To the Honorable the Judge of the Circuit Court within
and for the county of St Louis

The Petition of Nathan a person
of Color represents

That his mother Lydia was once
the slave of Elisha Mitchel deceased that said Elisha
Mitchel about the year 1809 brought your petitioners
mother into the territory now State of Illinios that about
the year 1805 said Elisha Mitchel died, & his
widow Mitchel in 1809 administered on the
Estate of said Elisha in St Claire County now state
of Illinois that said pretending to said said Lydia
as such administrating as a slave of said Estate in
the year 1809 said Lydia brought a suit of trespass
assault & Battery & false imprisonment against said
as such administrating in the General Court of
the territory of Illinois at St Clair County before the
judgesthereof and such proceedings were had in said
so that said Lydia was adjudged by saidcourt to be a free
person your petitioner further says that he was
born in the State of Illinois where he has been raised
& was yesterday seized & brought to St Louis from
whence he was taken in the night & carried as
your petitioner believes on the road to Herculaneum by
one Alexander P Fields & others in collusion with him
your petitioner was born since his mother was
adjudged free as aforesaid & has always been a
freeperson & so regards until seized as aforesaid
by said Fieldswho claims the right to hold your
petitioner in slavery your petitioner believes that
said Fields shall remove your Petitioner out of
the state of Missouri unless prevented by legal
means he therefore prays that he may be
permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish
his freedom that counsel may be assigned
him that a writ of HabeasCorpus may issue
& such orders made & such proceedings had as
will secure the personal safety of your petitioner
By Lydia thenext
friend of said
Nathan
his mark
State of Missouri St Louis County Ss this day personally appear
Nathan Cole marks oath that hebelieves that
the facts in the withinpetition stated are true and
further that said Alexander P Fields Elijah Mitchel &
others arrested the within named Nathan yesterday
claiming him as a slave & that last night they took
said Nathan away from St Louis & that they
willremove him out of the state of Missouri with the intention of enslaving him unlessprevented
prevented

Nathan Cole

It is hereby ordered that the Petitioner Nathan be permittted
to sue as a poor person to Establish his right to freedom that
Henry S Geyer be & is his assigned as his counsel to commence
& prosecute said suit and it is further ordered
& adjudged that said petitioner have reasonable
liberty of attending his 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 subjected to any
severity because of his application for freedom
Given under my hand at my
Chambers this23. May 1832

Will C. Carr

In St. Louis Circuit Court
July Term 1832

County of St. Louis Ss Nathan a person of colour
by of the court here permitted to sue
as a poor person by Lydia his next friend
complains of Alexander P Fields & Elijah Mitchel of a plea
of trespass assault battery and false imprisonment
- For that the said defendants here
tofore to wit on the twenty second day of
May in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred
and thirty two, made an assault upon
the said plaintiff to wit at the county of
St. Louis aforeaid and then and there beat bruised and illtreatedhimsaid
plaintiff and then & there imprisoned him
said plaintiff and left & detainedhim
in prison there, without any reasonable or
probable cause whatsoever for a long time
wit for the space of ten days then next following; contrary to the law of the land and
against the will of the plaintiff - and the
said plaintiff avers that before and at
the time of the committing the grievances
aforesaid he was and still is a free
person and the defendants then & there
held and detained and still do hold &
detain him in slavery contrary to the laws
of the land - and their wrongs to the said
plaintiff then & there did to the damage
of the plaintiff of five hundred dollars
& therefore hebrings suit &c

Geyer for plff

The state of Missouri
County of Saint Louis ssTo the Sheriff of the County of Saint Louis Greeting

We command you to summon Alexander P Fields and Elijah Mitchell
that they be and appear before the Judge of our Circuit Court at the next
July term thereof to be held at the City of St. Louis within and for the county
of Saint Louis on the fourth Monday of July next then and there to answer
unto Nathan a person of Colour by leave of the Court here permitted to sue as
a poor person by Lydia his next friend of a plea of trespass assault & battery and
false imprisonment to the damage of the plaintiff of Five Hundred dollars and
have you then thee this writ

Witness Archibald Gamble Clerk of our said Circuit
Court at office this Twenty third day of May one
thousand Eight Hundred and thirty two Archibald Gamble Clerk

copy of the order of the Judge permittingpetitionertoinstitutesuit

It is hereby ordered that the Petitioner Nathan be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish
his right to freedom that Henry S Geyer be & is assigned as his counsel to commence & prosecute
said suit & it is further ordered & adjudged that said petitioner have reasonable liberty of
attending his 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 subjected to any
severity because of his application for freedom - Given under my hand at my chambers

this 23. May 1832 Will C Carr

No 50 In St. Louis Circuit Ct
July T 1832

Nathan a person
of colour
vs
Alexr P Fields
Elijah Mitchell

Issue a summons
with copy of order
Geyer

Filed 23d May 1832 Archibald Gamble Clerk

Executed on Elijah
alias H. G. Mitchell
on 26: May by reading
order & his resisting
tohear&

"By the HabeasCorpusAct"
The state of Missouri To George Hammond Esquire Greeting

You are hereby commanded, that the body of
Nathan a person of color who has been permitted to
sue for his freedom in your custody (as is said)
detained, under safe and secure conduct
together with the day and cause of his captor and
detainer, by whatever name he may be called
you have before the Circuit Court for the
county of St Louis
on the 30th day of May 1832. at
the court house - in the county of St Louis
then & there to do submit to and receive whatso
ever shall be considered in that behalf

Witness William C Carr Judge of
the third Judicial Circuit of the
state of Missouri this 26th day of
May 1832 Will :C. Carr

In obedience to the within writ I have the Body
of the within named Nathan before the Court which
said Nathan was by me taken out of the possession
of MrH.G.Russell and G.Mitchell
said Russell and Mitchell was arrested in the county
of Jefferson on the 26th on a warrant for
kidnapping the said Mitchell being arrested by the
name of Martin Mitchell and the said Nathan
byme committed to gaol for safe keeping

May 30th 1832. G Hammond

Nathan

By the HabeasCorpusact

The Petitioner State of Missouri
St Louis County

The petitioner Nathan having
been brought before Mr
William C Carr Judge of the St Louis Circuit
County by writ of HabeasCorpus and the
persons in whose possession said Sam was
found having refused to enter into Recognizance
as the lawdirects I do therefore order & direct
the sheriff of St Louis County do take possession
of said Nathan & hire him out from time
to time during the continuance of his suit
for freedom & that the Sheriff take bond from
the person hiring him in the finalsum of
six hundred dollars, with such security as
said sheriff shall approve conditioned that
said Nathan shall at all times during
the pending of his said suit have reasonable
liberty of attending the Court & his counsel &
that he shall not be removed out of the jurisdiction
of the Circuit Court of St Louis County -
or subjected to any severity because of his application
for freedom & that the person hiring him
shall pay the hire at the time stipulated
& return said Nathan to said sheriff
at the apperation of the time for which
he is hired & sooner if his suit shall
sooner be determined

Given under my hand this
30th day of May 1832 Will C Carr

No 50
St Louis Circuit Court
July Term

Nathan a person of Colour suit for freedom
vs
Alex P Fields
& Elijah Mitchel
order for hiring out
plff

declaration
Petition & orders of judge

I Served this writ on Alexender PFields
on the 24: day of May 1832 my offering
to read to him the writ and declaration
and the copy of the order of the Judge
all of which he refused to hear read and
on the 26: day of same month I served
it on Elijah Mitchell alias Henry
G Mitchell by offering to read to him
the writ declaration & order of the Judge
which he refused to hear read
of whichalsodone in the City of
St Louis

John K Walker
shff $ 2.00

A P Fields & Elijah Mitchel
ads
Nathan -

And the said defendants
by their attorney come and defend the force
and injury where &C and say they are not guilty
of the grievances above in said declarationlaid
to their charge in manner and form as the
said plaintiff hash above alleged and of this
they put themselves upon the country &c

GWForeman
atty
Filed 26th July 1832 Archibald Gamble Clerk

Suggestion of oath of Plff &writBook 6 page 491

No 50
Saint Louis Circuit Court
July Term 1832

Nathan
vs
Alexander P Fields
and Elijah Mitchel

Plea not guilty
Foreman
atty

Filed 26h July 1832 Archibald Gamble Clerk