In Obedience to a dedimus
potes
tatum from the Circuit CourtCircuit Court for the County of St LouisCounty of St Louis StateMissouri
of MissouriMissouri, and in conformity to a notice herewith [ inclosed ] I
Leonard WhiteLeonard White one of the Justices of the peace in and for the
County of GallatinCounty of Gallatin aforesaid Proceeded to cause to come before
me certain witnesses at the SalineSaline Tavern in said County and
took the following depositions to be read in evidence in a
suit now pending and in determined in the County of St LouisCounty of St Louis
and State of MissouriMissouri wherein VincentVincent otherwise VincentVincent Duncan
DuncanVincent Duncan is plaintiff and James DuncanJames Duncan is defendant, to wit
Lee Hanjnour who being of Lawfull age and first duly
sworn upon the Holy Evangelist deposeth and saith as
follows. That in the year 1823 he hired VincentVincent a man of colour
to Labour for him at the SalineSaline, he VincentVincent informed the depon
ant that he had hired his time of his master, (DuncanDuncan )
and engaged to work six months, after working part of the
time he left deponants service, and shortly after his Master
DuncanDuncan came to SalineSaline with the intention of taking VincentVincent
home, but deponant agreed to go security to DuncanDuncan for the
hire that VincentVincent was to pay his master, as for as the ways
of the six months would go, upon that DuncanDuncan agreed to let him
stay & VincentVincent agreed to work out the [ ballance ] of the time,
shortly after the expiration of the six months, DuncanDuncan return
ed again and directed him VincentVincent to go home to KentuckyKentucky.
But he VincentVincent from one pretence or other failed to go, and
as much as two or three times his master was after him to take
him home, and wrote to deponant requesting him to hire some person
to take him if he would not go of his own accord, and he VincentVincent
would make fair promises that he would go and afterwards
evade them and shirk about, and upon the whole was a trifling
fellow, and further this deponant saith not