Affidavit from Philander Avery, 20 December 1843, Thomas Bullock Copy
Source Note
, Affidavit, before , , Hancock Co., IL, 20 Dec. 1843; handwriting of ; one page; JS Office Papers, CHL.
Page [1]
State of Illinois)
Ss
City of )
On the 20th. day of December 1843 personally appeared before me Clerk of the Municipal Court of said , of precinct in said , and after being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that on the 19th. day of November 1843, at his house, in the precinct aforesaid, of , Territory of Iowa, by false pretences persuaded your to accompany said to the , at , where your was seized by one Joseph Mc.Coy of Clark County Missouri, in connection with the said and about one dozen of other Individuals, whose names are unknown to your , and by them forced across said , where they bound your , and Mark Childs swore that your had stolen said Mc.Coy’s horse and colt, and that his father had secreted said horse and colt, and said threatened your with death or seven years imprisonment, in order to persuade him to make false statements, and testify that his father had stolen said Mc.Coy’s horse and colt, which statements your made, and swore to the same, while in duress, with a Bowie knife presented to intimadate. And your further saith that the testimony he gave concerning his guilt was extorted from him through fear, while in duress, and said testimony was absolutely false, and your fully believes that his is innocent of the crime of stealing said Mc.Coy’s horse and colt. and further your saith not.
L. S.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court at aforesaid this 20th. day of December A. D. 1843.
Clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of [p. [1]]