University of Virginia Library

23. XXIII.
The Workings of the Freedmen's Bureau. — A
Report.

To His Eggslency the Dispenser uv Post Orifices, Androo
Johnson, President uv the United States:

IN akordance with yoor esteemed request, dated
the 25th, and received this morning, I to-wunst
proceeded to make doo enquiry ez to the workin uv
the Freedmen's Burow, and the condishun uv the
Afrikin citizens uv Amerikin descent in this vicinity.
The fact that a Ablishnist still holds the Post
Orifice at the Corners (wich place, by the way, I
hev been solicited to accept), interfered materially
with the bizines I hed in hand. I to-wunst tooted
the horn, ez is the custom when we hev religious
servis, and called my congregashun together. They
kum runnin in from the different groceries; and
here another difficulty ensood. The grosery keepers
wanted to know what we wuz a going to hev

meetin on week days for? They wuz willin to
shut up doorin meetin time on Sundays, ez they
respected the church, and it give em time to sweep
out the terbacker, et settery; but they'd be d—d ef
they wuz a goin to hev the people pulled away from
their nourishment on week days. I succeeded in
pacifyin em, and went in at wunst examinin the
leadin citizens. Their testimony is ez follows: —

Captin Skelper

Wuz a nigger owner afore the war, and durin the
late fratrisidle struggle wuz a captan in the confedrit
servis. Wuz with Ginral Forest at Fort Pillow.
Hez hed much experence with niggers. Bleeves
em to be adapted to the climit uv Kentucky, and
much more able to stand the hot sun than the
whites. When they wuz slaves, never knowd em
to refooze to work; know they alluz did work,
becoz he generally stood over em with a nigger
whip. Since they hev bin free, hez notist a change;
not much uv a change, ontil the Nigger Burow wuz
establisht. Before that they'd take sich wages ez
yoo chose to give em; since then the d—d heathen
will stand out bout ez the white men do, and won't
work at all onless yoo meet their views, wich made
a heap up trouble, and materially retarded the develment

uv the country. The Burow hed corrupted
the female niggers; ez they hed all bin legally married
by the Chaplins to the men they'd lived with,
and wuz so sot on livin with em, that there's no
yoose uv yoor tryin to get a house wench unless yoo
took her husband also. His wife wuz now doin
degradin work at home for want uv help. Strongly
urged the abrogashen uv the Burow, and the removal
uv the Abolishun Postmaster at the Corners.

Deacon McGrath

Wuz eggsamined. Wuz convinst in his own mind
that the Afrikin wuz now out uv his normal speer,
and that the infernal Burow wuz at the bottom uv
it. The nigger, afore the Burow come around, wuz
docile and easly controlled. His boy Joe wuz wunst
a model nigger. He'd get up every mornin at 4
A. M. (wich means in the mornin), and work every
day till after dark. Ez soon ez he wuz emancipated,
ez they called it, and the Burow come, I told him to
get up, one mornin; and he told me, impudently,
that he'd concluded he woodent. I undertook to
chastise him with a fence stake, whereupon he
sailed in, and whaled me; and the Burow, to which
I applied for redress, larft in my face. He left, and
is now draggin out a mizerable existence in Ohio,

on the beggarly pittance uv two dollars a day, and
my farm is runnin to weeds. He conclooded by
givin it ez his solemn opinion that he never cood be
reconciled to the Government so long ez the Burow
wuz tolerated, and that Ablishnist held the Post
Orifis at the Corners.

Gineral Dinges

Considered the Burow a inkubus upon the State.
It interfered between master and servant. Cood git
along better ef the nigger wuz left to the nateral
laws wich regulates capital and labor. Tried to
keep his niggers, and did keep em the past summer
till after the crop wuz in, and then tried to settle
with em for four dollars a month, with sich deductions
for food, sickness, and brakin tools, et settry,
ez wuz just. Brought the niggers, all uv em, in my
debt, and generously proposed to let em work it out
choppin cord wood doorin the winter. Hauled me
up afore the Burow, and wuz forst to pay em each
$15 per month. Consider the Burow ez all that
stands in the way uv rekonstruction, though the
removal uv the Ablishun Postmaster at the Corners
and the appintment uv a sound constooshnel Dimekrat
wood grately assist in conciliatin the Kentucky
mind.

I tried to get some nigger testimony, but cood
elicit nothing worth while. One nigger, who spends
the heft uv his time at the Corners, wuz opposed to
the Burow becoz it stopt rations on him. And
Lucy, a octoroon, who formerly belonged to, and
still resides with, Elder Gavitt (who is now absent
ez a delegate to a Southern religious convention at
Louisville), testified that the Burow “wuz no grate
shakes,” becoz bein ez the Elder wuz a widower,
and the father uv all her children, and bein she's a
free woman, she askt the agent to make the Elder
marry her, and he woodn't do it. But sich evidence
is irrelevant, and I didn't consider it worth while
botherin yoor Eggslency with it. Both, however,
strongly insisted on the removal uv the Ablishun
Postmaster at the Corners.

Abslum Pettus

Wuz convinst the Burow wuz agin the prosperity
uv the State, and wuz underminin the moral and
physikle welfare uv the nigger. It made him impudent.
Hed sum uv em workin for him, and notist
at noons and nites he'd find em with a spellin-book
and a reader. Didn't bleeve in readin. Coodent
read hisself, but hed a cousin wunst who learned;

but ez soon ez he cood read he moved off to Injeanny,
quit the Democrisy, and becum a loathsum
Ablishnist. Heerd he wuz killed in the war, and
served him rite. Wanted to know what we wood
do when the niggers cood all read. Sposed we'd
hev to 'lect em to offis, ez the people alluz selected
sich, when they cood find em. Didn't bleeve in
nigger equality, and wuz in favor uv a imediate
change in the post orfice at the Corners.

Captin McSlather thought things hed cum to a
sweet old pass, when a man coodn't lather a nigger
without bein hauled up afore a Burow.

Kurnel Pelter thought ef yoor Eggsolency cood
witness the corupshun that eggsisted in the Burow,
yoo'd make short work uv it. Why, he whipped a
nigger hand more than he ought, perhaps, and he
died uv the injuries. It wuz a aggravatin case.
The nigger wuz sassy, and it cost three hundred and
sixteen dollars to pervide for his family. That infamous
Burow made me pay for their rashens all
winter. He asked, indignantly, ef this wuz or wuz
not a free kentry into wich such things wuz permitted.
And the Ablishen Postmaster at the Corners
approved the tyranikle action. He demanded his
removal.

I conceive it to be onnecessary to submit further
testimony. I know not what luck yoor other commissioners
may hev met with in takin testimony on
this subjick; but in this vicinity there can't be no
doubt that there can't be that love for the Government,
without wich free instooshens won't flourish
to any alarmin extent, ontil this monster is squelched.
The testimony is unanimous, and them ez I hev
eggsamined are representative men.

You may hev notist, also, the singler unanimity
with wich they all bore testimony to the necessity
uv a change in the Post Orifis at the Corners. I
endorse all they say on this question, considerin
that that change is ez necessary in the grate work
uv pacifyin and consiliation ez is the removal of the
Burow. In case a change is made, I would say,
for your guidance, that I hev been warmly solicited
by my friends to accept the position, and to
pacify em, hev at last yielded a reluctant consent.
The fact that I never served in the Confederate
army may be an objection; but, to offset that, I
voted for Vallandygum twice.

Ef possible, send me a pardon at the same time
yoo send me my commission ez Post Master; for,
if the Post Offis don't pay, I may want to run for

some other office, in wich event that document
would be essential to my success.

With sentiments uv the most profound respek,