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Natchez 18th august 1806 To the humane Society for the abolition of Slavery Gentlemen
Having been engaged as Counsel in prosecuting a Suit to recover the freedom of a family of people of colour [color] whose case in our opinion calls aloud for assistance we take the liberty, though not personally known to you, of addressing you on the occasion and requesting your friendly aid in the cause we have undertaken Our friend Mr [Mister] Peter Hardeman is the bearer of this and also of Commission to take the Depositions of same Witnesses in your Country, and by assisting him withe [with] business [added: you] will be relieving the injured & oppressed and may essentially contribute to the restoring to freedom of no less than fourteen human beings whom we verely [verily] believe to be unjustly held in Slavery Their story is shortly this They are part of the decendants [descendants] of an Indian Woman named Judith, formerly in the possession of one Francis Coleman of Virginia . Old Sue the mother & grand mother of those now here
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in the year 1786 brought her suit in the District Court of Petersburgh [Petersburg] against Buddy Coleman , otherwise called Cuthbert Coleman , who then held her as a slave to recover her freedom, which she finally recovered in the 1797 in the general Court at Richmond , to which Court the cause had been removed. But whilst that suit was pending coleman as we are assured run them (ie old Sue and her children,) off to South Carolina , where he kept them several years, and then removed them to georgia ; where suit was again brought against him by Sue and her children for their freedom; but that suit having abated by the Defendant being misnamed in the writ, he immediately sent them off to this Country, where they now are On their arival [arrival] they applied to us, and we have found their story confirmed by letters of gentlemen to whom we wrote for information, and by the record of Sues recovery of her freedom. For further particulars we refer to Mr Hardeman and the papers in his hands What we chiefly want is proof of the identity of their persons, and in this we flatter ourselves you may give us some useful information__ In fine
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we are convinced that those unfortunate persons are fairly and legally entitled to be free, and we feel confident that you will readily give us your assistance in freeing them from the shackles of an unjust and cruel slavery__ We are gentlemen respectfully Your Obed [Obedient] Servts [Servants] Seth Lewis
[unclear: J Druelope ]
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The President & Members of
The humane Society for the
abolition of Slavery
Richmond Virginia
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