Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-18

llNNullldh w
months for trivial offense, that of wraDg-,
ling with his wife. He kept another man.,
who Was arrested for debt, shut up'in the
lOck-houseAthe prison-fOr months, while
his wife and two children, reduced to alb
ject destitution, died with smallpox, and
took him from prison under guard and
compelled him TO bury his last childin the
cTadlein which it died. On another oeca-'
sion, when one of his guards reported to
him that a colOred woman had spoken dis
respectfully of him, without even inquiring
what the woman had said, he ordered her
to be imprisoned until the next morning at
8 O'clock, when she should be brought be-
fore him to answer for the indignity. In
one instance, he imprisoned six children
for ten days, for playing in the streets on
the Sabbath day, He imposed a fine of
sixty dollars upon an aged freedman for
having told another freedman that he was
about to be arrested by Mr.. Fitz. This,
poor old man, not having the money to pay,
the fine, was imprisoned until tile next
day, when his son paid the same, with three
dollars additional as jail fees. .rr.r ..r
...... l..... Sd FITS TAXES, ID, foe. -.... .....
The land upon which the huts in this set
tlement are built is owned by certain heirs
in North Carolina, and Is held by the Freed
Illbll DuItdu dS dDdiNOutu DIODtIbys N
tax, which Superintendent Fitz says goes to
the support of the Bureau, is imposed upon
the owner of each hut for ground rent! II
the occupants fail to pay this tax promptly,
they are either turned out into the streets
or imprisoned, and in some instances huts
have been torn down by order Of the Super
intendent for nonpaynnent Of the tax. All
business transacted by thesepeople 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 coniiscation. We were
unable to ascertain what amount Of money
had been collected by superintendent Fitz
or what disposition had been made of it,
The imperfect manner in which his books
were kept would have rendered lengthy
and detailed examination necessary to ar
rive at. even an approximate idea Of the
amOunt.Of money collected. In answer to
a question as to what justification there was
for the oppressive burdens he had imposed
upon these people, Superintendent Fitz re-
piled that Captain Seeley told him, Il must
have thousand dollars month from that
settlement" He also furnished us with a
sworn statement herewith forwarded,
marked 'E, in which he attempts TO defend
his conduct, By stating that he acted in obe-
dience to the orders Of his superior officers
in the Bureau. -|tH i.". T. I
CAPTAIN sEELEY SCREENING HIS sUBoRDI-
.r# NATE. NJ. u. 1Ur rr..a.H
In an interview we had with Capt. See
ley that officer evinced desire to shield
Superintendent FitZ by stating that great
deal of what was said against him resulted
from prejudice, Notwithstanding lie had the
sworn testimony before him that the charges
against Fitz were true.
BUREAU OFFICERS SHOOTING down FREED
! -t... MAN. p .-a oil. E..
While at Newbern. investigating the con-
duct Of the officers of the Bureau, and the
reported oPpressions OF. freedmen by this
class of persons, our attention was called
to the alleged killing of a freedman by a
white employe of Colonel Whittlesey, As
sistant Commissioner of the Bureau nor
North Carolina, and the Rev. Horace James,
formerly Assistant Quartermaster on their
plantation in Pitt county. Mr.. James,
while ia the United States service, WAS Su-
perintendent OF the Burean for the district
now under charge of Captain Seeley, andis
now an agent of the Bureau, without pay,
for the county in which he is planting.
The circumstances under which this freed
man was killed, as,stated by Mr.. James
himself, were as follows: The freedman
was accused of stealing provisions from the
storaOf Colonel Whittlesey and Mr.. Jumes
was arrested, tried and convicted by MIR.
James, as agent of the Bureau, and was SEN
fenced to dig bitches on their plantation
While working out this sentence he ran
away, and was pursued by James and his
clerk, Boyden, who arrived at the bank of
river while the freedman was attempting
to cross in canoe. BOyden ordered him
to return. telling him that if he did not he
would shoot, and the freedman disregard
ing this order, BOyden fired. Boyden states
himself that he thinks he hit him, and as
nothing has ever been heard of the freed
man since. 1t is generally believed in the
neighbOrhOOd that he was killed and fell
from the canoe into the river. These facts
were stated in letter forwarded to Colonel
Whittlesey, who returned it to Captain
Seeley with the following Endorsement:
s-fr I.J.- "RALuaH, March 2S, 1866.
"Respectfully returned, ,aS the affair seems
to have occurred at night, and, as the body
Of the negro has not been discovered, it does
not appear certain that the shot took effect.
No further action in the case seems to be
called Tor. By order OF Wv .'-o .a'. .
-..l g.g. $50. Col. .WHITTLESEY, ,,
.-....,.....-.. .,G......... Asst Com'r
"BEEcHER, Asst Adj't GenI." .,.
A number of the freedmen at Newbern
expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in
which this case had been passed overIwith-
out investigation; but as the plan tation is
quite remote from any public line of COM
munication, we were unable, owing to want
Of time, to inquire into the matter. '' '''. pr
l 20 .71.JH AFFAIRS IN KINsToN. - ..a
Onthe I'd inst. we left Newbern forGolds-
boro, and on the way stopped at Kinston
long enough to learn that Captain WheeleBI
agent for the Bureau at that point, is en-
gagged in working large plantation on his
own account, and employs thereon quite a
number of freedmen lfoI1I at f..T 'W
. -niIIr.T MORE FARMING.- 9W g5WHg 'rt
At Goldsboro the Superintendent. G. o.
CLAWS, Chaplain United States Army, is
oultivating one, farm on Government ac-
count, and is Interested in cultivating two
farms on his own. account. Thisu officer
stated in his examination before his that he
was not interested in the cultivation of
plantations, except Indirectly by loaning
money to a Mr.. Brooks, a friend OF his,
from the North, whowas, engaged In plant
ing; : but we asoertained from Mr. Carr and
Nr Lane, eitizens of the vicinity Of Colds,
boro, that he, Is interested and joined with
them In contracts for the cultivation OF their
plantations. He and his friend, Mr.. Brooks,
entered into'a contract with Mr.. Lane to
furnish rations and pay for forty laborers,
and to provide eight good mules, Mr., Lane
offered to furnish the land and to superin-
tend In person the cultivation thereof, the
crops to be equally divided, ene halt to
Messrs. Brooks, & CLAWS. Mr.. Lane states