Natchez Court Records 1767-1805

New Orleans, 30 March 1786.  p. 46.  Deposition:


I do hereby declare upon oath that a few days before Mr. John Woods let Mr. Stephen Minor have the negroes for the money he was in debt to him, Margaret Woods, wife of said John Woods came to me and said that ever since she had been married she was used to have negroes to wait upon her and that it would go very hard with her to be without a negro to do her business but she feared that it would take all her husband's negroes to pay the debts.


I asked her if she could not lay in a petition to the Commandant claiming the country-born negro wench, called "Beck".  She said it was doubtful it would do as she brought but five guineas in gold to Mr. Woods when she was married which she lent to pay a part of the purchase of the wench called "Kate". 


And further I do declare that some short time after, Mr. Minor having in his possession two negroes that he had bought of the said Woods, one Mrs. Owens came to me and told me that Mrs. Woods had been several times to beg her to steal a negro wench her husband had sold Mr. Minor.  I asked her if she knew what Mrs. Woods intended to do with the wench.


Mrs. Owens said that Mrs. Woods told her that she had the negro fellow of Mr. Minor hid out in the cane-brake, and if she could get the wench, she would immediately go to the Choctaw Nation after her husband, as he was to wait there for her on the path.


I then told her that she ought to go and inform Mr. Minor of Mrs. Woods' intention and proceedings, which she agreed to and we went together and made the matter known to Mr. Minor.


Signed Patience Welton with her mark.  Wit:  John Welton, Stephen Haywood.






I do hereby certify upon oath that the time Mr. Minor lost his negro fellow, named "London", that he bought of John Woods, the said negro was harbored by Mrs. Margaret Woods, wife of John Woods, in a cane-brake.  This she, herself, told me.  Moreover, I saw the wench with victuals for the said negro.


She sent a man to me to buy a horse from me to send the negro away to the Choctaw Nation, and likewise begged of me and my wife to steal a wench, named "Kate", that Mr. Minor had bought of her husband.  We both agreed that we would, in order to satisfy her until we could acquaint Mr. Minor of her intentions, which we did.
Signed William Owens.  Wit: James Elliot, Stephen Haywood.

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FIFTY YEARS
--OF--
SLAVERY
--IN THE--
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

BY

HARRY SMITH,
OF OSCEOLA COUNTY,
MICHIGAN.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
WEST MICHIGAN PRINTING CO.
1891.