Ralph, "a man of colour," relates that James Duncan hired him out in Illinois and the Michigan Territory. He further reveals that he sued Duncan for his freedom in Illinois in 1827; however, the court dismissed the suit because Coleman Duncan was Ralph's actual owner. Ralph reports that Coleman Duncan fled the state before a suit could be filed against him and that "James Duncan kidnapped your petitioner & brought him to St. Louis." Ralph fears that "it is the intention of said James & Coleman to take your petitioner to some place where the fact of his freedom is unknown & sell him for a slave." He therefore prays that "he may be permitted to sue as a poor person to establish his freedom" and that he may be assigned counsel and "that such order may be made ... in his behalf as his personal safety requires."
Result: Petition granted; plea of trespass filed, discontinued against james duncan, amended, denied; motion for new trial denied, appealed, reversed and remanded.
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Repository: Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, Missouri
