Today in 1855, an enslaved 19 year old Black girl and mother named Celia was executed for murder after being found guilty by a jury of 12 white men. Melton McLaurin’s book Celia: A Slave is the story of her rape by her master and her trial for his murder. (Via Marian’s Blog)

The State of Missouri vs. Celia: A Slave officially began on June 25, 1855. Celia was charged with murdering her master and the father of her children; furthermore, she disposed of his body in her fireplace. In 1850, Robert Newsom, a widower, of Calloway County, Missouri, purchased Celia for the purpose of being his concubine. Newsom was 60 and Celia was 14. Five years and two children later, Celia wanted to end the relationship; of course, Newsom would not allow it. Therefore, Celia took matters into her own hands and struck Newsom over the head until he was dead. Despite the fact that she was pregnant again and ill, she dragged and shoved Newsom’s body into the fireplace in her cottage and destroyed the evidence of her crime. However, another slave with whom Celia was involved led the investigators to Celia’s door. Intense and lengthy interrogation followed, and Celia confessed to murdering Newsom. She was tried and sentenced to death by hanging. After exhausting the appeals process, she was executed in Calloway County, Missouri, at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, December 21, 1855. Celia was 19 years old. There are no records of where she was buried or what became of her children or other members of the Newsom family.

I just finished reading “I, Tituba” by Maryse Conde. Tituba was among the many women of Salem who were accused of witchcraft in 1692. The difference is that Tituba was a Black woman, a slave from the Caribbean who was like millions of other slave women, is lost to memory. Rescued by Maryse Conde from “historical silence”, Tituba comes back to life as the slave girl/woman who will not compromise. Though she spends much of her life chained and shackled, Tibuba remains persistent throughout in her refusal to be bound by the chains of mental slavery, racism and puritan ideals of sexuality.

Links:
A Citizen’s Reflections on Race, Violence and Power by Cynthia Boaz
Remembering Celia, 19 & enslaved: hanged Friday 21st, 1855

Tags:
Slavery
USA
Afrodescendant