The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-25
THE FREEDMETs BUREAU.

OommlseiOner OF the Freedmen's Bureau for
North Carolina for the quarter ending December
81, 1866
BUREAU OF REFUGEES, FREEDMEN AND ABAN.
DONED LANDS, Headquarters Assistant Commits
si0neY, State of North Carolina, Raleigh, ~ c.,
January 10, l866.-Major-G General o. o. Howard,
Commissioner -General:-I have the honor to
transmit herewith my report of the various
operations of this Bureau for the quarter end-
ing December 81, 1865. The figures and facts
speak so plainly for themselves, that need add
but very few remarks. Defective as our organi-
zation is IN some respects, affected by its de-
pendence upon, and subsection to, other
branches OF the War Department, yet having got
established, and its machinery put in notion il
rs doing it's work with vigor, and success. Many
changes among my subordinate officers have
been caused by the musterout of the regiments
but the Losses sustained have been partially
compensated by details from the Veteran Re-
serve Corps, My efforts to secure the services
of citizens as agents of the Bureau has not met
with success
Immediately after your visit here in October
addressed note to each member of the Consti-
tutional Convention, requesting him to give me
the name OF some suitable persons in his own
COuntyt be appointed to this office. But though
so many promised to you their happy co.opera.
tion in organizing thus agency, not one replied
TO my request. l have however, by other means
found few who were willing to accept the posi-
tion, and some OF them have done good service
Others have proved unit Tor the duties required
not being able to comprehend that a negro can
white man is bound TO respect. My experience
SO far is against the appointment of any o5her
than military officers Even these, after being
mustered'out, are not as efficient as when III the
military service. They fail to command respect
They do not inspire the freedmen with conf.
denCe
As the year has drawn to close, all the Off.
GERS of the bureau have been busy settling up
claims for labor during the past season. The
old story has been repeated thousands of times
no definite bargain made-no wages promised
but ''massa SAID stay till the crop is made and
he would do what was rght.p On that point
what is right arises the dispute. But when
the parties can be brought together, and all the
facts heard, it is n most cases easy to make a
satisfactory decision. Captain Evans reported
that as many as one hundred and fiftv claims
and difficulties of this kind were brought before
him in Warren county al the close of the year.
SO long as these claims and questions OF wages
were unsettled, 1t was natural that the freedmen
should refuse to enter into any new contracts
for another year. They wanted a little expe-
rience to give them faith. And il gives me great
pleasure to state that in large majority of cases
tar settlement has been effected.
/ have put the question to officers in all parts
OF the State "how large proportion OF the
whl.e people are willing to treat the negroes
with fairness ~ The answer is, "from three
tourths to iOur-iifths.n The other fourth or fifth
would oppress them and defraud them if per-
mitted; perhaps larger proportion might show
dlspOsiton to do this, were it not for the re-
straining presence Of a military force. One sit
ting a lew days in one OF our offices, and
listening TO complaints from morning till night
might suppose that the whole laboring popula.
tion was unsettled. But such Is not the case
The great mass have made their bargains for the
coming year, and trains are seen moving from
the towns to the farming districts. So generally
have The freedmen sought employment, and OBJ
tanned it, that the demand for laborers cannot
be easily supplied. If in some instances they
leave their employers, 1t is no more than we
should expect, and often it will not be difficult
to discover a good reason. By an arrange
meIt With.L p. Olds q Co., Land Agents, have
an intelligence Office in nearly every county.
The expectation that lands would be granted
by Government, hope first kindled by Rebel
politicians in their efforts ito fire the Southern
heart" and afterwards increased by the Conhs-
cation act, has now passed away All officers of
this Bureau discountenanced such hopes by pub.
lie addresses and circulars widely scattered; but
so fixed had they become before the war closed
that it was not easy to eradicate them. When,
however, Christmas actually passed, and the
year ended without any gifts of the kind, it was
admitted that we had told them the truth, and
that they had been deceived by the talk of their
former masters. So, also, on the other hand
have the idle and conscience begotten fears of
insurrection passed away. The holidays have
gone by, and no outbreaks have occurred All
ADMIT that more quiet and orderly Christmas
has never been enjoyed in this region. The
history of the world may be challenged for
another instance OF such good conduct in similar
circumstances as the freedmen have thus far
maintained.
During the quarter thirty-seven cases of vio-
lent assault upon freedmen, other criminal
acts, have been reported TO the military autho-
rites Tor trial. or such action as might be deemed
proper. OF these thirty-seven cases the only
ones brought to trial, so far as the Bureau has
information, are those of "Isaac and Wiley
freedmen of the town of Salisbury, Rowan
county," on the charge Of larceny" of which
they were found mot guilty" and discharged.
Several cases reported during the previous
quarter have been tried, and among them are:-
l. En'anuel Baxter (colored), assault, with
intent TO commit rape;" not guilty.
2. John W. German (white), assault and
battery" guilty; fue1 $50, and imprisoned
thirty days; fine remitted by reviewing officer
8. Stephen @. Lee (white), ''murder;' found
guilty and sentenced to be hung; sentence re-
mitted by reviewing officer on the ground that
malice was not proved.
A. Joseph Corpening lwhite), assault with
intent to kill; found guilty OF shooting, with
intent to maim;" sentence, $500 fine, and ninety
days Imprisonment.
8. George A. Pitts, ]. A. Propst William Rist-
Ter, Alfred Stalker, Thomas Wiiliford, Gibson
Kline, and Dwight Russell (white), "riot and
assault and battery" Pitts, Propst, Ristler Sit.
aker, and Wllliford found guilty, fined, and im-
prlsoned; Kline and Russell acquitted.
o. Shock (colored), rape on colored girl"
finding, guilty; sentenced to be hung; sentence
milgated to one years hard labor.
u monroe DAVIS (White), 'riot and assault and
battery" guilty, and imprisoned four months.
D; Prlyates Bloom, shannon, and Lewis, l29th
Indiana Volunteers, assault upon freedmeu.n
etc.. guilty, and sentenced to less of six months
pay
8: Henry Brown (colored), "theft;n guilty,
and imprisoned two months.
r III: Guion Earp lwhite), "maltreatment of
freedmen, and assault and battery" guilty SEN
fenced to hard labor on public works two years.
some OF the cases reported during the last
quarter are as follows:-
/. Willis P. Moore, charged with the murder