folder 08: 1842

up Saturday to see her father & mother she is very much pleased with her situation indeed thinks [ ] are one of the best in the [ ] [ ] [ ] all well little Alfred and Martha Alston go to school to here- she says all her scholars are very smart children Luc I have written every thing that I can think of and don't know what else to write except love to you all, so when I see your [ ] my love to her and to anyone else you please be sure to give my love to your husband and tell him please bring you this way for see you and Shep. I [ ] to Shep give all the love and kisses that he will receive and tell him he has [ ] five more little negroes born since I see he { ] and now my dear Luc I must beg you to write to me as often as you can and except the sincerest love that I can ever give to any living being from one that loves you truly and devotedly and may you be blessed in all things and be happy in this world as [ ] can be and when you came to [ ]angel in heaven is the [ ] [ ] of [ ] Mary [ ] [Walker? ]

[ ] Mar 23rd 1842 for Mrs Susan Cabonne Belleville Illinois Via Washington City

Waynesborough April 4th 1842

My Dear Wife, Mr. Bryan reached here this morning with your letter, and I was truly sorry for the " [glorious?] news" announced in the concluding sentence- I hope however that his and all other [ ] will have ceased long before this meets your eye, and that you will be, as youwere when your letter was commenced, in fine health and spirits- I arrived here last evening from [ ] [ ] when I was detained all the week by a [ ] civil, and still larger [ ] [ ] docket. I got there on Monday to [ ] [ ] [ ] court on that day and transacted all the business usually attended to, the first day of court. Eighty miles in a day and a half would be pretty fair travelling for one or more representative [ ] myself for hard driving. Yes John seems none the worse for it and I am almost [ ] to [ ] to the conclusion that he is pretty much of a horse- an Friday we had one of the most solemn and [ ] trials that has ever occured in North CarolinaEleven men were arraigned and tried as the same time for the crime of murder

The evidence proved that sometime in December here 1840, the prisoners came to Kernersville where they remained until after dark, when they broke from the [ ] jail took out two negroes who were confined there, carried them about three fourths of a mile from the village and shot them- the [ ] was only conducted by the [ ] Mr. James W. Bryan [ ] by Mr Joshua G. [ ] of Wilmington- The prisoners were defended with equal ability by [ ] William B. Wright, Daniel B.[ ] and [ ] l. Holmes- The trial lasted until [ ] [ ] and resulted in the acquittal of the prisoners. The [ ] of the public sentiment was so strong in their favor that a conviction was almost impossible. The grounds upon which the negroes were murdered was that the identity of the prisoners was not so clearly prove as to leave the case without doubt. The prisoners were also indicted for a riot, upon which they submitted and sentenced them all to six months imprisonment. The reason why the [ ] feeling was so strongly [ ] on behalf of [ ] whose conduct seems so outrageous and whose [ ] was undoubtedly , as I charged the jury , that of murder, was that the negroes had some [ ] mischief in the neighborhood where the [ ] [ ] had killed one of the sons of one of them and had threatened and attempted to kill others, and they

feared if they escaped from the jail which was very unsecure, that the negroes would do them great mischief if not kill some of them- That of course furnished no legal excuse for their [ ] and I only mention it to [ ] for what would otherwise seem to be a most [ ] [ ] [ ] of [ ] sympathy. Though the prisoners were acquitted by the [ ] of the jury, I hope the trial of the murder case and the punishment inflicted in the [ ] case will have a favorable [ ]. I have taken up so much room in describing this trial because in the first place it was really a very important and interesting one, and the second because I had no other [ ] of filling my sheet.

Whether I shall be able to get home [ ] this court is a very [ ] question [ ] of the cases will be continued for [ ] [ ] absences, but still a good many will remain to be tried. If I can leave here Thursday evening, youo will probably see me on { ] but if I am detained here longer than that time, I shall be unable to go. I have just heard from Amos- one of his children is sick which will [ ] his being in Raleigh before Thursday or Friday While in [ ] I went with the [gentleman?] of [ ] [ ] to see the [ ] one night . It was rather