James H. Clarke seeks to sell a slave named Hiram, the joint property of him and his brother, Edwin H. Clarke. He informs the court "that the said slave has been a runaway for now for nearly three years, and that the said slave has been recently apprehended and lodged for safe keeping in some jail in the city of Richmond." He confides "that until his apprehension it was supposed & believed that he had escaped and gone over to the enemy." Noting that his brother Edwin "has become insane," the petitioner attests that "it is impracticable to make any other partition of the interest of the said Edwin H. Clarke and your orator." He therefore "prays that your honor will grant unto your orator a decree ordering a sale of the said slave to be made by some fit & proper person to be appointed a commissioner for that purpose and the proceeds of such sale to be equally divided between your orator & the said Edwin H Clarke."
Result: Granted.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
