John K. Pumphrey, administrator of the estate of Elizabeth Walker, seeks the settlement of a dispute regarding the ownership of four slaves: Charlotte, Benjamin, Henry and Douglass. The petitioner asserts that Elizabeth Walker, now deceased, wanted to execute a power of attorney granting her nephew, Henry Martin, the use of her four slaves. Pumphrey argues that Martin fraudulently presented Walker with a bill of sale for the slaves rather than a power of attorney. Walker, described by Pumphrey as "an ignorant woman, unable to read or write," signed the paper. When Walker discovered the true nature of the contract, she appealed to Martin for a revocation of the bill of sale. Martin refused and still continues to "defraud the Estate of said Elizabeth Walker of said slaves." Pumphrey asks that Martin be summoned to answer the complaint. He prays that the bill of sale will be cancelled, the slaves returned, and the estate of Walker compensated for the loss.
Result: Partially granted.
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Repository: National Archives, Washington, D. C.
