Sarah A. Leigh, a free woman of color, presents to the court that Dieudonné Joseph Meurice is indebted to her in the sum of $784. She alleges that, in January 1848, her slave named Ellen was "enticed, harboured and concealed" by a slave named Phoebe belonging to Meurice. Although Ellen has since been found and "restored" to her, Sarah Leigh claims that she incurred considerable expenses in the process. She claims that she has amicably asked Meurice to help her defray the costs but he has refused. She therefore asks the court to condemn Meurice to pay the sum of $784, which is made up of the following: $2 per day for each day that the slave was absent, for a total of $590; $44 for "advertisements and placards;" $100 for the reward that was offered; and $50 in damages for depreciation of her slave's value [Original in English and French; French version incomplete].
Result: Partiallly granted; appealed; affirmed.
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Repository: University of New Orleans
