By the CHAIRMAN:

Question. What threats have they made about you?

Answer. Well, they have threatened to give me the lash.

Question. How did you get information of that?

Answer. I got it from my sister.

Question. Do you know how she got it?

Answer. She heard them talking traveling along the road.
Question. Did she tell you who they were?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Who were they?

Answer. Mr. Mark Ellison and Mr. William Robinson.

Question. Did she understand what they had against you?
Answer. They accused me of being a radical.

Question. Was the accusation true?

Answer. I voted for Grant for President at the election.

Question. And for that they have threatened to whip you?

Answer. I do not know that it was for voting for Grant particularly, but it was for being a radical.

Question. What are the politics of those men who made the threat?

Answer. They are democrats.

Question. How long ago has that been?

Answer. It was last winter; I cannot tell you exactly how long ago.

Question. Was it before your last winter's election or after?

Answer. It was after the election.

Question. Did you vote at that election?

Answer. I voted the democratic ticket.

Question. Why?

Answer. Well, sir, I did not know that it would be safe to vote any other. I have always voted a mixed ticket.

Question. I understand that you are a republican in your political sentiments?
Answer. I am, sir.

Question. But you thought it would be the safest for you to vote the democratic ticket last winter?

Answer. I did.

Question. I wish you to tell us whether you suppose that you are liable to any interruption in any way by reason of coming here to Atlanta and giving your testimony. Answer. Well, I do not know that I really am, from the fact that I was subpœnaed to come here; if I am liable to it I do not know it.

Question. Suppose you had come here voluntarily, without being subpoenaed?

Answer. My impression is, without knowing anything about it positively, that I would be in a little danger.

Question. Do you know any other republicans or radicals who, like yourself, voted the democratic ticket, thinking it would be the safest for them?

Answer. I think my father did the same thing.

Question. What is your father's name?

Answer. Joshua Hill.

Question. What is your occupation?

Answer. My principal occupation is farming; but I have been attending to my father's stallion-horse in the spring season for the last three years. When I am relieved of that my occupation is farming.

Question. Are you the son of Senator Joshua Hill, who used to be in Congress?

Answer. No, sir; I am the son of Joshua Hill, of Gwinnett County.

Question. You know by reputation the man I allude to?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Do you know of any other persons in the neighborhood who voted the democratic ticket through fear?

Answer. I cannot certify to any.

Question. You have heard none of them say anything about it?

Answer. No, sir.

By Mr. BAYARD:

Question. Were those gentlemen in disguise on the road that your sister overheard making these threats against you?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. To your knowledge, are they members of this organization?

Answer. I do not know that they are.

B. H. TRUE sworn and examined.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 28, 1871.

The CHAIRMAN. As this witness has been called at your instance, Mr. Bayard, you will please begin his examination.

Question. What was your rank in that Army?

Answer. I was a lieutenant.

Question. In what regiment?

Answer. The One hundred and thirty-sixth New York Volunteers.

Question. Did you serve through the war?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Where were you when the war closed?

Answer. I went home; my home was in Lyman, near Rochester, New York. I remained there through the summer, and came to Georgia in November, 1865, I think. I came to Atlanta.

Question. You had then left the Army?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Did you then go down to Morgan County and settle there?

Answer. I did.

Question. In what business did you engage?

Answer. In farming.

Question. Did you buy or rent a farm?

Answer. I bought one.

Question. Will you state what has been your reception by the people of Georgia since you came among them?

Answer. It has been friendly.

Question. And kind?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Have you been successful in your farming operations?

Answer. I have been as successful as I could be under the circumstances.

Question. As successful as your neighbors ?

Answer. Yes, sir; more so.

Question. Have you found among the people of Georgia that your being a Northern man, and a Union soldier, has stood in your way and prevented your success in any way at all?

Answer. I have never been able to detect it.

Question. Have you met with rudeness or insult, because of your having been a Union soldier and a Northern man, since you came here?

Answer. Never.

Question. Have you been constantly employed with your farming arrangements there; have you been busy with them?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What hands have you employed?

Answer. Mostly negroes; I have had some poor whites, and some laborers from the

North.

Question. You have employed negroes chiefly?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Are your relations with your neighbors around you those of the usual social courtesy that exists in the Northern states?

Answer. Yes, sir; so far as I have courted their society.

Question. What is the condition of those colored people employed by you and by farmers around you; are they generally contented?

Answer. They seem to be.

Question. So far as you have been able to observe, what is the general treatment they receive?

Answer. It has generally been good. I have heard of little disturbances occasionally, but never of that character that amounted to anything.

Question. So far as you have been able to observe, is the temper of the white men of Georgia fair and kind toward the colored people employed by them?

Answer. I think it is with all the intelligent people. I know there are some exceptional cases, but they are ignorant men, generally speaking, and in isolated places. So far as my observation has gone with the intelligent people, I know them to be fair. I have been an officer of the State Agricultural Society for three years or more; I helped to reorganize that body, and I have probably been as intimately connected with the prominent men of this State as most any other man in my position.

Question. You are therefore enabled to speak as to the condition of things in the State?

Answer. I think so.

Question. Outside of your own immediate personal operations as a farmer?
Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Do you know of cases through your country where colored men rent landl on shares, to return a portion of the products to the land owner?

Answer. Yes, sir; it is quite customary with farmers, though part of the farmers pay standing wages.

Question. Do you know cases where colored men take land on that system?
Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Do you know that, as a rule, the settlements made by the land owners with those people are justly and fairly made?

Answer. So far as I know, they are. I can state this much, that I have never yet had a settlement with the hands upon my farm but what I have had trouble. I take it for granted that Southern men have had the same trouble, and that it has probably originated in the same way. Of course, I have no means of knowing definitely, but I take it for granted. The negroes are ignorant, and they are always inclined to be suspicious; although a person may try to do justice by them, I do not think they appreciate it. That is my experience, and it has invariably been so. The more I have tried to reason

with them, and to show them the whys and wherefores, I have only made it worse. Still, I have got along very well; I have no particular fault to find, only that they are in that fix, and I cannot help it. I have now hands that I hired when I first went there.

Question. Then there are differences between them, growing out of these causes ? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. And complaints of their employers growing out of their suspicions?
Answer. Yes, sir. I think that, as a general thing, the complaints are groundless.
There may be exceptional cases; I would not say that there are no cases of unfairness
on the part of white men.

Question. That is, the usual amount of human injustice everywhere, I presume?
Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What would be the general public opinion in Georgia of the white man who would wrong a negro in respect to his share of the crops?

Answer. I think it would be exactly the same that it would be in my own town at home. I speak of what I know, of the good solid men in our county. I do not honestly think they would uphold or sustain any such conduct. I have been unacquainted with the courts, but I think I speak intelligently upon that point.

Question. In the course of your residence here in this State, have you visited the courts of justice and seen them in operation?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Do you believe that the administration of justice in Georgia is reasonably fair to all men of all classes?

Answer. Well, I think it is, so far as my own county is concerned. I have never seen anything in any of our courts there that I could make an exception to. Of course, I cannot speak for all parts of Georgia.

Question. Suppose a negro was really wronged by his landlord in a settlement, and should bring his case before the courts of your county, do you believe he would have justice done him by the judge and by the jurors?

Answer. I think that cases of that kind have occurred, where the negroes have brought their complaints before the courts, and I have never heard of any trouble on that score. I think they have always been fairly dealt with; at least there has been no complaint to my knowledge but what the courts have done as fairly by them as by white men.

Question. Now, in regard to personal quarrels and conflicts, if any man, white or black, is the victim of an unlawful assault, whereby his person is endangered, would he have a chance in your courts there to punish the perpetrator, or to recover civil damages for any injuries he may have received?

Answer. There might be cases where he could, and there might be cases where he could not; I could not say as to that. But I know there never has been any trouble on that score.

Question. In your opinion, would he have as good a chance here as in New York?

Answer. I think so. But, let me state here now, I do not care how friendly I might be toward the negro, I find that there is a natural antagonism against the race. I know it is so with myself, although I was brought up in New York. I probably feel as friendly toward them as anybody can, but there is an antagonism which we all have against the race; that I cannot get rid of; I do not believe any man can. Still, I think if I was in a court of justice and sworn to uphold the laws, that antagonism would have no effect upon me.

Question. Do you believe that the people of this country have more of that feeling of antagonism than you have yourself?

Answer. No, sir; and in some cases, I do not think they have as much. I have seen cases where they were very forbearing, where I hardly could be so. That probably grows out of their loose and slack way of doing business, whereas a northern man would complain of it, brought up as he has been to do business strictly. I know it has been so repeatedly on our farm, and where I could hardly stand it.

Question. Southern men bear with the delinquency of negroes more than you think northern men would?

Answer. I think so.

Question. In regard to public elections, is voting by men of all classes and colors free and unrestrained, according to law?

Answer. In our town they have always voted without trouble; there has never been any unfairness that I heard of.

Question. On either side?

Answer. On either side.

Question. You have had six years experience with colored people here?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. You have employed them yourself, and have seen them in the community? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What is your opinion or belief in regard to their reliability or otherwise, in their statements of facts, either as witnesses or otherwise?

Answer. I do not have much confidence in them; I do not honestly believe that they know when they are telling the truth. They have an indifferent way of talking and of dealing; I know it is so, so far as business on the farm goes. I think they feel as little unconcerned about it as possible. I have seen intelligent negro men who knew what they were about; but, as a general thing, I do not believe it is so. This experience goes through all the details of farming, from one end to the other, their reliability in work, their reliability in statement, and everything of the kind. I have come to the conclusion that there is no dependence in them. From one end of my plantation to the other, there is nothing kept except under lock and key. I do not believe there is a negro man on my plantation that I would trust to do anything where it required the utmost confidence.

Question. Do you believe that, without their being intentionally inaccurate in their statements, from their mental characteristics they are very unreliable in their accounts of transactions and things of that kind?

Answer. That is generally the case.

Question. I understand you to say that the county of Morgan is as peaceable and contented a community as any on earth?

Answer. Yes, sir; there have been two or three little disturbances since I have been there; whipping a negro once or twice, I believe, but nothing that made any stir. Aside from that, it has been as peaceable as any place I ever saw.

Question. You grew to manhood in New York, and have lived here since?
Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. I will ask you whether, from six years experience in Georgia, you do or do not consider this State now as peaceable and orderly as the State of New York? Answer. So far as my experience goes, it is just as peaceable, and I feel just exactly as safe in my town as I would in New York.

Question. Would that be the case with any decent, respectable man of any politics? Answer. I think so. We have in our county about forty families from the North, and some of them are men who are as radical as men can be; and there are democrats there from the North. I have never heard of anybody being interfered with. They have always gone to the polls and voted, and nobody has said aught against them. Question. And the expression of political opinion there is as free on the one side as on the other?

Answer. I do not know that that really is the case, because as a general thing the disposition of the southern people is to think and talk more about politics than our people North. The people who come here from the North come for other purposes; there is not so much stress laid by them upon political matters, as I know is the case with my southern neighbors. But that comes from the way they have been educated in these matters.

Question. You mean that southern people are more of politicians than northern people are?

Answer. I think so.

Question. You say that there are in your county some forty northern families of different politics, some of the one party and some of the other, and that they equally enjoy their privileges of speaking and voting, one as much as the other?

Answer. I think so.

Question. Do you think there is any discrimination against any of them because of their politics?

Answer. I do not believe there is a bit.

Question. Do you believe northern people would be welcomed here and received as fellow-citizens if they would come and settle themselves down here, without respect to politics?

Answer. That has been the case there. I do not believe there is one out of the forty there who would not bear testimony the same way.

Question. The same as you do?

Answer. Yes, sir. If there is one among the number who would state differently, I have not yet heard of it.

Question. Do you believe that the sentiment of the people of Georgia and the laws of the State of Georgia are sufficient for the protection of person and property within her borders?

Answer. I think so.

Question. That is your experience in the State?

Answer. Yes, sir. I think that I would have just as much confidence in the court and jury of our town, provided it had intelligent people upon it, as I would have in my own town at home, that I would have justice done me.

Question. And you think that would be the case with any other man of your character and standing without regard to his political affiliations?

Answer. I do.

By Mr. LANSING :

Question. How much land did you purchase when you went to Morgan County in 1865 ?

Answer. I bought twenty-two hundred and sixty acres.

Question. Have you that amount now?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. How much of that land do you now retain ?

Answer. I have sold off all but two hundred acres of it.

Question. Did you for the time work the whole twenty-two hundred acres?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many men had you then in your employ?

Answer. I think that the first year we had from forty to fifty, little and big.
Question. And most of them colored?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. When did you sell off your land?

Answer. I think we ran the plantation two years as a whole, and then sold part of it off.

Question. So that you now retain for yourself individually this two hundred acre farm?

Question. Have you yourself participated in politics to any extent since you came into this State?

Answer. No, sir; I have not.

Question. Have you voted?

Answer. I believe I have voted once.

Question. When was that?

Answer. I think it was for the constitutional convention, if I am not mistaken.

Question. How did you vote?

Answer. I voted the republican ticket.

Question. You have not voted since?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. That was soon after you came down here?

Answer. Yes, sir; I think it was, though I will not be quite positive.

Question. Did you vote in 1868?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. You took no part in the presidential election?

Answer. No, sir; I think I was away at that time.

Question. Did you vote last year?