The Philadelphian replied that he did not recognize any such payment as cancelling his claim; and, as he observed some of the very goods he had sold Mr. S. then in the store-room, he thought the agent ought to be willing to return him those goods, which he would take in payment at cost price, and then to pay him the balance in money. The agent said he could not, for one moment, entertain any such proposition. That, the goods having been placed in his care by Mr. S. when he left, he regarded himself as the owner of them, and could not think of returning any part of them to Mr. S.'s creditors, nor of disposing of them in any other way, except for cash in hand. The Philadelphian tried to convince the agent of the justice and reasonableness of the proposition he had made, and finally offered to accept of goods, at cost price, for the whole of his claim; but the longer he reasoned, the more obstinate grew the agent, until at last the agent said he could not, and would not, do anything about it; that the debt was not his own anyhow; that it possibly had been paid into the Confederate treasury, and, if so, was legally paid; and that it was only a waste of time and breath to talk to him any more about it. The Philadelphian, having read something in the newspapers about Judge Freese's "Bayonet Court," concluded to seek the Judge and see if there was not some way by which his claim might be enforced. Going to his office, he told the Judge the whole case, and begged that he would aid him in some way to secure his claim. The Judge replied that the provost-court had been established only with a view of preserving the peace of the city, and the personal and property rights of individuals, and not with any view whatever of collecting claims; that if its jurisdiction was enlarged to include civil as well as criminal cases, the business might prove larger than any one court could do, and thereby defeat wholly, or in part, its original intention; that whatever he could do by moral suasion to induce Mr. S.'s agent to pay his claim, he would most cheerfully do, but as to opening the court for the hearing and adjudication of such cases, it was more than he could at present consent to do. He would, he added, send for Mr. S.'s agent and see what, if anything, could be done. He accordingly sent an orderly to request the agent to come to the headquarters immediately. When the agent made his appearance, the Judge told him why he had been sent for, and strongly urged him to make some equitable arrangement whereby to settle the claim of the Philadelphia merchant. The agent made about the same reply to the Judge that he had made to the Philadelphian, to all of which the Judge listened attentively without uttering a word. When he had entirely finished, the Judge said he would like to ask him a few questions to which he would like direct answers. To this the agent assented.