Bradley, a Black lawyer, sued the B&O Railroad for throwing him off a train car, claiming it was due to his race. The case was quickly decided: Judge Hayward ruled that Bradley had "no cause of action."

The Sun, May 23, 1866: Local Matters

Screenshot: America's Historical Newspapers

The Sun, May 26, 1866: Local Matters

Screenshot: America's Historical Newspapers

Bradley also sued the Baltimore City Passenger Railway (BCPR) in the same year. This time he engaged in multiple suits, first filing with Mary G. Hutt and James H. Davis that the BCPR's policy of forcing Black passengers to wait on an uncovered platform violated the company's charter. When Judge Giles implied that Baltimore residents (which Hutt and Davis may have been) did not have proper claims to sue, Bradley sued separately. Using his Massachusetts citizenship to prove "diversity of citizenship," he asked that the BCPR not pass his residentce because its policies violated his privileges by not letting him ride. Giles would have listened to a case if it was continously brought forward, but Bradley decided to drop the matter.

The Bradley case, unlike several other court cases documented here, was carefully followed in the Baltimore Sun. The article at right is from May 26, when Bradley's second case ended.