slaves in fact could testify against other slaves. paul finkelman Anne Pemberton wrote: > I have a problem seeing these as "trials" in the typical meaning of the > term. The slave would not be able to call other slaves to witness for the > defendant since they could not honestly pledge to tell the "whole truth and > nothing but the truth" if it was not in the master's interest for the > witnesses to do so. Were there attorneys available to mount a defense for > a slave? Or was it a mock trial? Was justice served, or just the master's will? > > Anne > > At 09:57 AM 1/7/03 -0500, you wrote: > >I'm not sure what incident you are referring to in regard to Cicley > >Reynolds, but slaves did have the right to trial and there many examples in > >the various county order books. Orange County, for example, documents a case > >where a slave was tried (and convicted) of poisoning her master. > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history > >[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Reyesuela > >Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 7:40 PM > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: [VA-HIST] slightly OT: Re: Jefferson nephew chops a Black man > >to pieces > > > > > ><shudders> It's amazing what horrible things you can find in a past that > >many (including myself) would like to idealize. I myself was researching > >Cicley Reynolds (her first name is spelled several different ways on verious > >documents), an ancestress and early settler int he Jamestown area, and aside > >from learning about her four husbands and the first breach of promise suit > >in America, I discovered that she killed a family slave girl for poisoning > >and killing the last of her husbands. Whether or not the accusation was > >true will never be known, because as a slave, the girl never got a trial. > >Nor will it be know what desperation, madness, or hatred could have > >motivated such an act. > >The more I read about the social history of slavery, indentured servitude, > >and/or serfdom in any culture--be it Roman, American, Australian, or > >Russian--the more convinced I am that bound servitude is an instution that > >fosters the very worst and most brutal in men, the served and serving both. > > > > > > > >--------------------------------- > >Do you Yahoo!? > > > >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > >at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > >Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now > > > >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > >at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > Anne Pemberton > [log in to unmask] > > http://www.erols.com/stevepem > http://www.educationalsynthesis.org > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html -- Paul Finkelman Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law University of Tulsa College of Law 3120 East 4th Place Tulsa, OK 74104-3189 phone 918-631-3706 Fax 918-631-2194 e-mail: [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html