Captain Gould
Captain Wilson
Captain Abel
Captain Rogers
Franklin Avenue
Louis St. Ange
State of Missouri Saint Louis County
To The Honorable The Judge of St Louis Law Commissioners Court
The Petition of Rebecca Anne Moore Respectfully Sheweth
That on the first 20th day of
September one thousand eight hundred and
fifty four your petitioner was arrested by a
Constable of St Louis County Police officer named Charles Le Francis Louis St Ange
taken before Justice Du Breuil and by him committed to the jail of said County kept by one
John Hempstead where she still detained
as a prisoner: That your petitioner hath
applied to the said John Hempstead for
leave to take a copy of the commitment by
virtue of which he holds you petitioner but
he refuses to comply with such request: But
your Petitioner having been permitted to
inspect the same she finds that she is suspected of being a runaway slave which suspicion is unfounded in fact: on the contrary
your Petitioner alleges that she is a free person
of color: That she was at one time the property
of one James Wilson then resident in Pinkneyville Mississippi and now in Cincinnati Ohio
That on the first January 1831 she was by him
sold to Dr Noah S. Webb of the same State of
Mississippi whose property she continued
until his death in the year 1841 when she
was emancipated by the will of said Webb
and has been free ever since.
Your petitioner having been illegally arrested and imprisoned prays that a writ of Habeas Corpus may [?] directed to the said John Hempstead requiring him to produce the Body of you Petitioner before your Honor and in its appearing that she is a free woman that she may be discharged
John Bruce Thompson
Atty for Petitioner
State of Missouri Saint Louis County }
Personally appeared John Bruce Thompson who being duly sworn makes oath and says that he believes the facts set forth in the foregoing Petition to be true
John Bruce Thompson
Sworn to before me 24th October 1854
John Colvin Law Com
Before Law Commis
Ex Parte
Rebecca Anne Moore
Petition for writ of Hab Corp
Thompson Pro: Petr
Filed 24th Oct 1854
Jno W. Colvin
