of the said David CoonsDavid Coons against said Duty'sDuty's
Estate are not, nor is either of them, to the
best of his knowledge and belief in any
manner false, or unjust
nor are the same or either of them
to the best of this depondant's knowledge
and belief brought forward and sup-
ported on only papers illegally obtained and if the fact be otherwise, it is
wholly unknown to this depondant
and he requires the same to be
proven-
And this defendant further states and
admits that he obtained an order from the
county court to sell the complainants
as slaves for life and that said order was
set aside, and the will of said Duty
admitted to record by said court, and
that thereupon this defendant was
ordered by said court to hire the complain-
ants as in said bill alleged- thus defen-
dant further days that he has no knowledge
of the of the claims of RobertRobert
Strong the estate of said Duty
for thirteen hundred
of the said bond, of the
claim of said Strong in the said note
for ninety dollars, nor of the of
the claims of the Planters' Bank ofBank of Mississippi
MississippiBank of Mississippi and of the said John
and WilliamWilliam Henderson against the Estate
of said Duty, except from the evidence
in court in support of said claims

and from the statements of some of the
complainants made to him in respect
to said claims. This defendant says that
he was informed by the Preston, Braxton and
that the claim of said Strong on
said bond,
was for thirteen hundred dollars which
was mostly due from said Duty to DavidDavid
Strong for the
slave which said had bargained
to deliver to said Strong in exchange
for a certain slave which said Stong
had delivered to said Duty according
to the agreement and bargain for
exchange between said Duty and said
Strong- said Duty having failed to
deliver the slave to said Strong- which
by his agreement he was bound to do-
and this said slave which said Duty
was bound to deliver was at the time
same was to have been delivered
with thirteen hundred dollars-
and that the evidence addressed
in court in support of said claim
this statement of the com-
plainants in respect to the said
bargain and the value of the slave-
This defendant further says that
the said John and WilliamWilliam Henderson produced
in court an account current, with the
said Duty upon the trial of some suits,
and by proof deemed by the court
sufficient established their