The Honorable WilliamWilliam CCarrCarr
Judge of the Circuit CourtCircuit Court
Judicial Circuit in Said State

Your Petitioner represents to your honor that she is
now & for the last five or six years past has been
held inn slavery & claimed as the slave of ArthurArthur Mitchel
MitchelArthur Mitchel at St. LouisSt Louis in the State of MissouriMissouri where
she is now held & claimed as a slave by said ArthurArthur
Your petitioner says that she is justly & legally entitled
to her freedom. Your petitioner says that some
time about the year 1817 said ArthurArthur Mitchel MitchelArthur Mitchel
moved from the State of KentuckyKentucky into the State ofOhio
OhioOhio & leased a farm in OhioOhio & resided on Said
Farm with his family & your Petitioner whom he then held as a slave & said ArthurArthur continued
to employ your Petitioner in said state of OhioOhio on said
farm for aboutsix months in said year 1817 -
your petitioner further says that in April 1826
said MitchelMitchell had your Petitioner in the State ofOhio
OhioOhio claiming her as a slave when the State of OhioOhio on behalf of your petitioner by writ of Habeas
Corpus caused your Petitioner to be brought before
the court of Common Pleas of Brown CountyBrown County &
State of OhioOhio by said MitchelMitchell to whom the said
writ was directed & who returned said writ
as follows - as I know the of LeaLea & her
"child ArchibaldArchibald ready to produce before the Honorable
Court I had said & as my
"under the constitution & laws of the State ofKentucky KentuckyKentucky
"& I think have a right to claim & hold them
"as Slaves & am now about to take said LeaLea &
"child to KentuckyKentucky April 18th 1826. A Mitchel,
your petitioner says that on the 20th day of April 1826
Your Petitioner & said MitchelMitchell appeared before
said Court by their attained & the said court
after hearing all the evidence produced by the

found that your Petitioner wasfree &
discharged her & her Said child from the Custody of
said MitchelMitchell as will appear by a duly certified copy of the record
& providing an said writ of HabeasCorpus
in possession of your Petitioner & which she is ready
to produce to your honor your Petitioner says that
in defiance of Said Judgement & discharge Said
MitchelMitchell now holds your Petitioner in Slavery Said
MitchelMitchell is about to remove from the State ofMissouri
MissouriMissouri & is endeavoring to sell your Petitioner
your Petitioner verily believes that there is great danger
that she & her children who are free willbe
removed aut of the Jurisdiction of Said Court
unless a writ of Habeas Corpus shall issue
to Said MitchelMitchell requiring him to produceyour
Petitioner & her children before your & such
providing shall he had thereon as the law
points out in such cases. Your Petitioner
prays that she may be permitted to sue as
a poor person to establish her freedom that
counsel may be assigned & such orders
made & such providing had in the promises
as her personal safety & the law requires

The above named LeahLeah on her oath says
that the facts in the above petition stated she
believes to be true & most of them she knows to
be true.

I WilliamWilliam C CarrCarr Judge of the Circuit CourtCircuit Court
for the Third Judicial Circuit & State of MissouriMissouri
do hereby order that the above named Petitioner
lea be permitted to sue as a poor person
to establish her freedom I do hereby assign
GustavusGustavus A Bird A BirdGustavus A Bird as her Counsel and I
do moreover order that said LeaLea have
reasonable liberty to attend her counsel & the Court when occasion may require
and that the Petitioner shall not be removed
out of the Jurisdiction of the St Louis CircuitCircuit Court
CourtCircuit Court nor be subject to any severity because
of her application for freedom. Given under
my hand this 26. Sept. 1832

Petition of LeaLea

To sue for freedom to

Saint LouisSt Louis County SsLeahLeah a woman of color
by GAGA Bird BirdGA Bird her attorney complains of ArthurArthur Mitchel
MitchelArthur Mitchel of a plea of trespass assault & of Battery
& false imprisonment for that heretofore
to wit on the Twenty First day of April in the year of 1832 at the County aforesaid
the said ArthurArthur withforce & arms an assault-
did make upon her the said LeahLeah & her the
said LeahLeah did then & there beatwounded &
ill treat & then & there did imprison the Said
LeaLea & has kept & detained her in prison there
without any legal or probable cause whatsoever
from the day last aforesaid until this time
& has thereby prevented said LeaLea from carried
a large sum of money for her self which she
should otherwise have carried for herself to wit
the sum of seven hundred dollars & other wrongs
to the said LeahLeah then & there did against
the & dignity of said State and
said LeaLea says that at & before the time of
the commiting said grievances She was & still
is a free person & the Said defendant held
& detained & still holds & detains said plaintiff
in Slavery Wherefore Said LeahLeah say she is
greatly injured & hath sustained damage
to eight hundred dollars therefore she sues to

Copy of the order of the Judge of the St Louis Circuit CourtCircuit Court permitting plaintiff to sue

I WilliamWilliam C CarrCarr Judge of the Circuit CourtCircuit Court for the third Judicial Circuit & State of MissouriMissouri do
hereby order that the above named petitioner LeaLea be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish her
freedom. I do hereby assign GustavusGustavus A Bird A BirdGustavus A Bird as her counsel and I do moreover order that said LeaLea
have reasonable liberty to attend her counsel & the Court when occasion may require and that the
Petitioner shall not be removed out of the Jurisdiction of the St Louis Circuit CourtCircuit Court nor be

subject to any severity because of her application for freedom -

We command you to summon Arthur MitchelArthur Mitchel that he be and appear before
the Judge of our Circuit CourtCircuit Court at the next term thereof to be held at the City ofCity of St Louis
St. LouisCity of St Louis within and for the County of Saint LouisCounty of Saint Louis on the fourth Monday of
November next then and there to answer unto LeahLeah a woman of Color of a
plea of trespass assault and Battery and false imprisonment wherefore said
LeahLeah says she is greatly injured and hath sustained damage to Eight Hundred
dollars and have you then there this writ

Executed this writ by attempting to readit & the declaration
& order of the Judge of the Circuit CourtCircuit Court to ArthurArthur Mitchell
MitchellArthur Mitchell he refused to hear it read in consequence
of his being hard of hearing & read it him
self & acknowledged the service of the
in the city of St LouisSt Louis on the 27th of September 1832

LeahLeah
vs
Arthur MitchelArthur Mitchel

This is an action trespass
assault & Battery & false
imprisonment & for
Freedom Damages $800
the Clerk will please
issue a Summons to

We the undersigned ArthurArthur Mitchell MitchellArthur Mitchell & JosephJoseph Powell
PowellJoseph Powell acknowledge ourselves to be indebted
to the State of MissouriMissouri in the sum of one thousand
dollars to be earned of our respective goods
& chattelslands & upon condition
nevertheless, that whereas LeahLeah and her two children
ArchibaldArchibald and Burnette have been
permitted to sue for freedom now if the said
Archibald & Burnette shall at all
times during the of their said
suit have Reasonable liberty of attending
her or their counsel and that said Leah
Archibald & Burnette and that they
shall not be removed out of the
Jurisdiction of the circuit CourtsCircuit Court
of St LouisCircuit Court county and that the said
Leah Archibald & Burnette shall
not be subjected to any severity because
of their application for freedom
during the pending of said suits then
this recognizance to be void -

LeahLeah & her children
vs
ArthurArthur Mitchell MitchellArthur Mitchell

Recognizance

Arthur MitchelArthur Mitchel
ads
LeahLeah
November Term 1832

And the said ArthurArthur by G. Newman
his attorney comes & defends the force and
injury when &c. and says that he is not guilty
of the said supposed trespasses above
laid to his charge or any part thereof
in manner and form as the said Plaintiff
hath above therefore complained against
him. And of this he the said ArthurArthur
puts him selfuponthe county & C.

LeahLeah
vsArthur MitchelArthur Mitchel
Plea

Not guilty

Discontinued Book 3 page 427

You are hereby commanded to summon Robert King BetseyJohnsonwife of
James Johnson
that setting aside all manner of excuse and delay, they be and appear in proper person before the
Judge of our Circuit CourtCircuit Court , on the Eight day of August next
at the City of St. LouisCity of St Louis, then and there to testify and the truth to say in a certain matter of controversy
now pending in our said Court, wherein Leach is
plaintiff, and Arthur MitchellArthur Mitchell is
defendant, on the part of the plaintiff
and have you then there this writ.

LeahLeah
vs
ArthurArthur Mitchell MitchellArthur Mitchell

for plaintiff

Executed this writ on Robert King & Betsey Johnson
wife of James Johnson the 19th July 1833 in the
County of St. LouisCounty of St Louis