The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-25

| THE CASE OF DR. WATSON, OF VIRGINIA.
A month or two since DR.. Watson, of Vir-
| ginia, killed a negro man under the follow
ing circumstances DR.. Watson's family
were on their way to church, in carriage
driven by negro man. The family of one
of his nelghbors were also on their way to
church, in q carriage driven by another ne
gro man, who forced his horses by tho car
riage of DIR. Watson, causing the horses of the
j latter to run away, breaking the carriage and
! placing the lives of those who were in it in
great peril As soon as the facts came to
the knowledge of DR.. W. he went over to
his neighbours house for the purpose of chas-
Using the negro man. The latter resisted,
and at last ran, when DR.. w. shot and killed
him. He was arrested by the civil anthor-
ity, the case examined, and he was discharg-
ed. He was then arrested by order of Gen.
Schofield, and Il military commission ap-
pointed to try him, when, as we learn by a
recent dispatch in the papers, the military
commission was dissolved and DIR. Watson
was discharged by order of the President
The following is the reply of Gen. Schofeld
to the writ ofhabeas corpus, sued out for DR..
Watson while he was in military custody
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT Potomac. J
BUREAU OF REFUGEES, FREEDMEN,
AND ABANDONED LANDS. )
RICHMOND, VA, Dec. 10, 1866.
To the Honorable Circuit Court Of the City
Of RicAmond, in Session, "a:
l have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ceipt through the hands of James Lyons.
ESD, of the writ of your honorable court,
dated at the City of Richmond this 18th of
Dec, 1866, commanding me to have the
body of James L. Watson, now under my
custody, before the Judge of your honorable |
court on to-day at O'Clock, P. NJ, together
with the cause of being taken and detained |
To which 1 have the honor to respectfully |
answer as follows, to-wit
James L. Watson arrested by my Or
der on the-day of December, instant and |
is now held for trial by military commission |
under authority of the act of Congress of
July 16, 1864 which act directs and requires
the President, though the commissioners and
officers of the Frcedmen's Bureau, to exercise
lions concerning the free enjoyment Of the
right to have full and equal benefit of all
laws and proceedings concerning personal
liberty, personal security, &C., by all citizens,
without respect to race or color or previous
condition of slavery, of the States whose
constitutional relations to the Government
of the United States have been discontinued
by the rebellion and have not been restored.
The above-named act of Congress has been
officially published to the army by the Pres
ident. through the War Department, for the
information and government of all concerned.
AS an officer of the United States army,
the military department which
includes the State of Virginia. and assis-
tant commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau
for the same department, my duty requires
me to decline compliance with the writ of
YOUR honorable court and 1 do therefore re-
spectfully decline to produce the body of
the said James L. Watson.
have the honor to be, very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
]. M. SCHOFIELD,
Breves or-General United States Army
and Assistant Commissioner