To the Honorable the Judges of the Circuit Court for the County of Washington

The petition of Dennis Wright, now in the City of Washington, humbly sheweth unto your Honours that your petitioner conceives himself entitled to his freedom under the Act of Assembly of Maryland 1796 · ch. 67 · s. 1. Your petitioner humbly sheweth that he was born in the State of Virginia; the slave of a certain Mrs Sarah Triplett.

That about the year 1800 your petitioner was removed by Mrs Sarah Triplett, his Mistress & owner into the County of Washington District of Columbia, contrary to the said Act of Assembly of 1796 · ch. 67 s. 1. That your petitioner was not brought to the said County & District under any of the provisions or exceptions contained in the said Act or the suppliments thereto, showing the rights of the said Mrs Sarah Triplett would have been to her. That your petitioner was sold about the year 1811 by the said Mrs Sarah Triplett unto a certain Samuel Robinson & was by the said Samuel Robinson removed from the State of Dt. Cola. to the State of Virginia & there remained with occasional absences from the State, until within the last year the said Samuel Robinson died. That if your petitioner had not claim under the Maryland Act referred to, he thinks it likely he should have claim under his removal from the Dt. Cola. to Virga. and he therefore does not hereby wave or abandon any such claim but under this petition prays to have all his pritinsions heard.

Since the death of the said Samuel Robinson your petitioner has been held & hired a part of the time by Mrs Eliza Robinson the widow of the said Samuel Robinson & a part of the time by a certain Richard Taylor who your petitioner is informed claims your petitioner under some mortgage from the late Samuel Robinson to him the said Richard Taylor.