Elijah Weeks accuses Samuel Mitchell of fraud in misrepresenting the skills of his slave named James, purportedly a "good blacksmith" in spite of the slave's "loss of the sight of one of his eyes." With the assurance that James was an excellent smith and that the partial loss of sight had not "in any manner disqualified him from working at his trade," Weeks purchased James from Mitchell at the "enormous and exorbitant price of $1350." When the white smith who worked alongside of James intended to quit the petitioner's service, Weeks soon discovered that James was not able to make a tool with a straight edge or "put on the eye of an axe or hoe straight." Finding it necessary to "discontinue the Smiths business entirely on the inability of said slave to attend to it," Weeks now employs James "on his farm as a common crop hand." Weeks seeks an injunction to stay further proceedings on a judgment Mitchell won against him for nonpayment on his purchase bond.
Result: Injunction granted; dissolved.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
