Lucy Crawford claims that although she is "a free woman and entitled to be exempted from Servitude," she is being held as a slave by Hope Slatter. She fears that Slatter may remove her from the state of Maryland. Crawford asks the court to subpoena Slatter to show why she should not be freed from servitude. The court transcript reveals that Crawford claims her freedom based on the fact that she went to the District of Columbia with Martha Scott, her former owner, where she was allowed to hire herself out and receive her own wages. The petitioner claims she had an agreement with Scott that if she could raise enough money, she could purchase her freedom. Crawford claims that when Scott returned with her to Maryland, she violated regulations regarding the importation of slaves. Slatter argues that Scott sold Crawford to him as a slave for life in Maryland, and Crawford's earlier agreement with Scott has no bearing on her status.
Result: Granted; appealed; affirmed.
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Repository: Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland
