Aspasia, "a free woman of color," represents that "she is detained and restrained of her liberty in the custody of Sullivan Blood constable of ... St Louis." She proclaims that "she is not thus detained and restrained of her liberty for any criminal or Supposed criminal matter." Aspasia asks the court to issue a writ of habeas corpus "to be directed to the Said Sullivan Blood, commanding him on a day certain, to have the body of Your Petitioner before Your Honorable court." A related document reveals that Aspasia, who was being held by one Pierre Menard, claimed to be free on the grounds that she had been born in the Indiana Territory after the passage of the Northwest Ordinance. Also included in the documents is the plea of trespass, instituted by Aspasia in 1839, against Hardage Lane wherein Aspasia charges that the said Lane "beat, bruised, wounded, and ill-treated her, and then and there imprisoned her and kept and detained her in prison there, without any reasonable or probable cause whatsoever, for a long time, to wit, for the space of two years and three months."
Result: Petition granted; aspasia vs. pierre menard, plea of trespass filed, granted; aspasia vs. hardage lane, plea of trespass filed, denied.
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Repository: Civil Courts Building, St. Louis, Missouri
