Your Petitioner Milly represents to your Honor that she was born in the State of Maryland the property of one Lee . That she was sold to Moses Bigby and by him taken to the State of Ohio , about fifteen years ago That she was by the said Moses Bigby detained in the State of Ohio about fifteen months - That she was held in Slavery by Willey Williams in the County of Saint Louis and State of Missouri , when she is advised & beleves she is entitled to her Freedom - Therefore your petitioner prays she may be permitted to sue as a poor person to estab lish her right thereto and that such other and further order may be made in the premises as the Law directs and as may seem meet & proper to your Honor

County of Saint Louis State of Missouri , Let this day personally appeared before me Wilson Primm a Justice of the peace for the County and State aforesaid Milly the above Petitioner who being duly sworn say that the facts set out in the forgoing petition are true to the best of her knowledge and belief

The within named Milly is permited to sue as a poor person on the within petition to establish her freedom and the clerk of the Circuit Court of Saint Louis County is hereby directed to issue the necessary process thereon for this purpose - is hereby assigned as her Counsel - it is moreover ordered that the petitioner have reasonable liberty to attend her Counsel and the Court when occasion may require and than the Petitioner shall not be taken or removed out of the jurisdiction of the Court nor be subject to any severity because of her application for freedom.

Stephen W Foreman Esquire presents to the Court the petition of Milly (a woman of color praying that she may be permitted to institute suit against Willy Williams for Establishing her right to freedom and that she may be permitted to institute suit as a poor person thereupon the court permit the said Milly to sue as aforesaid and direct that an action of assault & battery and false imprisonment be brought in the name of the said Milly and assign the said Stephen W Foreman as her counsel and it is ordered by the Court that the said Willy Williams permit the said Milly to have a reasonable liberty of attending her counsel and the court when occasion may require it and that the said petition shall not be taken or removed out of the Jurisdiction of this court or be subjected to any severity of treatment on account of her said application for freedom

Milley vs Wiley Williams

Ref not found-

Milley vs Wiley Williams

Milley vs Wiley Williams

This is a suit for freedom by leave of the Court

Foreman atty

Wiley Williams not found in my county 6th July 1833

Milly by her attorney complains of Wiley Williams of a plea of trespass Assault and battery & false imprisonment For that the said Wiley Williams on the twenty second day of April Eighteen hundred and thirty three with force and arms made an assault upon the said Milley to wit at the County of St Louis and State of Missouri and then and there beat bruised and ill treated her the said Milley and kept and detained her in prison there without any resonable or probable cause for a long space of time to wit : for the space of twelve hours then next following; and nevertheless the said Milley avers that before and at the time of committing the said grievances she was and still is a free person and that the defendant held and detained her and still holds & detains her in slavery contrary to the law of the land and against the will of the said Milly ; and other wrongs to said Milly then and there did to the great damage of the said Milly , wherefore she says she is injured and hath sustained damage in the sum of five hundred dollars therfore she sues & C.

We command you to summon Wiley Williams that he be and appear before the Judge of our Circuit court at the next July term thereof to be held at the city of St Louis within and for the county of Saint Louis on the fourth Monday of July next then and there to answer into Milly of a plea of trespass assault and battery and false Imprisonment wherefore she says she is injured and hath sustained damage in the sum of five hundred dollars and have you then there this writ.