This day ThomasThomas Follis personally
appeared before the undersigned and made oath that he
was intimately acquainted with the late MiltonMilton Duty deceased
who lived & was neighboor to this affiant in the city of
St LouisSt Louis, for about eighteen months immediately preceeding
his death. That this affiant had frequent conversations with
the said Duty relative to his affairs in which he stated to
this affiant that he had made his property by his own executions,
was nearly clear of the world, that he owed no
gratitude to any of his kin and intended to leave them
nothing, but that he had made a will by which he had
emancipated all of his negros, had left his watch and
chain which was worth one hundred and fifty dollars and
his cloths to his negros boy PrestonPreston and that he intended
he should wear them. That the said Duty was open and
free in his conversations about his property and business
and sent for this affiant frequently just before his
death, at which time he repeated the substance of
what is stated above. That from such conversations he
was fully convinced that the said Duty owed a very triffling
amount. That the lives of his negros during his residence
in St LouisSt Louis must have been very considerable.-
That he had the most implicit confidence in the
veracity of the said Duty and found
what he said to be always [ truthfull ] and correct.
That this affiant went to the house of the said Duty
about ten minutes after his death, where remained a
short time and then returned to his own house, that
in about an hour after he returned to the house of the