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Wind N. Friday Dec: 24th 1858 Therm: 8 ˝ O.C.P.M. 36°
Paid Cypress [slave] $10 on ditching. Gave Davy $2.50/100 Christmas present Gave Booker a pass to go see his wife living at Mr John W Faulconer’s Essex County & $10. Booker has cut as he told me 6 cords of wood = $3 there [sic-they’re or there are] $1 due him as a Christmas present leaves a balance of $6 to be made up by him in cutting wood or some other way. [snip, includes an issue with an overseer at Bermuda Hundred farm, bring back the head carpenter, Dick, Christmas gifts, etc.-All the gifts are listed in another post with 1858-59 entries.]
Wind N.E. Snow Monday January 3rd 1859 Therm: 6 O.C. P.M. 36°
[snip about snow, moving around of slaves, work]
Received a letter from Tappahannock Essex Cty [County] written by a Mr Ephraim Beazley thus,
Tappahannock Dec: 30th 1858
Dr Richard Epps [Eppes]
Dr Sir
This morning Mr John W Faulconer and myself arrested a negro man Jim without a pass with him who was formerly owned by Mr Faulconer and sold by him. Jim says he belongs to you. This negro has been lodge in the jail of Essex County at this place where he can [be] obtained. The fees for arresting is $10,000 & $1 mileage and the jail fees
Yours.
Ephraim Beazley
The fees above will be
For apprehending $10.00
Mileage 10 miles $1.00
Jail fees, committal .25
Releasing .25
Board per day 50˘
The above is a copy of Mr Beazley's letter which is made for fear I may loose [lose] the original. Penalty of allowing him to remain 4 months in jail sale of the negro. Jim Booker is one of my best men and I gave him a pass to visit his wife living at Mr Faulconer's in Essex Cty leaving here day before Christmas & was to return on January 2sd 1859, presume he must have lost his pass. Shall leave in Str: Roanoke [Steamer] for Richmond tonight at 10 O.C. on my way to Tappahannock. It will be necessary for me to make affidavit before a magistrate & get an order from him on the jailer to deliver me the negro before I can get him or the court if sitting can do it
Received of Dr V W Harrison $20 this evening
I take $80 with me to Tappahannock to meet expenses.
Jan. 4th 1859-Dr. Eppes only gets to Richmond and must wait.
Wind W Wednesday Jan: 5th 1859
Spent the day in Richmond, called at Mr Dickenson & Hill where I bought Booker & stated the circumstances of his arrest to Mr Hill who took charge of the letter from Mr Ephraim Beazley & told me he would write to the Shff of Essex Cty & thought he could have Booker brought to Richmond without my going down to Essex, thanked him very much & concluded toget him to attend to the matter for me & return home next morning. Great numbers of negroes in market, but few of first class. [snip-unrelated info to Booker's apprehension]
Jan. 10th 1859-It's confirmed that Booker will arrive in Richmond on the following Wednesday and Eppes will go retrieve him.
Wind S.W. Wednesday January 12th 1859 Therm: 7 1/2 O.C.P.M. 54°
[snip about filling ice house and fence building]
Left in Steamer Curtis Peck for Richmond and arrived after 5 O.C.P.M. putting up at the Exchange, after tea walked down to Dickenson & Hill and learnt of the arrival of Jim Booker my negro man who has been confined illegally in Essex jail by his former owner J.W. Faulconer who had him taken up with a pass upon him which he tore up in the presence of witnesses (white) & then took Booker up as a runaway. On the arrival of Booker he was put in jail & Mr Hill sent after him I remaining at his Auction store until Booker's arrival, found Booker looking badly with a sprained ankle (right foot) producing by jumping from a window when Falconer [Faulconer] attempted to arrest him at night. ankle not much swollen had brown paper & vinegar applied to it. [snip]
Jan. 13th 1859- All in all Eppes wrote that he spent $20 on the imprisonment of Jim Booker.
And so ends the plight of Booker and Dr. Eppes goes back into his accounting of daily work on the estate. Hope this gives you some insight to jailing of a negro by the county officials.
Paid Cypress [slave] $10 on ditching. Gave Davy $2.50/100 Christmas present Gave Booker a pass to go see his wife living at Mr John W Faulconer’s Essex County & $10. Booker has cut as he told me 6 cords of wood = $3 there [sic-they’re or there are] $1 due him as a Christmas present leaves a balance of $6 to be made up by him in cutting wood or some other way. [snip, includes an issue with an overseer at Bermuda Hundred farm, bring back the head carpenter, Dick, Christmas gifts, etc.-All the gifts are listed in another post with 1858-59 entries.]
Wind N.E. Snow Monday January 3rd 1859 Therm: 6 O.C. P.M. 36°
[snip about snow, moving around of slaves, work]
Received a letter from Tappahannock Essex Cty [County] written by a Mr Ephraim Beazley thus,
Tappahannock Dec: 30th 1858
Dr Richard Epps [Eppes]
Dr Sir
This morning Mr John W Faulconer and myself arrested a negro man Jim without a pass with him who was formerly owned by Mr Faulconer and sold by him. Jim says he belongs to you. This negro has been lodge in the jail of Essex County at this place where he can [be] obtained. The fees for arresting is $10,000 & $1 mileage and the jail fees
Yours.
Ephraim Beazley
The fees above will be
For apprehending $10.00
Mileage 10 miles $1.00
Jail fees, committal .25
Releasing .25
Board per day 50˘
The above is a copy of Mr Beazley's letter which is made for fear I may loose [lose] the original. Penalty of allowing him to remain 4 months in jail sale of the negro. Jim Booker is one of my best men and I gave him a pass to visit his wife living at Mr Faulconer's in Essex Cty leaving here day before Christmas & was to return on January 2sd 1859, presume he must have lost his pass. Shall leave in Str: Roanoke [Steamer] for Richmond tonight at 10 O.C. on my way to Tappahannock. It will be necessary for me to make affidavit before a magistrate & get an order from him on the jailer to deliver me the negro before I can get him or the court if sitting can do it
Received of Dr V W Harrison $20 this evening
I take $80 with me to Tappahannock to meet expenses.
Jan. 4th 1859-Dr. Eppes only gets to Richmond and must wait.
Wind W Wednesday Jan: 5th 1859
Spent the day in Richmond, called at Mr Dickenson & Hill where I bought Booker & stated the circumstances of his arrest to Mr Hill who took charge of the letter from Mr Ephraim Beazley & told me he would write to the Shff of Essex Cty & thought he could have Booker brought to Richmond without my going down to Essex, thanked him very much & concluded toget him to attend to the matter for me & return home next morning. Great numbers of negroes in market, but few of first class. [snip-unrelated info to Booker's apprehension]
Jan. 10th 1859-It's confirmed that Booker will arrive in Richmond on the following Wednesday and Eppes will go retrieve him.
Wind S.W. Wednesday January 12th 1859 Therm: 7 1/2 O.C.P.M. 54°
[snip about filling ice house and fence building]
Left in Steamer Curtis Peck for Richmond and arrived after 5 O.C.P.M. putting up at the Exchange, after tea walked down to Dickenson & Hill and learnt of the arrival of Jim Booker my negro man who has been confined illegally in Essex jail by his former owner J.W. Faulconer who had him taken up with a pass upon him which he tore up in the presence of witnesses (white) & then took Booker up as a runaway. On the arrival of Booker he was put in jail & Mr Hill sent after him I remaining at his Auction store until Booker's arrival, found Booker looking badly with a sprained ankle (right foot) producing by jumping from a window when Falconer [Faulconer] attempted to arrest him at night. ankle not much swollen had brown paper & vinegar applied to it. [snip]
Jan. 13th 1859- All in all Eppes wrote that he spent $20 on the imprisonment of Jim Booker.
And so ends the plight of Booker and Dr. Eppes goes back into his accounting of daily work on the estate. Hope this gives you some insight to jailing of a negro by the county officials.
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