And said plaintiff also complains
of said Coleman DuncanColeman Duncan for that
heretofore to wit on the second day of December 1829 at the County of GallatinCounty of Gallatin in the State ofIllinois
IllinoisIllinoistowith at St LouisSt Louis in the State of MissouriMissouri
the said ColemanColeman withforce & arms an assault
did make upon the said plaintiff & him
the said plaintiff did then & there beat
wound & ill treat & him the said plaintiff did then & there falsely imprison & did keep him
said plaintiff in false imprisonment there for a
longspan of time to wit from the time case
aforesaid untill the time of the commencement of this suit And the said plaintiff avers
that before & at the time of the committing
the said several grievances he was & still is
a free person & the said Defendant held & detained & still helds & detains him in
Slavery By means of which premises the said
plaintiff has been prevented from attending to his
ordinary business & availing himself of the
benefit of his labor by which business & Labor the
plaintiff could have& should have wages a
large sum of money to wit the sum of
five hundred dollars had not the Defendant
presented him by the means aforesaid wherefore
the said plaintiff says he is greatly injured & hath
sustained Damages to five hundred Dollars
therefore he sues