Yes, but I also find many situations where slaves were killed without trial for even lesser sins than poisoning the master. There were no consequences for the murder of the slave. May I suggest reading at least the first ten chapters of Frederick Douglass' Autobiography at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Douglass/Autobiography/ .... Anne At 06:13 PM 1/7/03 -0500, you wrote: >I don't think you can call the trials mock trials when you also find trials >instituted by individuals who were enslaved but felt they should be free and >you have prominent white individuals testifying for them; the community for >the most part unless swayed (which it sometimes was/is) by fear or mob fever >tried to be fair. As with any trial or court--you can find (even today) >instances of individuals testifying not to the truth but to what they feel >"someone" wants to hear. I don't think we can make blanket judgments either >for or against the validity of an individual event. > >Barbara Vines Little, CG >PO Box 1273 >Orange, VA 22960 >phone/fax 540-832-3473 (evenings) >[log in to unmask] > >CG is a service mark of the Board for Certification of >Genealogists®, used under license by board-certified associates who meet >genealogical competency standards prescribed for those programs. > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 5:11 PM >Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] slightly OT: Re: Jefferson nephew chops a Black man >to pieces > > > > 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 > >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