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Michael, a boy of color vs. Henry G. Mitchel and Henry C. Russel

May 23, 1832 - May 30, 1832

Petitioned on May 22, 1832

Filed before the St. Louis County Circuit Court (St. Louis, Missouri)

Case ID: hc.case.mo.0020

Case Summary

Michael, by his next friend William Clark, accused Henry Mitchel and Henry Russel of kidnapping him in an attempt to reduce him to slavery. Judge Carr allowed Michael to sue on an action of trespass of assault and battery and false imprisonment. Carr also issued a writ of habeas corpus and stipulated that Michael could be hired out while his suit pended.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

  • Interpersonal

Petition subtype(s)

  • Wrongful enslavement
  • Kidnapping
  • Child custody

Outcome

Unknown

Fate of bound party

Remained in custody

Case Citation

St. Louis Circuit Court, Case Files, Box 150, Folder 27: July Term 1832, No. 56

Source material(s)

Case File

Case document transcriptions

Length of case file

Between 6 and 10 pages

Related petitions

Repository(s)

State

  • Missouri

Tag(s)

  • Slavery
  • Children

People

Citation

Katrina Jagodinsky, Cory Young, Andrew Varsanyi, Laura Weakly, Karin Dalziel, William Dewey, Erin Chambers, Greg Tunink. “Michael, a boy of color vs. Henry G. Mitchel and Henry C. Russel.” Petitioning for Freedom: Habeas Corpus in the American West, 1812-1924, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://petitioningforfreedom.unl.edu/cases/item/hc.case.mo.0020

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