The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-05-17
The Freedmen's Bureau.

who we're appointed 10 lnNoS''s"'0
of the Freedmen's Bureau IN
the Southern States have made report
of their observations in Virginia ana
North Carolina. They find that the
grossest abuses of power have been per
pe1rated by the agents of the Bureau IN
these States, aud recommend tna' 'ne
officers. agents and troops connected
fifth the Bureau in these States pe iii
mediately withdrawn. The system
slavery imposed upon the negroes Is
more burdensoms and intolerable than
that from which they have escaPe1' anu
ontr,pes are daily committed, wbi4H'
had they been done by Southern plant
ers. would have afforded pretexts ioI
fresh bowling to the radicals and wou'u
have filed with shocking stories many
paoes of SUMMERS scrap book. lake
the dongs of a single agent an eA,atn'!
Cbaplain, which we extract from the IT,
port: -, -,
Opposite Newbern. on the sonth s'ue
of ,be Trent river. there is settlement
connosrd exclusively Of freedmen, ana
containing population Of about Iour
Thousand, whose condition Is truly oe'
nIorable. These unfortunate people
came within our lines and were located
there dnriuC the war. They are living
in small huts. built 10y themselves OF
lumber manufactured by hand; these
b,.ts generally containing bnt single
room, each of which is occupied, III
most cases, by large families The 9p'
pearance of this settlement, recently
scouTged with the smallpox, Is we'll
calculated to excite the deepest sym
parhy for the helpless condition Of its
Inhabitants. The deCrepit and helpless
smong them are supported by tho Gov
ernment of the United States, and tho
remainder procure an uncertain and
scaurv living from little Jobs about New
bern. from fishing from small bats,
hnckstering, &c The Rev. Mr.. Fitz
formerly su army chaplain, presides
over tkis colony as assistant superinten-
dent Of the Bureau Tor the Trent river
settlement. This uGeat has exercised
tbs most arbitrary and GsspOtic power,
and uractced revolving and unheard OF
crueities on the helpless freedmen under
his charge The outrageous conduct Of
this man Vs. brought 20 our attention
nv n dedication IF freedmen from the
settlement. who called up0u as aud made
statenents H. relation 10 his opHcssiOns
and ontrages which We could scarcely
credit. Alter hearing their statements
Il = cd ha
freedmen. investigating the charges
against this man, and ascertained that
he had been guilty Of even greater
WRONGS and expressions than had been
complained of In addition to the
Testimony Of the freedmen we took
the statements Of fonr Intelligent ladies
from the North, who are teaching school
in the settlement Among the many
acts of cruelty committed hv SnpCr!n-
tendent Fitz. we found that bc had, in
two instances, suspended freedmen with
cords around their wrists. 'h.ir feet not
touchiur The floor. AID keep th."rin this
position in one ease tuur. anal IN th.
other case six hours; that hr sentenced
A freedmen 10 an imprisonment If three
months for q trivial offence, that of
wrangling with his wife He kept
another man, who was ag?rs' Cd for debt,
shut w in the black house-the prison
for months, while his wife and child
rem, reduced to ahjtCt desttution, died
with the small pOX, 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 occasion,
when one of his guards reported to him
that a cOlOred woman had spoken dis
respectfully of him, without even in
curing what the woman had said, he
ordered her to be imprisoned until the
next morning at nine O'clock when she
should be brought before him 20 answer
for the indignity. In one instance he
imprisoned six children for ten days for
playing in the streets on the Sabbath
day. Heimposed a fine of sixty dollars |
upon an agedfreedmen for having told |
another freedmen that he was about to |
be arrested by Mr.. Fitz This poor Old
nan, not having the money TO pay the
fine, was imprisoned until the next day,
vbsn his son paid the same, with three
dollars additional us Jail fees,
The report enumerates many other
instances of equal atrocity committed |
by the Massachusetts, patriots ~ who |
are making money out of the unrequit.
ed labor Of the Freedmen It is GUS
tomary among these loyal gentlemen 70
seize some fue plantation and compel
the negroes to labor upon it for the pri
vate benefit of the agent, the Freedmen
being sustained by rations furnished at
government expense Articles Of cloth
ing, blankets, &c, begged from the
people Of the North for the destitute
Freedmen, have been sold by these
agents aud the proceeds pockeied by
them. They have generally aimed to
make al least g thouSa~d dollars per |
month out Of tho Freedmen committed !
to their charge and by hook or crook /
they usually accomplish their purpose.
The facts recited in General STrED-
MANS report sbould be sufficient to
open the eyes of the people to !
the insincerity and rascality of the rad. /
lea, faction who have organized aud are /
carrying on and desire the porpetnation
Of so huge system of outrage and tyran-
ny and wrong as is embodied in what is
called the Frcedmen's Bureau. The
nation Is beginning to learn the debt Of
gratitude it owes 20 ANDREW