O Say Can You See

On this 16th day of June in the year 1810 in open court personally appears Gustavus Thomas, and being duly sworn on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, deposeth & saith, that he knows Dennis Thomas & Walter Thomas who had a filed a petition for their freedom against Alexander Scott & that they were in the district of Columbia at the time John Law their attorney filed their petition, & also at the last of February January or the beginning of February. That about that time Walter was seized by certain persons employed as this deponent believes by the said Alexander, & taken to Mr. Scott's house & was afterwards sent to Charles county in the state of Maryland & that Dennis was afterwards seized & also sent to Charles county aforesaid. That the said Dennis & Walter had each of them at the time they were seized a paper signed by John Law their attorney, stating, as he was told by a person who read it to this deponent, that a petition had been filed by the said Walter & Dennis for their freedom & was then depending in the county court of Washington county. That the said paper he was told was given about the beginning of January last. That neither the said Dennis nor Walter were removed from the said district at the time this   deponent carried a letter to the said Alexander which Dennis told this deponent he had brought from his counsel Mr. John Law to forewarn[?], as he was informed the said Alexander, from removing the said Dennis & Walter from this district, because they had filed their petition for freedom against him. That this deponent delivered this letter to the said Alexander's servant at the said Alexander's house, the morning he received it from Dennis & that the said Alexander was then in Georgetown. And this deponent has been informed that the said Dennis & Walter, were sold since from the Jail of Charles county in the state of Maryland by the said Alexander & sold & removed to some other state to this deponent unknown. That he was informed by the said Alexander's servants, before the subpoena was served upon him in the above cause that the said Alexander, when in his house used to direct his servants, to tell the deputy Marshall when he called to see the said Alexander, that, he the said Alexander was not within, or that he was gone to Virginia & such other excuses. And this deponent further saith that during the month of January last & the beginning of February, he has frequently seen the said Alexander walking in Georgetown in the night, before the Marshal had served   the subpoena on him & while he was endeavoring so to do.

Wm Brent clk