Philip Miller reports that his slave Toney was convicted of murder and executed after "a long imprisonment." Miller, a man of "moderate circumstances," represents that he "has been compelled to pay all the costs incidental to the prosecution of said slave." Feeling "himself little able to bear all these expences -- and as he did every thing in his power to advance the claims of Justice," the petitioner "conceives that it would be an act of Justice & humanity in the Legislature to refund him the amount which he has paid as costs in the above prosecution." The Legislature rejected his prayer, in part because "it would be improper to make him the allowance asked for out of the public monies; by which means, persons, who either from religious scruples, inability or other causes, do not own Slaves would be compelled to pay their proportion, and therefore could never be similarly situated."
Result: Rejected.
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Repository: North Carolina Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, North Carolina
