The heirs to the estate of the late Pierre Richard and his wife, Marguerite Dugat, petition to claim a woman named Celeste and her six children as their slaves. The petitioners claim that, “in consequence of false representations,” they were until recently ignorant of their rights to Celeste. They assert that, as the legal owners, they are “entitled to the services” of Celeste and her children. However, they maintain, Celeste, “pretending” to be free, “refuses to consider herself or her children” as their slaves and “will not return” to their service as “she is in duty bound to do.” Instead, she “obstinately and undutifully refuses to serve” them. The petitioners pray that Celeste and her children be “decreed to be slaves for life and compelled to return” to their service. Additionally, they ask that an attorney be appointed to represent Celeste.
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Repository: St. Landry Parish Courthouse, Opelousas, Louisiana
