James W. Lathrop letter to Thomas Rotch, Canton, July 9, 1822

James W. Lathrop discusses the laws regarding slaves as property in Ohio citing the conduct of Comstock, an unnamed individual, the context of the letter is unclear. The letter is also in bad repair and parts of it are missing. Lathrop does say that according to the laws of Congress, the return of escaped slaves to return to place of origin is legal. The laws of Ohio moreover do not protect this kind of property. But if the owner of a slave should forcibly enter Rotch's premises without consent and find his slave he might be justified even without a warrant if slaves were secreted by Rotch. If he enters with or without a search warrant and finds no slave, he is libable. 7.8" x 9.7" (19.8 by 24.6 cm