To the Hon. the Judge of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County.

The petition of Vica , a woman of color aged about
nineteen years, respectfully shows to your honor, that she
was born in the state of North Carolina , the slave of Mrs. Isabella
Walker , by whom she was taken from that state to the State
of Mississippi , where she resided with the said Marcella Walker
until her death which occurred in DeSoto county in Mississippi
about four years ago:- petition has been informed and believes
that the said Isabella Walker
until her death which occurred in DeSoto County in Mississippi
about four years ago:- petitioner has been informed and believes
that the said Isabella Walker by her by her last will and testament
ordered that your petitioner when she should arrive at
the age of twenty one should be entitled to the freedom - petitioner
further states that after the death of Mrs Isabella Walker
she was the property of or claimed by Felix Walker son of Isabella
Walker , who brought her from the state of Mississippi in the
month of March Eighteen Hundred and Forty One and brought
this petitioner to the state of Illinois , and left her at the
house of Chesley Evans in St. Clair County Illinois , who is
a relation of this petitioned - that after remaining in the
County of St. Clair in the State of Illinois about two weeks
the said Walker and the said Chesley Evans moved from the
county of St. Clair to the County of Jackson in the State of
Illinois and took your petitioner with them, where she remained
with the said Walker about four months - the said Walker
declaring that he intended
giving her freedom papers- that while your petitioner was so
residing in the said County of Jackson the said Walker there held her to service and labor as his slave.
One Benjamin Dill
the son in law of said Felix Walker came to the said County of
Jackson and requested your petitioner to go with him to St. Louis
in the state of Missouri to attend upon his wife, who was then
sick, which your petitioner consented to do, as she felt and
continues to feel a strong affection for the wife of said Dill, daughter
of said Felix Walker , with whom she was reared from early infancy.
That afterward the said Felix Walker returned to the state of
Mississippi , where he died sometimes during the last fall,
that sometime in the month of October, that said Dill & his
wife left the City of St. Louis and returned to the State of
Mississippi , leaving your petitioner at the house of John H. Sparr in the City of St. Louis in the State of Missouri . That
under some pretense of right, the said Sparr sold your
petitioner to one Lyman B Shaw, as she has been
informed and believes, who on the Twenty fifth day of
April eighteen hundred and forty two sold your
petitioner to one Samuel Hobart , who now has her
in his possession at the city of St. Louis , confirmed as
in your in the prison in the Jefferson house in said City of St. Louis . Your petition
further states that the said Samuel Hobart intends to
take you petitioner out of the State of Missouri and
down the Mississippi river with the design of holding
her as a slave, by the first boat descending said river.
Under these state of facts your petitioner is informed and
believes that she is entitled to her freedom, and she
humbly prays your honor for leave to sue as a poor person
for her freedom, in the name of Chesley Evans as her next
friend against said Samuel Hobart , and that your honor
order your petitioner to be bought up before your honor
by warrant as is provided for by law, and that your
honor will make sent further orders herein as the
law provides and such as the proper protection of
your petitioners rights may require - and she will pray etc
Vica a woman of color.

by King & Murdoch
her Attys

State of Missouri
St. Louis County ss

Sophia Evans being duly sworn
says that the matters and things set forth in the forgoing
petition of Vica , a woman of color are true

Sworn to & subscribed
the 26 April 1842
by Sophia Evans
Before me at St. Louis
County Missouri
Bryan Mullanphy
Judge of the Eighth Judicial
Circuit of the
State of Missouri . By Sophia her X Mark Evans .

The undersigned Judge of the St. Louis Circuit Court
being satisfied that the petition of Vica a woman of color - contains sufficient matter
to authorize the commencement of a suit, do make the following orders.

First that the said Vica a woman of color-
be allowed to see as a poor person to establish
her right to freedom & assign King & Murdoch as her attorneys
Second. That the said Vica have reasonable
liberty to attend her counsel and the Court as
occasion may require; that she be not
removed out of the jurisdiction
of the Court, and that she be not subject to
any severity on account of her application
for freedom.

as Chambers in the
County of St. Louis
this 20th April 1842.
Bryan Mullanphy .
Judge of the 8th Judicial
Circuit of the
State of Missouri .

State of Missouri
County of St. Louis In the St. Louis Circuit
Court July Term 1842

Vica a woman of colour who
by her attorneys King & Murdoch sues by her next friend Chesley Evans complains
of Samuel
Hobart of a plea of trespass & false imprisonment
For that the Defendant on
the twenty fifth day of April in the
year Eighteen hundred forty
two, at the County aforesaid upon said
plaintiff an assault did make & then &
there did strike bruise wound & otherwise
ill treat & her than and there did imprison
and so detained her in imprisonment
for a long time to wit from the
day and year last aforesaid until
this day, contrary to the statutes in
such case made and provided and
against the peace and dignity of the
State of Missouri - and the said plaintiff
avers that before and at the time
of the committing of the grievances aforesaid
she was and still is a free person
and that the said defendant
held and still holds her in slavery
therefore she brings suit etc

King & Murdoch
Attornies for Plaintiff

St. Louis Cir Court
July Term 1842

Declaration
in false imprisonment

Suit for freedom

The Clerk will find
Saml. in this entitled cause

King & Murdoch
Attys for Plffs.

County of St. Louis , ss.The State Of Missouri ,To the Sheriff of St. Louis County---Greeting:

We command you to Summon Samuel Hobart if he
be found in your county, that he be and
appear
before the Judge of our Circuit Court , on the first day of the next term thereof, to be
held at the City of St. Louis , within and for the county of St. Louis , on the third Monday
of July next, then and there to answer unto Vica .(a
woman of color) who sues by her next friend Chesley
Evans of plea of trespass and false imprisonment

to the damage of said plaintiff
dollars And have you then there this writ.

Witness, John Ruland , Clerk of our said Court,
with the seal thereof hereto affixed, at office, in the
city of St. Louis , this Twenty seventh day of
April in the year of our Lord eighteen
hundred and forty two. J W Ruland Clerk. I acknowledge myself bound for all costs that may accrue in the above cause:
Witness my hand and seal, at St. Louis , this day of 184

order to Shff to hire petitioner rescinded & suit dismissed Bk 13 p 227

No 31
St. Louis Circuit Court
July Term 1842

Suit for freedom

King & Murdoch

It is ordered - first _ That the said Vica
a woman of color be allowed to sue as a poor
person to establish her right to freedom & assign
Messrs King & Murdoch, as her attorneys
Second __ That the said Vica have reasonable liberty
to attend her counsel and the court as
occasion may require, that she be not removed
out of the jurisdiction of the court
and that she be not subject to any severity
on account of her application for freedom.
Bryan Mullanphy Judge of the 8th Judicial Circuit
of the State of Missouri , at Chambers in
the County of St. Louis this 26th April 1842.

Filed April 27th 1842
J W Ruland Clerk
Free

Executed this writ, on the 27th day of April
1842, in the County of St. Louis , by reading
it and the annexed declaration to Samuel
Hobart the defendant.

Marshall Brotherton Sheriff by
Joseph Will Clary Depty

fee$1.00---fees in
original
3.004.00

The state of Missouri
To Marshall Brotherton Esquire
Sheriff of the county of St Louis Greeting

It appearing to Bryan Mullanphy
the Judge of our Circuit Court
for the Eighth Judicial Circuit
of Missouri that Vica a female
of Color who hath been allowed
by the order of our said
Judge to sue as a poor person
to establish her right to freedom
is about to be removed out of the
Jurisdiction of our said Court
You are hereby Commanded to
seize the said Vica wherever she
may be found and bring her before
our said Judge at the Goal in
the city & county of St Louis at nine
o'clock A.M. of tomorrow the
Twenty seventh day of April in
the year of our Lord One thousand
Eight hundred and forty two and
summon any person in whose
possession she may be found and
especially one Samuel Hobart
to appear before our said Judge
at the same time & place & have you then there this writ, as
witness the hand of our said
Judge at Chambers in the county
of St Louis this Twenty Sixth day
of April in the year aforesaid
Bryan Mullanphy

Judge of the 8th Judicial
Circuit of the State
of Missouri .

Warrants.

Executed this with in the county of St Louis
On the 26th April 1842 by Summoning Samuel
Hobart and George Charles in whose possession
the said Vica was found to be and appear before
the Hon Bryan Mullanphy and by seizing the
said Vica and have her before said Judge
as commanded in this writ

Marshall Brotherton Shff
By Henry B Belt Depty

service$3.00service$3.00

To Marshall Brotherton Esquire Sheriff
of the County Of St. Louis ,

In as much as Vica the woman of
color named in the writ hereto annexed
has been by you brought before me Bryan
Mullanphy Judge of the Eighth Judicial
Circuit this Twenty Seventh April
in the year of Our Lord One thousand Eight
hundred and forty two, at Goal in the
County of St. Louis , and Samuel Hobart
and George Charles , in whose possession
said Vica was by you found, were by
you summoned to appear before me at
said place aforesaid on this day at nine
O' clock A.M. and in as much as said Hobart
and Charles
being then
and there called in order that
they might come forward and enter into
the recognizance as required by the seventh
section of the act entitled "an act to enable
"persons held in slavery to sue for their
"freedom", have appeared & declined failed to enter into
such recognizance, it is hereby ordered
that you do take possession of the petitioner
and hire her out to the best advantage from
time to time during the pendency of the
suit, the term to be six months, or untill the
action is determined, and take a bond from
the hirer payable to the State of Missouri ,
in the penalty of six hundred Dollars
with security to be by you approved, conditioned,
that the petitioner shall during the pendency
of the suit have reasonable liberty
of attending her counsel and the
Court, that she shall not be removed
out of the jurisdiction of the Court, when
the suit is Brought, and that
she shall not be subjected to any
severity on account of her application
for freedom - For all of which this shall
be your authority, as witness my
hand at Chambers in the city
& county of St. Louis in the
State of Missouri - Bryan Mullanphy

Judge of the 8th Jud
Cir. of the State of Missouri .

St Louis Circuit Court
July Term 1842
suit for freedom.

St Louis Circuit Court same term
suit for freedom.

St Louis Circuit court same term
suit for freedom.

And now at this day come the attorneys
for the plaintiffs and defendants in the above written
causes and represent to the Court that the said
said several causes have been arranged and settled
between the said several parties in interest and a
transfer and consequences by the defendants in interest
in the said several causes to Christy Evans of all there
right and title to the said several Plaintiff Vica,
Thadeus Alonzo, and Musa Ben Abel Sagen- and
therefore the Court, on motions of the plaintiffs attorney,
rescinds the orders by the said Court made in
the said several causes, requiring the sheriff of the
County of St Louis to hire out the said Vica , the said
Thadeus Alonzo and the said Musa Ben Abel Sagen, and
that said sheriff discharge from his custody and
keeping the said Vica , the said Thadeus Alonzo , and the
said Musa Ben Abel Sagen - and it is further ordered
by said Court on motion of Plaintiffs attorney that the
said several causes be dismissed.