Weaver v. Smart
Weaver v. Smart
Opinion of the Court
To the Judges of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Michigan or to either of said judges in vacation—
Your Orator Joseph Weaver, humbly complaining sheweth unto your Honors, That about the Sixteenth day of November Eighteen hundred and four, at Detroit, then in the County of Wayne, & Indiana Territory Your orator purchased a Barrel of whisky, containing thirty Eight and half Gallons of a certain Robert Smart, for the price of one dollar per Gallon as your orator then understood the Bargain. That afterwards in the month of March or April Eighteen hundred and five your orator paid the said Smart Thirty dollars on account of and in part payment of said Barrel of whisky, leaving a Balance still due the said Smart, upon said whisky of Eight dollars and fifty cents—which Balance being due the said Smart as above, your orator afterwards, Towit in the fore part of the same April, called on him at Detroit aforesd for the purpose of paying and settling, when the said Smart did refuse to accept and receive the same from your orator, declaring that the price and value of said whisky was one dollar and Twenty five cents per Gallon, and that your orator had engaged to pay him therefore said price of
Yet not withstanding the premisses, the said Smart, combining and confederating with persons at present unknown to your orator, But who when discovered he prays may be made defendants to this his bill of complaint hath since the rendition of said Judgment, and since the departure of Elijah Brush his said Attorney in said action, who has been for some time past and still is absent from this Country, with a manifest intention, wrongfully to oppress and injure, Your orator by all the rigors of imprisonment, hath sued out against your orator upon said Judgment his certain Writ of Execution, commonly called a'Capias ad Satisfaciendum for the full amount of said Judgment and costs—By virtue of which writ so sued out by said Smart, upon said Judgment your orator has been arrested by the Marshal of the said Territory and imprisoned and still is wrongfully detained thereon, until he shall make payment of said Judgment & costs the said Smart having wrongfully refused and still wholly refusing to indorse upon said Writ of Execution the whole or any part of the money by your orator paid the said Brush Attorney on account of said Judgment, or the said sum of Twenty Two dollars and seventy five cents received by said Smart from your Orator as aforesaid, But insist upon said Judgment being carried into full execution with all the rigors of the Law—
In Tender Consideration whereof, and for as much as your orator is remydiless in the premisses by the strict rules of the Common law, and can only attain redress in a Court of Equity, where all frauds and latent conceal-ments are brought to light and justice most amply administered. He prays the equitable interposition of your honors, and that said Smart may be in-joined from further proceedings under said Judgment and execution, That he may be compelled by Subpoena &c to answer this your Orators bill of complaint, and that such order may be had thereon, as may be agreeable to equity and good conscience—And your orator will as in duty bound ever pray &c—
Joseph Weaver the within complainant personally appeared before the under signed one of the Judges of sd territory, and made oath, that, to the best of his knowledge and belief the foregoing Bill contains, nothing but the Truth.—
I send herewith an Injunction, prefaced by a Summons which the clerk of the Destrict will seal & issue, on the said Jos. Weaver’s giving surety for the effectual prosecution of his complaint Detroit 3d July 1806.
F. Bates
[In the handwriting of Solomon Sibley]
[In the handwriting of Frederick Bates]
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.