WinneWinne
vs.
Levi Pettitione Michael Lanford
Theresa his wife and others St. Louis Circuit CourtCircuit Court Nov. Term
1826

Be it remembered that on the trial of
this case the plaintiff winne proved that some time about
the year one thousand seven hundred ninety two one JohnJohn Whitset
WhitsetJohn Whitset came to the now state of IllinoisIllinois and brought with
him said winne then twelve or fourteen years of age hol
ding her as a slave; also then bringing with him his
son ThomasWhitset then aged about eight years; that
said John resided three or four years at a place in the
now state of IllinoisIllinois called WhitesidesWhitesides , station and then
removed into MissouriMissouri in 1796 where he afterwards died, the said
WinneWinne having all that time been held as slave and
said ThomasThomas having rendered with his father John Whit
set during that time said ThomasThomas also with his father
during all the time of said Johns residence in the then
North west Territory that on the morning Whitset was
removing to LouisianaLouisiana the inhabitants of the stationtalked of here from taking plantiff out
of the territory. The plaintiff gave nothing for
in evidence material to the point of law
raised to the admission of the testimony hereinafter
specified. The defendents then introduced a witness
who stated that he was at WhitesidesWhitesides , station afore
said in the fall of the year 1794 and shortly afterwards
had a conversation with said John whitset,
and said John then and there said
before said John came onto
country and while he resided in Georgia he went to VirginiaVirginia, to see the father in
of said John who then a deed of gift of said girl WinneWinne
to his son the said ThomasThomas ; and that that was all
the said father in law did for them although his
said John's house had just been burnt down with
his property; and he had thereupon gone to his said father
in laws to obtain assistance. The plaintiff's counsel
moved to exclude the declarations of said Whitset in
relation to the said deed of gift from the counsel

nation of the JinnyJinny : which the court according by
did and decided that the said declarations aforesaid
should not go to the Jury: and they were accor
dingly excluded, To which opinion of the court
the defendants counsel excepted andprayed the
court to sign this his bill of exceptions which
is done accordingly.