Circuit Court July term 1832
Jefferson St Louis County to wit: Michael an infant
a boy of color who sues by permission of
the court complains of Elijah Mitchel
of a plea of trespass for that the said
Elijah Mitchel on the twenty second
day of May in the year 1832 with
force and arms made an assault upon
the said Michael to wit at the
county of St Louis and then and there
bruised beat and ill hated the said
Michael and then and there imprisoned
the said Michael and kept and detained
him in prison there without any reasonable or probable cause whatsoever for a
long span of time to wit for the span
of 12 hours then next following contrary
to law and against the will of the said
Michael and the said Michael was
not[?] at the time and before the conducting the said grievances he was and still
is a free person and that the defendent then
held and detained him in slavery and still
holds and detains him in slavery and other
ways to the said plaitiff there &
then did against the peace of the state
and to the damage of the said Plaitiff
five hundred dollars and therfore he[?]
prays[?]
suit[?]—
Strother G. F.
