Know all men by these presents
that I Mary L Smith of the County of Shelby
& State of Kentucky do hereby appoint Nathan
L Rice of St Louis City Missouri, R. M. B Kerchival, William M Henry & A. S. Mitchell
of the said City & State and John C Bull
my true and lawful attorneys, who or any
one of them are hereby empowered by these
presents to take charge of my negro Boy
Adam (a slave) now in Jail in Saint
Louis Missouri placed there as I learn
as a runaway and return him to me
in Kentucky or to deliver him to such person as will safely return him to my
possession. They my aforesaid attorneys in
fact are hereby empowered and authorized &
each one or either of them separately &
singly is hereby empowered authorized to
sign such papers in my name or to do such
acts for & on my behalf & in my name & stead
as may be necessary to be done by the laws
of Missouri for the obtaining or reclaiming a my said slave in custody of the Jailor or
other prison keeper of St Louis And such
acts done by these my said Attorneys or
by either of them shall be as binding upon
me as if done by me in my own proper
person In testimony whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and affixed my
seal this 16th day of April 1855
Mary Smith
