O Say Can You See

On this thirteenth day of January 1825 personally appears before me, one of the justices of the peace in & for the county aforesaid, Thomas Spurling & makes oath on the holy Evangely of Almighty God that he was formerly the owner of a negro woman Rebecca & children who have filed a petitioned for their freedom in the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, for Washington County against a certain Lloyd Pumphrey. That the said Petitioner were owned by this Deponent in Fairfax County State of Virginia, & were [illegible] by this Deponent to come to George Town about five years ago where they have remained ever since. That this Deponent never did himself come to George Town to reside nor never had any such intent. That soon after this Deponent permitted the said negroes to come to George Town he himself went down to Westmoreland County to cut wood on the for land of Mr Henry Lee in the that County State Virginia. Where this Dept. remained for about two months & thence returned again to Fairfax, and had ever since continued to live there, & to until the place previous [illegible] by him for some time after his return [illegible]. That this Deponent who was marked as a witness for the said Petitioners & did attend some days. That during his so attending the said Lloyd Pumphrey had conversation with this Deponent as to the evidence this Dept was to give in the case. That the said Lloyd Pumphrey threatened this Deponent that if he did appear as a witness against him he would have him   put to goal gaol on account of the Deb note. in mentioned in the conveyance of him the said Spurling to the said Lloyd Pumphrey & a certain John W. Baker for the said negroes. That at the time of this their property negroes were conveyed to the aforesaid Lloyd & John W. it was intended to be a sale, but this [illegible] conveyance was adopted in consequence of the parties believing an absolute sale could not be made. That the application was made in the first place by the said Baker to purchase them, & it was considered by this Deponent to be a sale & that he did not consider himself as intitled to any return of the property.

Thos Corcoran