Catherine Dewitt, of the
Dist. of Natchez, lawful wife of William Dewitt, begs leave to represent that
the Commandant of said District having sequestered the whole estate of her
husband, for the payment of pretended creditors, as can be proven when needful,
asks for a passport to the Capital to obtain justice from Your Excellency, which
was denied her there, a rumor having been spread that her husband was on the point
of absconding and in consequence of that report, he was confined in the Fort and
the Commandant not only sequestered his property but mine also and that of my
children whose estate was secured by the instrument hereunto annexed; that sometime
after he was set at liberty, but a part of the property was detained in the Fort
and a part delivered in charge of Don Estevan Minor and the men who worked on
his plantation. Wherefore your petitioner asks that our property be restored to
us and a term allowed for the payment of the debt owing by her husband.
The Commandant will enquire
in what manner William Dewitt became indebted to Don Estevan Minor, David Smith,
John Burnet, Gibson Clark, and Arthur Cobb in the sum of $1700 and for security
whereof sold conditionally to Adam Bingaman five slaves, namely "Stephanie,
Mingo, Monday, James, Felix" and a child, the said five slaves to be restored to said
Dewitt and obliging the said creditors to return to the said Bingaman the sums
that they have respectively received from him until the results of the said enquiry
shall have been made known in this Tribunal. And in any case, reserving the
property of Catherine Dewitt as expressed in the deed of gift executed by said
Dewitt in North Carolina on 2 Jany, 1781.
Signed Estevan Miro.
Notation: Catherine signed her name "Catherine White Dewitt"
to the above petition.
[In an accompanying document]
North Carolina.
Know all men by these presents
that I, William Dewitt, of Burke County, in the Province aforesaid, for and in
consideration of one pound of lawful money to me paid, etc. do hereby grant to
Catherine White the following negroes, namely Ben, Phillis, Jenny and Mary and
I do likewise grant to Catherine Dewitt, my daughter, the following negroes,
Phoebe, Sambo and Juno, and I do likewise give and grant to my son Jesse Dewitt,
negroes Coffee, Stephany, Judo, Monday, James, Dodd and Simeon, and to my
daughter Martha I give and grant negroes named Phillis, and her child and Jupiter,
and by these presents etc. confirming the above. Jany. 1st 1781.
Signed William Dewitt, in the presence of John White, Benj. White, Joseph White,
Thomas White.
Before me John Sumpter, J.P., appeared personally Benj. White who made oath
that he saw William sign the within instrument and that he saw Joseph White and
Thomas White sign their names thereto with himself.
2nd Jany. 1781. John Sumpter, Benj. White.
[p. 38.]
To Don Philipe Trevino, Commandant, the undersigned respectfully represent that
for many reasons they are induced to believe that Mr. Leaperat [Leaphart] is the
author of the false deed of gift made by William Dewitt in favor of his wife and
children and pray that you will order him to appear before you and declare the
truth on oath. Natchez, 14 Feb. 1785. Gibson Clark, John Burnet and D. [David]
Smith. //
[also included]
The declaration of Reuben White and Mrs. White, his mother [Jerusha], sayeth
that in the latter part of the year 1781, John White was living in Washington,
North Carolina, and that he went to Kentucky to buy salt, and when said White
set off for salt the deceased wife of Mr. William Dewitt was alive and when the
said John White returned, William Dewitt's wife was dead and Mr. Dewitt had gone
to Burke county near about 100 miles the contrary way to be married to the woman
that he now has got, and to the certain knowledge of Reuben White, John White
never saw Mr. William Dewitt nor his present wife from the time he set off to
Kentucky till after Mr. Dewitt was married to this woman and had returned back
to Washington County, nor does he believe that Mr. Dewitt ever made this present
wife any right to one negro till they came to this country and if he has since he
believes it to be a forgery and from very good circumstances. They are as follows:
James White, deceased, father of Reuben White, and husband to Mrs. White, told
them in his lifetime the Mr. Dewitt wanted him to be a witness to a deed of gift
to his wife and children since they came to Natchez and got into debt and, to
defraud their creditors, and James White, now deceased, said to Mr. Dewitt and
to his brother, John White, that he would do no such thing for every negro Mr.
Dewitt had and persuaded his brother, John White, not to witness it; told him if
he did that he could not answer for it at a future day.
31 Jany. 1785.
Signed in the presence of William Smith, Joel Byrd, Tarusha [sic] White and
Reuben White.
Additional documents and depositions from other White relatives:
[p. 39]
Deposition of Elizabeth Stillee. I do hereby certify that I heard Mr. William Dewitt
say sometime in the year 1783 that he had not as yet given anything to his wife
nor children, notwithstanding his wife had said that part of the property her
husband had was hers. I also heard James White say sometime before his death that
Mr. Dewitt asked him to sign as a witness to a deed gift he had made to his wife
and children of all his property and said James White told Mr. Dewitt that he
would not sign any such writing, that it was wrong, and that he was trying to
cheat his creditors of their just dues. I certify upon oath that this to be the
truth and nothing but the truth.
4 Feb. 1785.
Elizabeth Stillee signs with a mark.
Wit: John Burnet.
Deposition of Elizabeth Raby. I do hereby certify that I was personally present
and heard Mr. William Dewitt say sometime after he came to this country that he
had never given anything to his wife and children.
4 Feb. 1785.
Signed Elizabeth Raby.
Wit: John Burnet.
Deposition of John Lovelace. I, the subscriber, having been called in to before
the commandant of the Post, and taken my oath, confess and declare that in the
month of September last past I was sent for by Mr. William Dewitt and, having
arrived at his house, he begged me to make him a deed of gift of all his negroes
in favor of his wife and children, giving me form how it was to be laid out and
the name of the Justice of the Peace which was John Sumpter, and desiring me to
antedate the said writing the 1st of Jany. 1781, the which I complied with without
any difficulty to oblige him, which I have made known, not thinking it would
prejudice any person unless it was attended by bad consequences, which I sign for
but the truth and nothing but the truth.
Signed John Lovelace.
Wit: William Smith, James Armstrong, Estevan Minor.
[Result: Transfer of the slaves by this deed was proved to be
a forgery with debts settled under the order of the Tribunal, Natchez. 25 Feb 1785.]