Case Name: Allen P. Bowie v. Alexander Hunter, Marshal, D. C.
Court: United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1836-03
Citations: 4 Cranch 699
Docket Number: 
Parties: Allen P. Bowie v. Alexander Hunter, Marshal, D. C.
Judges: (Cranch, C. J., contra:,)
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (District of Columbia - reported by Mackey)
Volume: 4
Pages: 699–700

Head Matter:
Allen P. Bowie v. Alexander Hunter, Marshal, D. C.
To prove that the hill of sale of a slave hy a mother to her son was fraudulent as to her creditors, her declarations, prior to the date of the deed, were permitted to he given in evidence.
Replevin, for a slave named Mahala.
The defendant, the marshal of the District of Columbia, had taken the slave by virtue of a fi fa. against one Elizabeth Beale, the mother of the plaintiff.
The plaintiff claimed the slave under a bill of sale made by her to him, on the 22d of October, 1831, acknowledged and recorded the same day.
Mr. Bradley, for the defendant,
contended that the bill of sale was fraudulent as to Mrs. Beale’s creditors, and offered evidence to prove, that shortly before the execution of the bill of sale, she declared she would convey away all her property, so that the creditor, who had obtained judgment against her, should never recover his debt.
Mr. Brent Sf Son, for the plaintiff,
objected that her declarations could not be given in evidence against her vendee, the plaintiff.

Opinion:
But the Court
(Cranch, C. J., contra:,)
permitted the evidence to be given. The reason stated by Morsell, J., was, that, perhaps, a knowledge of such declarations may, by the evidence, be brought home to the plaintiff.
Mr. Brent moved for a new trial, and cited 5 Binney, 109; 3 Wheeler, 260.
But the Court refused to grant it.