Commonwealth v. Chambre
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
A habeas corpus was issued to the jailer of Philadelphia, to bring before Judge Shippen, the bodies of Magdalen and Zare, two negro women, committed as the absconding slaves of Mrs. Chambré.
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A habeas corpus was issued to the jailer of Philadelphia, to bring before Judge Shippen, the bodies of Magdalen and Zare, two negro women, committed as the absconding slaves of Mrs. Chambré. The judge, after hearing the case opened, adjourned it, for argument and decision, to the supreme court, on the 13th of September 1794, when the following facts appeared : Mrs. Chambré was a widow lady, in the island of St. Domingo, and owned the negroes in question as slaves : but on the conflagration at Cape Francois, she fled, bringing them with her to Philadelphia ; where she resided five calendar…
1Opinion of the Court
But The Court (stopping the counsel for Mrs. Chambré) said, that *125they were unanimously of opinion, that the legislature intended calendar months;(a) that the same expression, in other acts of the general assembly, had uniformly received the same construction (Brudenell v. Vaux, 2 Dall. 302); that there was nothing illegal or improper in the conduct of Mrs. Chamhré, on the occasion; and that, therefore, the negroes must be remanded into her service.
Lewis, Ingersoll and Franklin, for the negroes. M. Levy, for Mrs. Chambre.
Months are to be considered calendar, in all contracts or transactions…
2Cases cited5 opinions
- Respublica v. OswaldSupreme Court of the United States · 1788
- Thomas v. ShoemakerSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1843
- Cook v. NicholasSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1841
- Dawson v. M'GillSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1839
- Brudenell v. VauxSupreme Court of the United States · 1794