O Say Can You See

Personally appears John Coburn before me the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid who having duly sworn deposes and says. That he hired of Henry Howison as agent for Mrs Potts of Virginia about the 1st of Jany 1834 a negro woman by the name of Amy Gray for the sum of twenty dollars per annum, and stated at the same time that the negro did not belong to him, and that 20$ was the price he said Howison had paid for her he also stated that said negro was not in his employ, and he did not wish to have any thing more to do with her and that he had requested her owner to take her home, but as she did not think proper to do so if he said Coburn would [illegible] the 20$ for her he wld[?] take her. Part of the hire[?] has been paid by the said Coburn to a person from Virginia who was   sent as that person stated by Mrs Potts the proper owner of said negro, the balance due of 12$ he said Howison requested me not to pay to any person but himself as a petition for freedom had been since filed and there might be some expenses to pay. Said Howison stated at the time that he had a bill of sale for said negro which he had recorded in the clerks office of this city to prevent her from getting free.

Sworn to before me this 26 March 1835.

J. Wells Jr. J. P.