Hagar Bellengall Cole, a free woman of color, petitions the court for an account of the sale of two slaves and the payment of money. The petitioner represents that her mother, Margaret Bellengall, died in 1839 and that James Moodie served as executor of her estate. Cole, "being desirous of owning" two slaves, purchased Betsey and her child Mary; however, she only paid a portion of the total amount and executed a bond for the balance. The petitioner has also borrowed money from her son, Owen Chatters. Cole claims that these advances were always loans and that she "regarded the said slaves as her property." When Chatters gained possession of Betsey and Mary for the purposes of hiring them out, Cole never received her half of the wages. In fact, while in possession of said slaves, Chatters sold said slaves to Henry Young. The petitioner asserts that her son intends to use the proceeds from the sale to pay his debts. She asks that the defendants "may be restrained by order and injunction of this court from any payment or appropriation of the proceeds of sale of the slaves." She further requests that said defendants be ordered to pay her the purchase money, plus interest, and to pay her for the hires of the two slaves.
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
