The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-07-26
HEADQUARTERS SECOND MILITARY DISTRICT
PnoYosr MAnsnAL GENERALS OFFIcE, Z

IL.
i'rorost .Narshah General, Charleston, ). O.:
COLONEL IL lIavo tho honor TO inform you
That tho alnjor-Gcncral Commanding directs mo to
report OF lrcvct Malot. General II. K Scott Asalst-
ant Commissioner Of :ho Frccdmcn's Bureau, to
Major uencral o. .. Howard, Commissioner Of tho
Bureau, dated juno y, 1857.
CHARLESTON, SuB-DIsrnlcr OF:
sDrevet Lieut.. Col. Geo. A. Williams, Mnjur 9Th
Infantry, Sub-Assistaut Commissioner, reports:
Several complaints have boen made in roloreESo to
work being neglected. in consequence OF tho
hands going oil to hear speeches niado by per-
son named Bowon. H
III is represented that this Bowen issues what
the ficcdmon consider .ordors' for thom TO nttond
tiicso meetings; threatening thom with fines if
they do not attend; telling them that no Charge
that these mcetings arc ordered by Broret alnior-
General Scott, aud promising thom band of
music.
.'Ihis has all tended to produce disorder, anl M
this is Tho timo The crop must be saved OF lost no
tims san BE- spared from, it,
II am also directed to transmit 10 you tho III
closed letter of 81 Lieut.. J. NJ. Johnston, Suh.ts-
sstnnt Commissioners, addressed u Brovct lcnt.
Col. Williams dated June 18th, 1867, and forwarded
10 tcsn Headquarters by Brcvet Major-urucral
II. X. Scott, with his endorsement, on tho sith
instant.
'.Thc Major-Gonornl Commanding orders that
you ta!o Air. Bowen into custody, AMI prefer srll
chatgcs the evidence In tho cases may wnrrnnt,
in order that he mny DO brought to ltial before
military tribunal.
Ivory respectfully,
,c;,,,,,,, Your "be'iiont seryant; y IT o,,.
"Capain 3sh Infantry. 4. 4. A. d."
Tho statement that MIR. Bowen "issued what
tho freedmen consider orders for them TO attend
meetings.; threatened them with finrs il they do
mot altcud; telling ihcm that no charge can bo
""" S "T '"S "rsa rare stS sssS
Scott" eic., had previously bpen communicated to
this office from several sources, in substantially
1.,,t
sufficient Erumnl for tho complaints; md 1 lavu
been uuabln to ulnin any evidence concerning
these nrermrnls which will warrant tho pressing
OF charges agninst Mr.. l,owon, or. Justify any
further action by the military authorities.
It is quite. probable that hIr. Bnwnn's addresses
maSS DoSm ~ s1msS,G n AM" SnstSu to tho OK
u tho freedmen; and unfortunately Borto OWL has
resulted from l,ss being misundc rstood by his
carcra bt il does not appear TINT Ito has, Mt
time, used language which would fairly ndmit of
such construction to sustain tho charges riado;
AMI in the absence of any nvcrncnt OF tho exact
language used nj any particular timo nnd plncs.
recommend that these general charges bo dis
missed
Lieutenant J. N. johnson, Snb-AssstanL COM
missioner, states III tho lottor transmitted to mo
with Your communication, dated Juno AZ. That
Sampson tiatlsder, William Mangnut, Robert
lance and Washington Johnson, nrc n (ow of tho
to nc against &. c. bowen {tLoir co,lnsrij. TINT
he holds III his possession Tho proceeds Of tho
gales Of their cotton, and that ho will not pay
them"
This letter il cnt.nrscd as follows: 7" HEAD
June, 1857"
:. Respectfully returned 10 Assistant Commits
sinncr Of Snnth Carolina.
"As tiIrrc is nD authority in tho Bureau by
which Mr.. lowGn can In made to ray ll,is money,
it is recommended that it hc rnforrcl To- tho
military authorities, with tho request that bow
Gil he arrested and made to pay this money. This
nlntcr has boon frequently brought 10 Bowen's
attention.
tSigncd) GEO. A. WILLIAMS,
Major 9Th United States Infantry,
15rcvct Lieutenant Colonel U. =. A., S. AZ q.
"lIEADouAnTEns ASSISTANT CoMMlssIoNER}
BuREAu r. +. AND a. L., SOUTH CAnoLrSA,}
CHAnLEsroN, Juno 25, 1867.
Respectfully forwarded to Captain j. ". ClOus,
A. A. a. q. Second Military District, with request
Bowen to pay over TO tho within named parties
tho funds III his possession According to tho in
formation i'll this office, Mr.. Bowen received tho
moneys from Major C0rbin, Provost Judge, ns So
Iicior for the claimants nad has failed to pay il
over
isigncd) II. K. SCOTT,
Drcvet Major General
Assistant Commissioner"
Tho records OF tho Provost Court OIL Edisto and
Wntlmsaw Islands, show that Gadsdcn, Manigaut,
cause against Il. Van Holton, which was tried on
tho 3lst Of January last. and Judgment rcpdered
for the plaintiffs.
eleven in number, the sun, OF ono hundred and
cIghiecn dollars and n:ntty-6vo cents, and, in de-
fault or payment, the cotton of the defendant wnB
seized, and six hundred and eighty-seven tGs7)
pounds OF stone cotton was delivered to Bowen, as
counsel of the plaintiffs, by the Clerk OF the Pro-
yost Court.
TO have the cotton prepared for market and sold,
and TINT he hns not accounted to them for the pro-
Goods Of the sale.
During the investigation of the foregoing charges
against Bowen, compiaints were mado To mo by
number OF freedmen Mt Wadmalaw and Bdiso
Islands OF transactions OF similar character to
that they had received nothing from tho proceeds
Of the sales OF their cotton by Dowon, aud Others.
that he had but partially accounted to them for
such proceeds.
In all OF tliesc cases tho complainants alleged
that the cotton had boon received from tho Clerk
OF tho Provost Court, in satisfaction OF Judgments
rendered against H. Van Holden, Charles II. BAL
Icy, and Julian Bailey, and TINT Dowon was couu-
BEL for plaintiffs.
therefore examined tho records Of tho Provost
Court, md have prepared tho accompanying stato-
ment in tabular form Of all tho cases in which
Bowen appeared aB counsol for plaintiffs IN That
Court, from which the following facts appear:
Cash paid to Bowen for PlantIhs for MI
whom he was counsel, ono hundred r
nnd nnety-eight dollars and sovon.y-
Cotton to fceei1ca by Bowen c be- account
cd for to clients. hny-sevcn hundred
and nincty-ono pounds, at an estimated
value OF fifteen cents per pound eight KUN,
hundred and fiIty-four doars and M.
teen cents' ''.....-...-.-............ SG41b
- 1t6a9
Amounts which the parto, who Lnvo "..
made complaints sly that Bowen has
paid them. ono hundred aud fifteen
dollars and fifteen cents nts..................1l .1l6.50
9l1io
bowen claims that tho proceeds Of tho
sale Of tho cotton was only seven hnn-
dred und thirty.tllreo dollars and thrty-
That the charge for Cunning trsnsporta.
tion, insurance, commission, etc., wera
ono hundred and eishtr-ono dollars
Il