Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-05-17

department. the part of all classes to have re-
conduct of many of the officers of the Bureau, such as
working plantations, running sawmills, manufacturing
turpentine and tar &coperations which bring them,
with authority of their official positions into COM
petition with the citizens who are employing freedmen
CONDUCT THE AGENTS.
We have investigated the charges made against
agents of the Bureau and in pursuing our inquiries
the State, Colonel T. Whitescy to whom we addressed
the interrogatory do you know OF person i'll the
in this department who has been since entering upon
the duties of his office engaged or interested either d
the depsrtment? He answered, No" subsequently
he addressed note hereto appended in which he sta
and trying fairly Apartment of free labor he and some
other of the bureau had loaned and thus
indirectly had interest in cultivating farms On re-
ceivng this note we addressed Whtlesey further
copy of which is hereto annexed to
died. disclosing the fact that he interested an equal
partner with the Rev Horace James, OF massachusetts,
bureau! and with Mr. Winthrop Tappan Of Maine in the
stated therein that Captain f. A. seeey superintendent
of for the Eastern District n c. interested
with Mr. Potter and that Captain Isaac Rosekranz,
Commssary Subsistence, is interested with Mr. Brooks
in the cultivation of plantation III Pitt county, N g.
BRIGHT EXCEPTION.
found Major Clinton A. Ciey superintendent in the B-
fifty counties of the State This efficient and cOmpe
within his District ability and impartiaty We
conferred with the leading white citizens embracing both
been Union men, and also with delegation of intelligent
colored people representing the freedmen, all of whom
agreed in the statement that the freedmen at worn
were perfectly satisfied and that good feeling and harmo
ny prevailed between the whites and blacks throughout
District Major Ciey is not interested i'll the cuva
ton of any or IN any other business not
all officers serving under him within his District from
gagng in enterprise which would enable them to APP
proprate control the labor of freedmen under their jul
risdicon to advance their private interests We attribute
much OF the order and conentmen of the freedmen IN the
Western District to Major Cleys Judlcous and honest
administration.
BACK TO RALEIGH
After completing inspection of the operations Of
the Bureau in Major Cilleys district returned to Raj
eigh where remained day for the purpose of fur
ther interview With Colonel Whttesey but he being al
ries in writing to which he afterwards replied as before
| stated.
AFFAIRS NEwBERN.
On the 9th of April we Raleigh for Newborn, the
headquarters of Captain F. A. Seeey, Superintendent of
the Bureau of the Eastern district of North Car9ns We
proceeded to investigate the affairs Of the Bureau
and the conduct of it's officers in this district Captain
in any manner directly indirectly the cultivation
lands other private business requiring the labor
rectly in manufacturing lumber, having purchased or be-
ing about to purchase with two of his clerks sawmi
veyor, q s. w. stationed at Newborn and Mr. Potter,
citizen, subseQ uently examined both OF whom sta
ted that Captain seeley Superintendent of the Freedes
Bureau for the district, entered into partnership with
them, about December last in contract to cultivate the
near Godsboroush They commenced operations by
planting hundred acres of cotton and corn
ber of freedmen b. Rush Stated that some two weeks
he had conditionay purchased the interest of Cap
tain Seeey in this plantation but had not yet coDsunma
ted the contract Mr. Potter stated that about fortnight
ago Dr. Rush, he himself and others had conditonaly
purchased part of the interest Of Captain Seeey, and
that Captain Scecy still owned an interest i'll the panta
how far Csptsn soeley Interested in this plata
tion is perfectly evident that he prcvaricated i'll his
| answer to our interroSatory.
FURTHER MISCONDUCT.
| Cantiau RoSekranZ Sub o the Bureau New
bern Captain Sceley, and Commissary of Subsist
ence as will be seen by reference paper
tached is also engaged in cutvatng large plantation
near Little Washington N. c., with the labor of freed
men, whom ne supplies with raticns part of their
| wages.
In of interviews with the freedmen at Newtem
of them, who employed i'll the COnlmissary
department of the stated that ratons bulk had
frequently taken from the supply warehouse at
business and hauled and wagons and that
occasion they had followed cart containing four bar
They ascertained that did not We investigated this
particular Captain Rosekranz stated that he knew
nothing about it. His brother citizen, whom he has
employed to act commissary sergeant stated that the
four barrels of pork alluded to were ordered by himself t"
raons issued to the freedmen but that the driver
of the cart had made mistake and took the pork
Merwin and that Immediately discovering the mistake
Afterwards called upon Mr. Merwin who stated that
about the time Mr. Roseranz said the pork had been sent
from Capt Rosekranz, which he had not vet returned lie
stated that Capt Rosekranz that day.
ed him to return the four barrels Of pork immediately.
Mr.. Merwn further stated that he had exchanged with
CapaEa Rosekranz two barrels of brown for two
barrels of white sugar and paid Captain Rosekranz five
cents per pound for making the exchange
THE REVEREND wIRz
Opposite Newben the south bank of the Trent river
there settlement composed exclusively of freedmen
and containing population Of about four thousand,
people within lines and were located heredu
ring the They living small huts built by
lu1nhn nv htS
generally containing but single each of which is
of this settlement recently scourged with the small
pox is well calculated to excite the deepest sympathy f
and helpless among them are supported by the govern
ment of the United States and the remainder
from fishing with boats tering &c.
MIR. FtZ, formerly army chaplain presides this
colony Assistant superintendent of the Bureau for the
Trent river settlement This agent has exercised the most
arbitrary and despotc power and practced revolving and
unheard of cruetes the helpless freedmen under his
charge The outrageous conduct OF this man brought
to attention by delegation of freedmen from the set
tlement, who called upon and made statements in
laton his expressions and outraSes which could
the settlement convened the freedmen the
charges against this man, and aseertaned that he had
had been complained OF In addition to the testimony OF
the freedmen took the statements of four intelligent
settlement.
Among the many acts of cruelty committed by supern-
tendent Ftz, found that he had in two instances
pended freedmen with cords around their wrists their
not touching the floor, and kept them in this position in
fenced freedman to Imprisonment of three months for
trivial offence, that Of wranglng with his wife He kept
another man who arrested for debt shut up in the
block house-the prlsonfor months While his wife and
two children reduced to abect restitution, died with the
smalpox ana look him fron the undee guard and
it died On another occasion, when of his guards
ported to him that colored woman had spoken disre
had sail ned Tho OeYt