To the Honorable Luke & Judge of the
Third Judicial Circuit for the State of Missouri

Your petitioner Mary Ann Steel a person of
color aged sixteen years on the 25th day of
July not to your that in
1821 being the slave of Catharine Steel in
the state of Kentucky she was by an Instrument
of by the said Catharine made and
intended as her last willemancipated &
liberated from slavery your petitioner states
that said Catharine steel acquired title to
your petitioner by the will of James Steel
power to set your petitioner free if
she should think proper. your petitioner
further says that after the death of said
Catharine Steel same the heirs of James Steel
claimed & insisted that your Petitioner was a
slave that the will of Catharine Steel
was inoperative & that your petitioner
ought to be sold & the proceeds divided
among the heirs of James Steel and for
this purpose a Bill was filed in the Ky against one
Charles Landers & others the of which
was to have your Petitioner & her mother
sold & the proceeds distrubted among
the heirs of James Steel The Bill was
answered by Charles Landers who admitted the
facts as stated in Bill & insisted
that the Instrument of writing made by
Catharine Steel as aforesaid was good &
under the act of 1800 to liberate
your petitioner & her mother from slavery &
subsmitted the law to the Court
said Bill and answer to such proceedings
were had in said court that the
complainants Bill was dismisseduntil the
costs against the complainant on the ground
that your Petitioner was free your
petitioner states by the instrument imancipating
your petitioner your petitioner was requested
to remain with Rasanna & Grumburg Steel
untill she was 18 years old to pay for her
raising your petitioner did so
while she was permitted to remain in Kentucky
But your petitioner states that although said
Grumburgh Steel always while in Kentucky insisted
and declared that your Petitoner was
about three years ago he remained your
petitioner to Missouri & sold her about three
years ago as a slave untill the 25th day of
July AD 1840 to one Curtis Skinner & said
Skinner sold her as a slave 25th July so
1840 to William Walker who now holds
your petitioner as a slave in St Louis County
The Record of the proceedings in the in Kentucky
as aforesaid are herewith shown to prove the
truth of this petition. Your petitioner prays that
she may he permitted to as a poor person
to establish her freedom that counsel may be
assigned to her & such orders made in her
behalf as the such cases requires

Mary Ann by
G A Bird her next friend

I Luke E Lawless Judge of the Third Judicial
Circuit of the State of Missouri being Satisfied
that the foregoing petition & the record of the
sent to in said petition contains
sufficient matter to authourise the commence
ment of a suit do order that said petitioner
Mary Ann be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish her freedom & I do assign G A Baid
as her to commencement prosecute said suit
and I do further order that said Mary Ann
have reasonable of attending her counsel
& the Court when may require;
and that the petitioner shall not be taken or
removed out of the jurisdiction of the court
nor be subject to any security because of her
application for freedom under my
hand at chambers this 26th day of June 1835

L Lawless

Petition of Mary Ann
for license to sue for
freedom

Clerk gamble's fee $ 2.58

fee book 222

No 97 July Term 1835 St Louis Circuit Court

Mary Steel
vs
William Walker

plea
not quilty

JSpalding
attyFiled July 14th 1835A gamble Clk

St Louis Circuit Court

Steel
vs
July Term 1835

and the said defendant
by J Spalding his attorney comes and defends the
force and injury when &c and says that
he is not guilty of the said supposed trespasses
in said delaration mentioned in manner and form as
the same are charged in that declaration and
of this he puts himself upon the country & C

Filed July 14th 1835AGJ. Spalding
atty for plff

No 97 Saint Louis Circuit Court
July Term 1835

Mary Ann Steel by
G A Bird her nextfriend
vs
William Walker

This a suit for Freedom
in the formprescribed
by stated damage $ 100
The Clerk will please
issue a summons

G A Bird
counsel
assigned

State of Missouri St Louis Circuit Court July Term
AD 1835

Mary Ann Steel an infant of color by
GA Bird her next friend complains of
William Walker of a plea of trespass
assault & Battery & false imprisonment for
that heretofore on the Twenty fifth day
of June in the year 1835 the said defendant
at the aforesaid and
arms an assault did make upon her the
plaintiff & did then & there what
& ill treat the plaintiff & did then & there
imprison her any or
probable cause & hath kept her imprison there
from the day last aforesaid untill this &
other wrongs then & there did against the
to the great Damage of the plaintiff.
And the plaintiff that before & at the
time of the committing the said several
grievances she was & still is a free person & the
said defendant held & detained & still
hold & hold her in slavery. Wherefore the
plaintiff says she is greatly imprisoned & hath been
damnified to our hundred Dollars & therefore
she sues.

Mary Ann by
GA Bird her attys
& nextfriend
&

I am to art as the next friend of
said Mary in the above Suit
June1835

GA Bird

I Luke & Lawless Judge of the third Judicial circuit of
the state of Missouri being satisfied that the foregoing petition & the
record of the suit referred to in said petition Contains sufficient matter
to authorize the commencement of a suit an order that said petitioner
Mary Ann be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish her
freedom. & I do assign G A Bord as her counsel to commence & prose-
cute said suit & I do further order that said Mary Ann , have reason
-able liberty of attending her counsel & the Court when occasion
may require - and that the petitioner shall not be taken or removed
out of the Jurisdiction of the Court nor be subject to any severity because
of her application for freedom. Given under my hand at Chambers
this 26th day of June 1835

L E Lawless A True Copy of the order of the Judge Archibal Gamble Clerk

The State of Missouri
County of Saint Louis To the sheriff of the County of saint Louis = Greeting

We command you to summon William Walker that he
be and appear before the Judge of our Circuit Court at the
next term thereof to be held at the City of St Louis within and for
the County of Saint Louis on the second Monday of July next
then and there to answer unto Mary Ann Steel an infant of Color
by G A Bird her next friend of a plea of trespass assault &
Battery & false imprisonment to the damage of the said
plaintiff of one Hundred dollars and have you then there
this writ

Witness Archibald Gamble Clerk of our said
Circuit Court at office this twenty sixt day
of July in the year of our Lord one thousand
Eight Hundred and thirty five Archibald Gamble Clerk

Executed this writ by heading it and the declaration
and petition and also the order-made by the honorable
Judge to William Walker on the 27th day of June
1835 in the county of St Louis
Service $1.00

James Brotherton Shff
By M Brotherton D Shff

this & have the body
of John Walker in open Court
25th August 1836

James Brotherton
Sheriff Service $1.00

Steel
vs
Walker

John Mulhall

County of St. Louis , Sct.
State of Missouri ,To the Shriff of St. Louis CountyGreeting.

We command you to attach

John Muchale

by his body and him safely keep, so that you have his body before
the Judge of our Circuit Court , now in session at the City of St. Louis , within and for the County of
St. Louis , on theforthwith then and there to testify
and the truth to say in a certain matter of controversy, now pending in our said Circuit Court , between
Mary Ann steel plaintiff and Wm Walker os
defendant wherein the said Mulhall
has heretofore been summoned on the part of the said plff

Witness, John Ruland , Clerk of our said Circuit Court , at the
City of St. Louis , this 25 day of august
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty 6 John Ruland Clerk, C. C.