John C. Bull ajent[?] of Mary Logan Smith- in the matter of Adam, commonly called Adam Marshall, confined as a fugitive slave
To the Honorable the Law Commissioner’s Court of St. Louis—
[?] of the
court for the County of St Louis
Your petitioner acting
as ajent duly authorized of Mrs Mary Logan Smith
of Shelbyville Sheltz County in the state of Kentucky,
states that on or about the 7h day of April
1855, a negro man named Adam commonly
called Adam Marshall the property of the aforesaid Mary Logan Smith was committed into the
custody of James Madden James A Felps the Sheriff Jailor of St Louis
County, and was and still is by him detained
in the St Louis County jail, charged with being
a fugitive slave which will fully appear by a
copy of the warrant of the justice, returned herewith
Your petitioner states that said negro is not a runaway slave, but that in the custody he was, when arrested, in possession of a pass or permission from his said owner, in accordance to which he was acting
Whereupon your petitioner prays a writ of Habeas
Corpus addressed to the said James Madden Sheriff James A Felps
Jailor as abovesaid that he have the body of
the said negro before this honorable court that
your petitioner may be able to show the truth
of his allegations, and show himself entitled to
claim the discharge from custody of the said
negro slave
S.M. Breckinridge
