O Say Can You See

The will of Mrs Stockett & the bill of sale from Jones to Magruder hereto annexed are made part of this case & are admitted to be authority of Duly proved so far as they go and are binding. it is admitted that Mrs Stockett died in 1824 without having revoked her will. That the petitioner is one of the slaves of Mrs Stockett referred to in her will, was held by Mrs Stockett as her slave till the death of Mrs Stockett and then passed to her daughter Eliza Ann named in the will and who held under the will. That said Eliza Ann intermarried with E. A. Jones party to the above bill of sale by whom on the 10th of March 1834 she had lawful issue a female child now alive, and with whom she was ensiente at the time of sale to Magruder aforesaid. That said petitioner was born & raised in Maryland, whence she removed was sent or brought to Washington City on the 5th of June 1833 by said Jones then the husband of said Eliza Ann, & there hired to     Keen. That said petitioner has now[?] lived[?] in said city from that time till now. That on the date of said bill of sale, at said City, said Jones made an absolute sale of said petitioner as a slave for life to said Magruder, & there executed the   said bill of sale and received from said Magruder the purchase money. That said bill of sale was then & there signed by W. C. Orme as a willing witness. That said Magruder is a citizen of Mississippi, & bought for the purpose of removing said slave to that state & was about so to remove her when restrained by the injunction & the process of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for the County of Washington. That said Jones sold the Petitioner to said Magruder knowing that he was a resident of the State of Mississippi and that he would carry her to said state.

Wm L Brent for Petr C. Cox for deft

I certify that the within named slave was sent by E. A. Jones to Washington City & there hired on or about June 5, 1833, & has since continued to reside there, to the best of my knowledge. I further certify that Eliza Ann within named intermarried with Ethan A. Jones within named by whom she had April 9, 1833, by whom she had issue now alive a female child, born March 10, 1834, & with which she was pregnant on the 30th of January 1834.

Joseph J Jones

On this 10th day of April 1834 appears Joseph J. Jones (the subscribing witness to the above certificate). Before the subscriber one of the Justices of the Peace of said District in and for the County aforesaid and made oath on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God that the facts set forth in said certificate are true as stated to the Best of his knowledge and Belief

Sworn to before B.K. Morsell J.P.