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upon or against the property owned by him in this city, by reason of some technical error or other mismanagement the suit failed of a successful issue though it was prosecuted to judgment.

Subsequently the late Mr. Downing was engaged in the case by him however no specific action was [[strikethrough]] brought [[/strikethrough]] taken in it that I am aware of and the Due Bill and other papers on [[strikethrough]] papers on [[/strikethrough]] private business of my own went into the hands of Mr. Burnett of Jacksonville who on 12th Sept 1840 returned it accompanied by a note containing the following remarks. "As a long time has elapsed and I see no prospect of being able to do any thing with them (the Due Bill and other papers) I have thought proper to return them".

Considering as I did (in view of the discouraging opinion thus given by one fully competent to judge correctly) the case hopeless to the creditor. the papers were marked and put away as valueless, and would most probably have remained undisturbed  and unlooked at but for the circumstance of ^[[your]] mentioning "Bowleg's" assertion of ^[[my]] indebtedness to him. It is but due to myself as well as others to state that in the employment of a lawyer to manage the business for the Indian woman, I selected Mr. Macon because he was a law Officer of the government. (U.S. Dist. Atty. for the Eastern Judicial District of the Territory of Florida) and to whom I had authority to apply for legal advice and assistance in behalf of those whom the United States assumed to protect and whose immediate interest so far at least as regarded their ordinary intercourse with the whites had been measurably committed to my care and there is good reason to think that had he conducted the matter entrusted to his care with even middling zeal and intelligence the debt would have been collected and the rights of the Indian therby secured which from his neglect or incapacity have been sacrificed and it strikes me as a question entitled to much consideration whether the fact of the loss of the debt through the errors of the Attorney[[strikethrough]] s [[/strikethrough]] of the government does not give the creditor that creditor- being held to be in the condition as relates to the United a States as minor (such is practically the doctrine in force in our country in reference to the Indian tribes within its borders) a claim of strong and undeniable equity  upon the government for its payment. Asking that you will take early occasion to explane to "Bowlegs" the true state of the case.

I am Very Respectfully[[?]]
(signed) G. Humphreys

Capt. I. G. Sprague
A. Agent U.S. for  Fla. Indians
Tampa Bay, Fla.

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Eastern Judicial Circuit of Florida
Circuit Court of St. Johns County

Clerks Office

It is hereby certified that by a [[underlined]] certified copy [[/underlined]] of the [[underlined]] Record [[/underlined]] and Proceedings and giving of a judgement of a Plaints which was in the county Court for St. John's County between Buchra woman  Plaintiff and Philip R. Yonge Defendant with a plea of Trespass on the case which Record and all proceedings of the County Court were by a writ of error. issued from the Superior Court of East Florida directed to the Judges of Said County Court ordered to be filed on the first Monday in November 1827 and was accordingly so filed. It appears that on the 27th day of November A.D. 1824 Buchra woman by her attorneys Murray & Macon commenced a Suit in attatchment against Ph. R. Yonge for the sum of ($1965.40) Nineteen hundred and sixty five dollars and Forty cents. By the Said  [[underlined]] Record [[/underlined]] it appears that the case went to a jury who on their oaths gave a verdict for Damages to the amount of Two thousand two hundred dollars and Sixteen Cents and it was considered by the Court on 13th day of Oct. 1827 that the Plaintiff recover of the Defendant the aforesaid sum of Two thousand two hundred [[strikethrough]] dn [[/strikethrough]] and sixteen cents, together with her costs, by her in this behalf expended.

And I further certify that there is no evidence in my office showing that any other steps were taken in the Case after filing the aforesaid Record in the Superior Court as directed by the writ of error of 18 Oct 1827

The Petition Bond &c. relating to the Prosecution [[strikethrough]] was [[/strikethrough]] are in the name of Buchra woman by her agent G. Humphreys

In testimony wherefore I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of the Circuit Court of  St. Johns County at the city of St. Augustine the twenty ninth day of November 1849. 

P.B. Dumas
Clerk of C.C. of St. John's
County.