| Petition Seeking Arrest of Randal, Ivan and Stephen Merritt Free Men of Colour St. Augustine Florida |
| To the Hon the Mayor and corporation of the City of St. Augustine: We the undersigned inhabitants of St. Augustine, being aware that there is often a want of sufficient legal authority to enforce all the precautions necessary to his observed for the Safety of Communities, in a time of public danger; and convinced from recent occurences sufficiently notorious, that the free colored persons known as Randal, Ivan and Stephen Merritt -- heretofore indited by a grand jury of the county for the offence, and fully convicted in the opinion of the community, of having held a tratorous intercourse with the hostile Indians, have with reckless deprevity, again engaged in this daring and criminal with our Savage enemies --- do therefore recommend to your honorable body, that the above named persons be fortwith taken into custody and that they be imprisoned and strictly guarded until they can be sent out of this country a measure which we deem due to justice, and the safety of the city. St. Augustine, 14 September, 1838 (More names than listed below but VERY difficult to read:) Mr. Graham M. Hanson Segui Andrew Anderson John M Fontane WH Withant Antonio Alvarez Ambrose Cooper M. F. Johnson John C Cleland Pedro Benet Edwin F. Sanchez D. R. Dunham Buckingham Smith James Hernandez Pedro Capella John A Cavedo Matthew Solara Roger LEonardy A. W. Andrew Antonio Hernandez Dupont Peck Bartolo Solana Joseph Llambas John Hather A J Noda Philip Weademann Michael Usina John Dick Antonio Ponce Vicenti Pacetty Antonio Bayer Jose Benet Edw Wise Albert Rogers Francis Gue Andrew Papy Philip Solana John Usina Edmond Walters P. B. Dumas Lawrence Andrew Gasper Pappy \George Creer William Davis Joshua Joyner James Hurlbert |