Case Name: McCutchin v. Andrew Jamieson
Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1806-07
Citations: 1 Cranch 348
Docket Number: 
Parties: McCutchin v. Andrew Jamieson.
Judges: 
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (District of Columbia - reported by Mackey)
Volume: 1
Pages: 348–348

Head Matter:
McCutchin v. Andrew Jamieson.
The master of an apprentice is concluded, by the recital in the indentures, as to the age of his apprentice.
Habeas corpus, to Andrew Jamieson to bring the body of Mc-Cutchin, whom he claims as an apprentice. The return showed an indenture between the overseers of the poor and Andrew Jamieson, under their seals, in which they state that the boy is nine years old in July, 1794, (the date of the indenture,) and bind him until he shall be twenty-one years old.
Andrew Jamieson, wished to show, by parol evidence, that the boy was only seven years old when bound, and of course had two more years to serve.

Opinion:
The Court
was of opinion that Andrew Jamieson could not, by parol, contradict his seal, and was at law estopped to deny the age. And in equity he had no claim to the further services of the boy, because' he saw the boy at the time he took him, and agreed to his age, and expected only twelve years' service from him.
The Court discharged the boy.