In 1771, Charles Reynolds purchased a tract of land from Joseph Smith and issued a bond to Smith, with Jeremiah Orme acting as security. Subsequently, Smith assigned the bond to Cunningham Finley & Co. Reynolds paid Cunningham Finley & Co. "one hogshead of old crop Tobacco in part Satisfaction of the Debt due." Cunningham Finley & Co. began a suit against Reynolds and Orme for the remaining sum, but Reynolds claims that he believed the suit was struck off the docket because he did not hear anything else about the case. In 1788, Orme informed Reynolds that he was being sued for the debt. Reynolds, to prevent injury or loss from befalling Orme, sold five slaves to Orme so that Orme could satisfy the debt. Reynolds later applied to the Chancellor of Maryland under the act for "insolvent Debtors." Elly Orme was appointed as his trustee, but when Reynolds attempted to assign all his property to Elly Orme as the act directed, the trustee would not accept the property. Reynolds, believing that he had complied with the law, did not proceed any further. In addition, he explains, he failed to include a slave boy in his list of property because he thought he sold him to Jeremiah Orme. Reynolds now charges that Jeremiah Orme sold the slaves for less than their worth and that he has not applied the money to the bond. Reynolds asks that Jeremiah Orme be subpoenaed and compelled to pay the full value of the slaves.
Result: Partially granted.
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Repository: Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland
