1839-1869 Platte County, Missouri, Circuit Court Docket
Archive Items Details
Description
"Jim, a man of color, presented in open court his petition setting forth as therein stated that he is unlawfully held in slavery in the County of Platte and State of Missouri by one Delford Benton (a doctor) and that he the said Jim is entitled to his freedom and praying for leave to sue as a poor person in order to establish his right to freedom; And the Court here being satisfied that the petition of said Jim contains sufficient matter to authorize the commencement of a suit. It is therefore ordered by the Court here that the said Jim be and he is hereby allowed to sue as a poor person to establish his right to freedom; And that the Court here assigns Peter H. Burnett and Columbia Lancaster Esquires, attorneys of this Court as counsel for said Jim. It is also further ordered by this Court that said Jim have reasonable liability to attend his court and this Court as occasion may require that he be not removed out of the jurisdiction of this Court and that he be not subject to any severity on account of his application for freedom."
