The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1866-05-22
EXTRACT from the Report.]
WILMINGTON, n. G., May S,

port;
EXTRACT from the Report
WILMINGTON, N. G., May s.
THE REVEREND FITz.
Opposite Newborn, on the South bank
of the Trent River, there is a settlement
composed exclusively of freedmen, and
containing a population of about four
thousand, whose condition is truly deplo-
rable. These unfortunate people came
within our lines aud were located there
during the war. They are living in small
huts, built by themselves of lumber man
ufactured by hand; these huts generally
containing but a single room, each Of
which is occupied in most cases BY large
families. The appearance Of this settle
ment, recently scourged with the small
pox. is we'll calculated to excite the deep
est sympathy for the helpless condition of
its inhabitants. The decrepid and help
less among them are sup orted by the
Government of the United States, and
the remainder procure an uncertain and
scanty living from little jobs about New
bern, from fishing with small boats, buck
STEERING, &c. The Reverend Mr.. Fitz.for-
merly an army chaplain. presides over
this colony as Assistant Superintendent.
This agent has exercised the most arbi
trary and despotic power, and practiced
revolving and unheard-of cruelties on the
helpless freedmen under his charge. The
outrageous conduct of this man was
brought to our attention by a delegation
of freedmen from the settlement. who
called upon us and made statements in
relation to his expressions and outrages
which we could scarcely credit. After
hearing their statements We visited the
settlement, convened the freedmen. inves-
tigated 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 testimony of four intelligent ladies
from the North, who are teaching school
in the settlement. Among the many acts
of cruelty committed by Superintendent
Fitz we found that no had in two iustan-
ces suspended freedmen with cords around
their wrists, their feet not touching the
floor, and kept them in this pos ton, in
one case four. in the other six hours;
that he sentenced a freedman to an i'm
%prisoDment Of three months for a trivial
offense-that of wrangling with his wife
He kept another man who was arrested
for debt shut up in the block house-the
prison-for months, while his wife and
two children, reduced to. abject destitu-
ton, died with the smallpox. and took
him from prison under guard and COM
PEELED him to bury his last child in the
cradle in which it died. On another oc-
%casion, when one of his guards reported
to him that a colored woman had spoken
disrespectfully of him, without even in
curing what the woman had said, he or
dered her to be imprisoned until the
next morning at nine o'clock. when she
should be brought before 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 i'm
prlsoned until the mex morning, when
his son paid the same, with three dollars
additional as Jail fees.
FITz' TAXES.
The land upon which the huts in this
settlement are built is owned by certain
heirs in North Carolina, and is held by
the Freedmen's Bureau as abandoned
property. A tax, which superintendent
Fitz says goes to the support of the Bu-
reau, is imposed upon the owner of each
hut for ground rent. If the occupants
fail to pay this tax promptly they are Ell
Their turned out into the streets or impris-
oned aud in some instances huts have
been torn down by order of the Superin.
tendent for non-payment of the tax. All
business transacted by these people
is taxed for the same purpose. Five
dollars per mouth 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
con6scation. We were unable to ascer-
tain what amount Of money had been col
lected by Superintendent Fitz, or what
disposition had been made of it. The
imperfect manner in which his books we're
kept would have rendered a lengthy and
detailed examination necessary to arrive
at ever an approximate idea of the
amount collected. In answer to q ques-
tien as to what justification there was for
the oppressive burdens he had imposed
upon these people, Superintendent Fitz
replied that Captain Seeley told him, ri
must have a thousand dollars a month
from that settlement" He also furnished
us with q sworn statement, herewith for
warded. marked "E." in which he attempts
to defend his conduct by stating that he
acted in obedience to the orders of his
superior officers in the bureau.
CAPTAIN sEELEY SCREENING HIS sUBoR-
DINATE.
In an interview We had with Captain
Seeley that officer eyinced a desire to
shield Superintendent Fitz by stating
that a great deal Of what vas said against