ir
utter helplessness and want of protection from the State or Federal
courts, I give a few of the "statements" that I wrote down from their
own lips. I know these men, and have entire confidence in their
"statements."

STATEMENT OF CANE COOK.

Cane Cook now lives near Americus, Sumter County, Georgia. I heard
through the colored people of the inhuman outrages committed upon him,
and sent word to him to come to me if possible, that I might get a
statement of the facts from his own lips. With the greatest difficulty
he got into the cars at Americus, and came here to-day. He says:

"I worked for Robert Hodges, last year, who lives about two
and-a-half miles from Andersonville, Georgia. I had my own stock,
and rented land from him, agreeing to give him one-third of the
corn, and one-fourth of the cotton for rent. We divided the corn by
the wagon load, and had no trouble about that. I made three bags of
cotton, weighing 506, 511, and 479 pounds when it was packed. Mr.
Hodges weighed it again, and I don't know what he has got it down,
but that was the right weight; one-fourth was his, and
three-fourths mine. He told me he would buy my cotton and pay me
the market price, which was twenty-one cents that day, and I told
him he might have it. I got some meat and corn and other things
from him during the year, and he paid me $50 in cash Christmas. I
went to him last Friday a week ago, (January 29th, 1869) for a
settlement. When he read over his account he had a gallon of syrup
charged to me, and I told him I had not had any syrup of him. He
asked me if I disputed his word. I told him that I did not want to
dispute his word, but I had not had any syrup from him. He got up
very angry, and took a large hickory stick and came towards me. I
went backwards towards the door, and he followed me. He is a strong
man and I did not want to have any trouble with him, and I gave him
no impudence. I had a small piece of clap-board in my hand, that I
had walked with. He told me to throw it down. I made no attempt to
strike him, but held it up to keep off his blow. I went backwards
to the door and to the edge of the porch, and he followed me. As I
turned to go down the steps--there are four steps--he struck me a
powerful blow on the back of my head, and I fell from the porch to
the ground. I was not entirely