed peo-
pie is much better than reports have indi-
Gated. Through the counties of Apo
mattox, Amherst, Nelson, Albenarle,
Louisa and Orange they are at work, al
though in some cases getting but four or
five dollars a month. In many places,
however, ten dollars are freely given for
able-bodied men. There will be little Or
no suffering among the blacks during the
coming winter in the districts enumerated,
but more or less along the line of Danville
! Railroad. No able-bodied mn or weo-
men are supported by the government,
and orphans are bound out to persons APP
proved by the agents of the Bureau as
loyal and responsible. Only the old and
INDECENT are fed, and their support will be
thrown. upon the able-bodied as soon as
possible.
Col. Thomas reports from Vicksburg
that the records of that part of the State
have been destroyed, and the citizens are
reluctant to tell the truth about the proper
ty held by the Bureau. There are 115
plantations leased in Mississippi-57 by
whites and So by blacks; 1876 in Louis
iana-113 by whites, % by blacks. These
embrace in Mississippi $1,000 acres for
the whites, 5000 for the blacks in Louis
lana, 1880 for the whites, $500 for the
blacks. About one half of the lands leased
to the whites were abandoned because of
the overflow of the Mississippi, and the
( number of acres under cultivation cannot
; now be learned. The amount mentioned
; is what was turned over by the leasing
agent of the Treasury Department, plus
the land which the blacks are cultivating
under the charge of the Bureau. No
property has been libelled for confscation
/ in Mississippi, and the uncertain policy of
the Government renders the occupation OF
r confscable lands uncomfortable and
hazardous. During August, 4,278 freed
men received Government rations,of whom
900 will pay for what they receive. Only
4O7 refugees are reported as receiving ra-
| tions, but the whole number is probably
: 1900. The September returns are not ex-
pected to vary much from these. But
: little trouble is reported between freed
s men and their employers. Contracts have
been generally made, and for the most
part faithfully observed. Col. Thomas
9 declares that the organization of the mill.
tia has created a greater panic among the
freedmen than any action OF the Fedora
4 or late Confederate authorities. He CONT
IDENTIFY anticipates collisions and a thor.
: ough unsettling of the labor system. The
e prospect for the blacks is compulsory labor
as soon as the Federal troops are with
drawn and the white people properly arm
j. ed.
! Gen. Swayne reports from Montgomery
Sept, 10, that much trouble is experienced
from cases of freedwomen with large taml
Is lies of small children. Some of them are
widows, others had their husbands SOLE
" from them. and others still were deserted
+ bv their husbands. The difficulty is mos
l. seriously felt where the planters crop i
,r small. Some interests percelvable IN tn
"a education of the freedmen, with here ant
ID there a practical effort in this dlrect1on.-
A company of ex-United States oHlcerf
ie with Gen. Macarthur at their head, hav
h rented 5000 acres of land near Selma 10
j. raising cotton. Each plantation will haV
le a school. A leading planter OF Mon!
It's gomery county has contracted with ~
employees to open a school, he to furnlsl
It. the materials and they to put up the nous
It. and pay the teacher. Negotiations al
now on foot with members OF the Stat
G.. n@ N0IfIx0nG 9