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The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.
This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.
The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.
vs
Summons
Suit for freedom
Risque
County
We command you to
in your County that he be and appear
before the judge of our
held at the
day of
a woman of color of a plea of
to the damage of said plaintiff
dollars: And have you then there this writ.
I acknowledge myself bound for all costs that may accrue in the above cause
Witness my hand and seal, at
This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.
The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.
a woman of color
vs
suit for freedom
The Clerk will
issue summons
of
said
year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and
forty at
with force and arms assaulted the said
and there took and imprisoned and restrained her
of her liberty, and her the said Diania Cephas
held in
tober until the
of October,
Cause, against the law of the land and against
the will of her the said
the said
and that the defendant, the said
held and still holds her, the said
slavery, against the peace P. and to the
damage of the said
fore she beings this suit
This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.
The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.
Petition of
for leave to sue as a poor
person for
I
the forgoing petition of
presented,
sufficient matter, to authorise the commence-
ment of a suit for her freedom against
First - That the said
be allowed to sue out of the
of St Louis County, as a poor person to
establish her right to freedom, a summons
in trespass vi et
and I do assign to the said
as her counsel
Second. I do order that the said
to attend her counsel and the Court, as
occasion may required; that she be not
removed out of the jurisdiction of the Court
and that she be not subject to any severity
on account of her application for freedom.
This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.
The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.
of color of the
years, respectfully represents to your honor, that
she is held in slavery by one
City and
freedom, by the said
the possession and
an agreement of hire from one
of
pretends to be the legal owner of your petitioner -
That your
to her freedom on the following
Your petitioner was
eastern shore of the State of
state she continued to reside until the
when she was brought to the western County
master one
about the first of June eighteen hundred
and thirty nine, the said
wife,
petitioner with them. that the said
made the said town of
place of above and the hind be your petitioner out to be her
and received the
your petitioner in involuntary
That in the month of August in that year
the wife of said
as petitioner believes, some where in the Sounthern
County- That in the same month of February last
the said
owner of your petitioner forcibly and against her
will took your petitioner on board of a
steam boat and conveyed her to the
in the
living since, and is now in the custody of the
said
these state of facts is
that she is entitled to her freedom and
being poor,
leave to sue as a poor person in the said
or
slave, and she will
Before the subscriber a
Justice of the Peace
says that the facts set forth in the foregoing
petition are