Case Name: Andrew Bell v. James English
Court: United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1833-10
Citations: 4 Cranch 332
Docket Number: 
Parties: Andrew Bell v. James English.
Judges: 
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: 332–333

Head Matter:
Andrew Bell v. James English.
The Orphans’ Court of Alexandria county, has authority and jurisdiction to "bind out orphan children without indentures.
The return of a writ of habeas corpus, to bring up 'a colored boy, was, that he was bound as apprentice to Mr. English, by the Orphans’ Court of Alexandria county, to learn the business of a house-servant. The evidence of this binding was a copy of the record of the Orphans’ Court, in these words: —
Orphans’ Court, Alexandria county, October term, 1832.
Andrew Bell, a free orphan boy of color, who will be thirteen years old on the 25th of November next, is, by the court bound an apprentice to James English until he is twenty-one years of age, to learn the business of a house-servant; which said business, in open court, the said James English agrees to teach the said apprentice, to furnish good board, clothing, washing,- and lodging, and pay him $20, freedom dues.
Witness, Chr. Neale, Esq., judge of the said Court, this 1st day of October, 1832. Test. A. Moore, Register of Wills.
Mr. Hewitt, for the petitioner,
contended that the Orphans’ Court cannot bind unless to some trade ; and that house servant is no trade; and objected that no indentures were executed.
Mr. Hodgson, contrá.
The Virginia law says, “ art, trade, or business.”
The binding was in open court, and in the form always used in that court.

Opinion:
The CouRT
(nem. con.) refused to discharge the boy, being of opinion that the Orphans' Court had jurisdiction to bind out orphan children ; and that the binding was in the usual form in which that court exercised its jurisdiction.
See Hines v. Hewitt, (post,) October term, 1834.