December 14th 1852

Elizabeth Townsend, Sarah Townsend       }
and Margaret Townsend, Infants           }   Sanderson
within the age of Twenty one years       }
who sue by their next Friend William     }
Townsend, Guardian of said Infants       }   Debt
Plaintiffs                               }
                versus                   }
        Joseph G. Bell  Defendant        }   James M. Baker

And now on this Thirteenth of December in the year
of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and fifty
two come the said Plaintiffs by their Attorney John P.
Sanderson and the said Defendant came by his attorney
James M. Baker and on the calling of the above cause
on the trial Docket at this Term of this Court, there appearing
to be no plea demurrer or motion filed therein It is on motion
of the said plaintiffs attorney, considered that the said plain
tiffs do have judgement by Nil, Dicit and forasmuch as
this Court is ***advised as to the amount of damages
sustained by the said plaintiffs, by reason of the removal
of the Negros in said plaintiff declaration mentioned
and discribed and also to whom the said negro Tom
does of right belong, and of the truth of said matters
alleged as set forth in said declaration, it is on
motion of said plaintiffs attorney ordered that
a writ of Enquiry be awarded to enquire of the said
damages and also to whom the said Negro Tom does
belong and thereupon to wit: on the Fourteenth day
of December in the year of our Lord one Thousand
eight hundred and fifty two came a Jury to wit
James Fennel, James Pendarvis, William Clark
Samuel Thomas, William Mott, John R. Cason
Abraham Daniels, Ezekiel Parrish, Thomas Tillis, George
D. Miller, William Brooks and Jonathan Turner who
being duly elected tried and sworn to determine of the
truth of the said matters alleged in said plaintiffs decla-
   and of the damages sustained by said plaintiffs, 
ration^after hearing the evidence, retired to deliberate upon
their verdict, and thereupon and on the same day
the same Jury returned into Court and rendered
the following verdict to wit, We the Jury find the
Negro Man Tom to be the property of the plaintiffs and
we assess the plaintiffs damages at Eighteen Hundred
dollars, George D. Miller foreman