Bartlett Smith, of Mississippi, represents that he is the “true and lawful owner” of a twenty-two-year-old male slave named Philip, also known as Jeff, who was “feloniously” taken from him in 1836 by two men named William Rummels and Abraham Jones. Smith alleges that Rummels and Jones “clandestinely conveyed” Philip to Louisiana, where he was sold under a “pretended act of sale” to a Mrs. Elizabeth McWaters, who immediately proceeded to change his name to Jeff. Elizabeth McWaters has since died and Philip, also known as Jeff, is now in the possession of one of her “forced heirs,” Moses Mc Waters. Bartlett Smith prays that the slave be “adjudged & decreed” his property. He also prays that a judgment be rendered against Moses Mc Waters for the value of Philip’s hire, which runs to $200 per year, from October 1836 until restoration of his property.
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Repository: West Feliciana Parish Courthouse, St. Francisville, Louisiana
