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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.
Your petitioner,
humbly represent to your Honor that he was
purchased and held as a slave by one
Duty, in his lifetime,
the said Duty, being there a resident of the
testament, dated the
A.D. 1836,
your petitioner among other slaves which
he then owned, should be
and set free. Your petitioner further
represents that the said Duty removed your
petitioner, amongst other his said slaves,
to the
the city and county of
than the one above mentioned; that the
said will was, as your petitioner is informed
and believes, established and admitted
to
on the
1838,
1839,
of the said Duty, in the
of , and letters of administration
thereof granted to one
petitioner in slavery. Your petitioner therefore
humbly prays your Honor that he
may be allowed to prosecute this his suit
for freedom, as a poor person, that counsel
be assigned him, and that the usual
orders in such cases be made on his behalf,
and as is duty bound he will
ever prays C.
This day personally appeared
before the undersigned,
petitioner, who being duly sworn on his oath
says that the facts stated in the foregoing
petition are true to the best of his knowledge
and belief.
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.
in this action, complains of
of trespass and false imprisonment; for that
the said defendant on the
of May
hundred and forty four,
arms, at the County aforesaid
said plaintiff and then and there beat,
and ill-treated him, and then and there imprisoned
him and then and there kept and
detained him in prison, without any reasonable
or probable cause whatsoever for a long time
to writ: for the space of six hours then next
ensuing, against the will and
said plaintiff and contrary to the laws of
the
the people thereof; and the said plaintiff
avers that before and at the time of the committing
of the grievances above set forth
said plaintiff was, and
that the said defendant wrongfully and
unjustly, held and still holds him, said
plaintiff, in slavery; and other wrongs
to the said plaintiff then and there did
against the peace of the
and to the damage of said plaintiff
five thousand dollars, and therefore he
poor
Counsel c
vs
This is a
let summon
p. q.
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.
We command you to
found in your County, that he be and appear
before the Judge of our
be held at the
of
man 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
vs
Summons
Damages $ 5000.00
"It is ordered that said petitioner have
leave to sue as a poor person the Court doth assign
said petitioner have reasonable liberty
to attend his
counsel the Court, as occasion may require, that
he be not removed without the jurisdiction of the
Court,
on account of his application for
freedom".
Executed this writ in the
to read it and the declaration to
which he refused to hear- also by reading to the
said
endorsed upon this writ.