George Kean v. Oliver Kean & Silas Burke. Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus
To the Honorable the Judges of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for the County of Washington
The Petition of George Kean a free negro man respectfully represents that he is now unjustly illegally and without authority and by force and fraud confined and deprived of his liberty by Oliver Kean, Silas Burke Madison Jeffers, Hansel Rowley, Robert Evans, and William Garret and Thomas Davis and others their confederates Wherefore your Petitioner prays your Honors to grant the most gracious writ of the United States of America of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum to the said Oliver Kean, Silas Burke Madison Jeffers Hansel Rowley Robert Evans and William Garret and Thomas Davis and others their confederates to have your Petitioner with the day and cause of his caption and detention before your Honors at such time and place as to your Honors shall seem meet and that your Petitioner may be discharged from his confinement aforesaid and as in duty bound your Petitioner will ever pray and so forth
John J Dermott
Atty for Geor Kean
The following named persons are wanted to testify on behalf of George Kean and a summons for them is respectfully requested towit - Michael Shanks, Burwell Randolph, David Saunders, George Parker, John Gadsby, William Gadsby,
District of Columbia
County of Washington to wit
Be it remembered that on this thirty first day of May in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty six personally appeared before the subscriber a Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid in the District aforesaid Thomas Collins and makes oath on the Holy evangely of almighty god that on Thursday the twenty sixth instant Madison Jeffers constable and another person whom he has since ascertained to be Thomas Davis took and carried away from his then[?] house George Kean the within named Petitioner without any legal authority for the same and after being informed that the said George Kean had a suit pending before the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for his freedom that he this deponent has not since seen the said George Kean although the said Madison Jeffers and Thomas Davis promised to return the said George Kean to his home at Mr Bankhead's by six oclock of the same day in which he George Kean was carried away which has not been done and this deponent further saith that he believes the facts set forth in the within petition are true
Sam Stettinius J Peace
Petition of George Kean for habeas corpus.
issd 31st May 1836
