Ramsay v. Lee
Supreme Court of the United States
Error to the Circuit Court of the district of Columbia, sitting at Alexandria, in an action of detinue, brought by Lee against Ramsay, for a slave named Frederick.
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Error to the Circuit Court of the district of Columbia, sitting at Alexandria, in an action of detinue, brought by Lee against Ramsay, for a slave named Frederick. The material facts appearing by the bill of exceptions taken by the defendant below, were, that Lee claimed, as trustee for Kennedy, under a deed from Wilson, duly acknowledged and recorded, and dated the 1st of December 1804. The question was whether, at the date of that deed, Wilson had a good title to the slave. Mrs. Gordon being the owner of the slave, in 1784, made a verbal gift of him to the defendant Ramsay, who was then…
1Opinion of the Court
Marshall, Ch. J.,
delivered the opinion of the court to the effect following: — The case is the same as that of Willison v. Spiers, *403] just decided, except that in this case the court below gave the *in--1 struction which the court in Kentucky ought to have given. The opinion of the court was only that a parol gift to the defendant, accompanied by possession, did not bar the plaintiff’s right to recover.
This court gives no opinion as to the title acquired by the possession.
Judgment affirmed.
2Cited by1 opinion
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