Box Folder
St. Louis Law Commissioners Court
June Term 1858, No. 154
Bellamy, John, In the matter of Habeas Corpus
Defendant arrested and jailed June 30, 1858, as a fugitive slave, born a free man of color; depositions on file that state that he and his mother lived in the family of William L. Burk of St. Louis; mother always "passed for a free woman" and the defendant "always passed as free"; Burk shipped him on a boat to Osage River; he & captain quarrelled, so defendant quit to return to St. Louis; on his way back, defendant jailed as a runaway, then sold until he turned 21 to pay off his expenses; testimony includes sale information with buyers' names, sale amounts, and places of sale; defendant was 23 and served his time; judge awarded defendant
