The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-05-19

by reference to the paper hereto attached, is
also engaged in cultivating large planta-
ton near Little Washington, N. c., with the
labor of freedmen, whom lle supplies with
rations as a part of their wages.
MISSING RATIoNs. Z
In one of our interviews with the freed
men at Newbern some of them who were
employed in the Commissary department of
the Bureau, stated that rations in bulk had
been frequently taken from the supply ware
house at unusual hours before the doors
were opened for the transaction of business,
and hauled off in carts and wagons, and that
on one occasion they had followed a cart
containing four barrels of pork, to see if it
went to the frecdmen's ration house They
ascertained that it did not. We investiga-
ted this particular case. Captain Rosekranz
stated that he knew nothing about it, His
brother, citizen, whom he has employed to
act as a commissary sergeant, stated that
the four barrels of pork alluded to were OF
dered by himself to be taken from the store
house to the building from which rations are
issued to the freedmen, but that the driver
| of the cart had made mistake and took the
pork to the wrong place, pr.vision store
kept by Mr.. P. Mcrwin, and that Immediate
| ly on discovering the mistake he had it rec
| titled and the pork returned to the store
house. Afterwards we called upon Mr.. Mer
win who stated that at about the time Mr.
Rosckranz said the pork had been sent Ivy
mistake to his store he borrowed four bar
rels of pork from Capt. Rosekranz, which he
had not yet returned. He also stated that
Capt. Rosekranz on that day and after Ills
examination before US, called at his store and
requested him to return the four barrels of
pork Immediately. Mr.. Merwin further sta
ted that he had changed with Captain Rose
kranz two barrels of brown sugar for two
barrels of white sugar, and paid Capt. Rose
kranz five cents per pound for making the
exchange.
THE REVEREND wIRz.
Opposite Newbern, on the south bank of
the Trent river, there is settlement compos-
ed exclusively of freedmen, and containing
a population of about four thousand, whose
| condition is truly deplorable. These unfor
nate people came within our lines and were
located there during the war. Thy are liv
ing in small huts, built by themselves of
lumber manufactured by hand; these huts
generally containing but single room, each
of which is occupied in most cases by large
| families. The appearance of this settlement.
recently scourged with the smallpox, is we'll
calculated to excite the deepest sympathy for
the helpless condition Of its inhabitants
The decrepit and helpless among them are
supported by the government of the United
States, and the remainder procure an uncer-
tain and scanty living from little jobs about
Newbern-from fishing with small boats,
huckstering. &c. The Rev. Mr.. FitZ, for
merly chaplain, presides over this colony as
Assistant Superintendent of the Bureau for
the Trent river settlement. This agent has
exercised the most arbitrary and despotic
power, and practised revolving and unheard-
hn1,>
his charge. The outrageous conduct of this
man was brought to our attention by il dele
CATION of freedmen from the settlement, who
called upon and made statements in rea-
ton to his expressions and outrages which
we could scarcely credit. After hearing their
statements we visited the settlement, conven-
ed the freedmen, investigated the charges
against this man, and ascertained that he
had been guilty of even greater wrongs and
oppression than had been complained OF. In
addition to the testimony of the freedmen
we took the statements of four intelligent
ladies from the North, who are teaching
school in the settlement. Among the many
acts of cruelty committed by Superintendent
Fitz we found that he had in two instances
suspended freedmen with cords around their
wrists, their feet not touching the floor and
kept them in this position in one case four,
in the other case six hours that he sentenced
a freedman to an imprisonment of three
months for trivial offence, that of wrang-
ling with his wife He kept another man
who was arrested for debt shut up in the
block house-the prison-for months, while
his wife and two children. reduced to abject
destitution, died with the smallpox, and
took him from the prison under guard and
compelled him to- bury his last child in the
cradle in which it died. On another occa-
sion, when of his guards reported to
him that colored woman had spoken dis
respectfully of him, without even inquiring
what the woman had said, he ordered her to |
be imprisoned until tine next morning at nine
o'clock. when she should be brought before |
him to answer for the indignity. In one in
stance he imprisoned six children for ten |
days for playing in the streets on the Sab |
bath day. He imposed fine of sixty dol |
lars upon an aged freedman for having told |
another freedman that he was about to he |
arrested by Mr.. Fitz. This poor old man,
not having the money to pay the fine, was |
imprisoned until the next day, when his son
paid the same, with three dollars additional |
as jail fees.
FITS TAXES.
The land upon which the huts in this set
Element are built is owned by certain heirs in |
North Carolina, and is held by the Freed
mems Bureau as abandoned property. A tax |
which Superintendent Fitz says goes to the |
support of the Bureau is imposed upon the |
owner of each hut for ground rent. If the
occupants fail to pay this tax promptly they |
are either turned out into the streets or i'm
prisoned, and in some instances huts have |
been torn down by order of the Superinten-
dent for non-payment of the tax. All bust |
ness transacted by these people is taxed for
the same purpose. Five dollars per month
is levied upon every little shop; two dollars
on each fishing boat; five dollars on each |
horse and cart, &c. The failure to pay these
taxes when due at once subjects the property |
taxed to confiscation. We were unable to
ascertain what amount of money had been
collected by Superintendent Fitz, what
had been made of it. The i'm
perfect manner in which his books were
kept would have rendered a lengthy anil de-
TITLED examination necessary to arrive at
even an approximate idea of the amount of
money collected. In answer to question as
to what justification there was for the OPP
pressive burdens he had imposed upon these
people, Superintendent Fitz replied that
Captain Seeley told him, 81 must have
thousand dollars a month from that settle
ment." He also furnished us with a sworn