O Say Can You See

The Petition of Frances Jackson a coloured person in behalf of herself and her infant children Louisa Robert and Maria humbly complaining sheweth unto your Honors that she and they are free and entitled to their freedom and that being so entitled she on the 8th July instant filed in behalf of herself and her said children in the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for the County of Washington in the District of Columbia her Petition for freedom against Aris Buckner and Bernard H Buckner who claim your Petitioner and her children as their slaves which said Petition is now pending in and remains undecided by the said Circuit Court That your Petitioner and her said children are now confined in the Jail of the said County of Washington & in the custody of the Marshal of the said District of Columbia by the order or procurement of the said Aris Buckner and Bernard H Buckner or of one of them as a runaway under the pretence of safe keeping but with a view as your Petitioner has reason to believe and does believe for the purpose of removing your Petitioner from the County and District aforesaid and from under and beyond the Jurisdiction of the said Circuit Court and thereby prevent and intefere with the due administration of Justice. In tender consideration whereof and in as much as your Petitioner is remediless at and by the strict rules of the common law and can only find relief in a court of Equity where matters of this sort are properly cognizable to the end therefore that the Justice Equity and right of the case may be enquired into Your Petitioner prays your Honors to grant unto her the United States most gracious writ of Injunction commanding the said Aris Buckner and Bernard H Buckner their agents and attorneys from removing your Petitioner & her children from the County and District aforesaid, in manner and form aforesaid, and also commanding the said Marshal to detain and keep in his custody and not to deliver up to the said Aris Buckner & Bernard H Buckner their agents and   attorneys your Petitioner & her children till the further order of this Court, and such further relief in the premises as her case may require and as in duty bound your Petitioner will ever pray & so forth

John J Dermott
Solr for Petitioner

Personally appeared before me the subscriber a Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid Frances Jackson the Petitioner in the within and foregoing Bill named and after having the said Bill read and explained to her and the nature, obligation and penalties of and attendant on the false taking of an oath, solemnly made oath that the matters and things stated in the said Bill were so far as they are stated to be of her own knowledge true, and so far as they are stated to be of the knowledge of others he verily believes them to be true.

Given under my hand this 16th day of July in the year of our Lord 1833.

Geo Naylor J. Peace