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Holder
ant's plantation, which I suppose to be the same mentioned
in said Interrogatory, but I do not know of my own knowledge
that they are the same - In February 1845 I was at the house
of the defendant. A conversation arose between us a-
bout trading for negroes; he asked me if I would like
to buy a family of negroes; I replied that I might, if
the negroes and terms of sale pleased me. He said he
would make the terms of sale easy, and that he would
wait for a part, or all, of the money, if I wished it. He
said that he expected to come into possession of the
Cunningham negroes, that he had bills of sale of, a-
bout the first of March. he said that he had hired
them to Cunningham the year previous. He also
said that the time would soon be out when he, Cun-
ningham, was to pay the money, or deliver the ne-
groes to him. Defendant told me that he was going
to Complainant on the first of March to receive the ne-
groes, and I appointed with him to meet him there at that
time. Defendant said he was fearful there might be some
difficulty in getting possession of the negroes; and that he
had offered to give Mrs. Cunningham a favorite negro
woman, and, I think, a child, provided the complain-
ant would give up the balance of the negros peacea-
bly, or willingly.

On Saturday before the first Sunday
in March, 1845, I went to the house of the complain-
ant, with the expectation of seeing the defendant, and
seeing the family of negroes above named. When I
arrived, there were several persons in the lane near
the home; a short time afterwards the defendant came,
and a few minutes afterwards the complainant came
out into the land. The defendant touched the complain

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