Case Summary

John Crawley was arrested and jailed on suspicion of being a fugitive from slavery. William Logan, whose relationship to Crawley is unclear, asserted that Crawley was a free man and petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus on his behalf, which was granted. Others asserted that Crawley was enslaved by a man named Stephen Gardier. After hearing the evidence, Crawley was released.

Case Information

Petition type(s)

• Carceral

Petition subtype(s)

• Fugitive slavery

Outcome

Writ allowed

Fate of bound party

Released from custody

Case Citation

St. Louis Law Commissioners' Court, August Term 1856, No. 103

Source material(s)

Case File

Case document transcriptions

• hc.case.mo.0037.001
• hc.case.mo.0037.002
• hc.case.mo.0037.003
• hc.case.mo.0037.004
• hc.case.mo.0037.005
• hc.case.mo.0037.006
• hc.case.mo.0037.007
• hc.case.mo.0037.008
• hc.case.mo.0037.009
• hc.case.mo.0037.010

Length of case file

Between 6 and 10 pages

Repository(s)

• Missouri State Archives-St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)

State

• Missouri

Tag(s)

• Slavery

People

• Logan, William C. (petitioner)
• Crawley, John (John Black) (bound party)
• Logan, Robert F. (respondent)
• Logan, Robert F. (responding party)
• Logan, Robert F. (holding party)
• Decker, (petitioner attorney)
• Colvin, John W. (judge)
• Black, John (authority ordering detention)

• Additional parties

  Decker, John (notary public)

  Williams, Matthew (clerk)

  Henley, George (affiant)

  Scott, William C. (witness)

  Moore, William (witness)

  Maddox, Turner (sheriff)

  Gardier, Stephen (enslaver)