All very true, but Grant did repay his creditors and had sold other
possessions to do so, if he
saw Jones as simply another possession, why draw the line there. Besides,
debtors prisons were
very real in those days, so people didn't pull the stunts they do today,
trashing houses and such.
In a message dated 4/28/2008 2:44:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
Clansgian AT wmconnect.com writes:
Grant was in debt and destitute with all his property being attached by
creditors. Had he sold Jones, he would not have seen a bit of the proceeds
himself. Had he done nothing, the creditors would have taken possession of
him
anyway. The writ of manumission was a way of thwarting his creditors, much
as
people trash a house before they are foreclosed upon.
None the less, one cannot issue a Writ of Manumission unless one is the
owner
of the slave. Hence, Grant was a slave owner.