Re: Sterling Cato and Abigail Brewer

Henry,
I am a descendant of John McGrew, Sr. and his son John McGrew,Jr.They were neighbors to the Brewers and Catos in old Washington Co. MS Terr./AL.
You mention a case that I think may involve another son of John McGrew...John Flood McGrew and Sterling Cato.I looked at microfilm this last week and found this in the Superior Court records...very difficult to read and interpret.However, I was once told by a McGrew researcher that the case involved John Flood McGrew's killing a slave that belonged to Cato...the issue being whether the slave was property and should be treated as value for lost property or whether it should be considered murder.If this is the case, it appears that the Superior Court considered the act as loss of property...sad commentary on the era.
Unfortunately, the cases are seldom titled as to the charges being brought.This one has something that looks like "TvA"...could be trespass and assault.I was told that Flood, as he was called, went onto Cato's property, but I have no proff of that.Also, I was told that the case ended up in the Supreme Court of AL,a landmark case of sorts, but I have not been able to get to those records.At any rate, this is what I found thus far, and I would appreciate your sharing anything you might have discovered.
Thanks,
Sue M.
SUPERIOR COURT , WASHINGTON COUNTY, AL TERR. BOOK C
(undated but after May 1818)
Sterling Cato VS John F. MCGrew & Lewis Caller
Continued.An affadavit by defendant.

BOOK D
page 48, 1818
Sterling Cato VS John F. McGrew and Lewis Caller
(Geo. Buchanan was to be paid for his appearanceof 5 days in court and 120 miles of travel.)

page 54
Sterling Cato VS John F. McGrew and Lewis Caller
On motion of John ------, attorney for the plaintiff, ordered that Phillip Cato, Lewis Cato and Joseph Johnston, executors of Sterling Cato, dec'd. be made party to thy suit.

pages 56-57
Sterling Cato Executors VS John F. McGrew and Lewis Caller
(Although the page is water-damaged and it is difficult to read every word, the verdict handed down by a jury is "the said John F. McGrew is guilty as charged in the plaintiff's declaration."The jury awarded the Catos five hundred dollars damages, plus costs of court.Lewis Caller was found not guilty.)

page 90
Sterling Cato VS Jno F. McGrew
Josiah D. Lister proves his attendance of 12 days in this case.