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The Trial of Celia, a Slave · Minor Mischief Podcast

• Kiki George: What happens when enough is enough? This is the Minor Mischief Podcast and this is the trial of Celia, a slave. Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Minor Mischief Podcast. Sorry, I have no catchy tune for you today. Mama is tied, okay? I am your host and homegirl for the time being, Mrs. Kiana Amir, and I am overjoyed that you have chosen to spend this time with me. I sure do hope that everyone enjoyed their Valentine's weekend. You almost, I'm not even gonna hold you, you almost did not get an episode this week. Like this week. Me even being here recording right now is truly a miracle from the Lord because I just my schedule is so intense right now and I'm just looking for an end date in site and I don't see one. And my schedule is even a little bit more intense this week because typically I record on Tuesday nights or Wednesdays. and then I try to get it edited and pushed out for Thursday. But this week I am like out late every single day. I have to work late on my recording day. My daughter and I are going to the Covered by God meeting in South Carolina tonight. And I have to drive up to Raleigh for a wedding in the morning. So I am like, I'm cooked. Like, but that's okay. I'm holding myself accountable. And my big cuz told me I couldn't do any more mini sols, but Little does she know. I have one tucked in my email for a rainy day. And my husband texted me one this morning. So many sods may be in your future. But until then, I I'm just clearly a mom that works two ho two jobs, that loves her kids, that never stops. Cause what is life right now? I'm you guys, I am so tired. Like when I tell you I could literally And it's not for the lack of having a little bit of downtime, but even my downtime does not feel like downtime lately. Anyway, we are not here to go over my life story. So let's get into today's story, shall we? Today we are introduced to our mischief maker Celia, who has no documented last name because she was likely born and raised into slavery, and her master Robert Newsom, who is our victim. Hmm. For today's story, let's hesitantly head back to the 1800s in Callaway County, Missouri, long before Nellie put Missouri on the map and long before it was safe for him to be there. In the 1800s, Callaway County, Missouri was a rapidly growing agricultural area. Most of the residents of Callaway County owned land and they were growing corn, hemp, tobacco, wheat, all the goodies that the rest of the country needed. Livestock was common and in abundance, and farms ranged from small family farms to larger farms, which were really plantations. Most of the labor at this time, of course, was from slaves and the slave trade. And eighteen hundreds Missouri was also known for the bleeding Kansas conflict, which was a period of time of violent conflict and tension in the area as they tried to decide whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free state or as a slave state. Because Kansas borders Missouri, Missouri fought for Kansas to enter as a slave state because they could not have all of their slaves crossing the border into Kansas seeking freedom now, could they? But spoiler alert, This back and forth went on for a while, very violent, very bloody, very bleeding Kansas. But at the end in 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. Present-day Callaway County, Missouri is still very much an agricultural town because it has rich soil and hosts around 44,000 residents. It's known for its downtown brick district, which hosts dozens of locally owned shops and restaurants. I think they said there's over a hundred shops and restaurants in, you know, the downtown area in the Brick district. Callaway County is also known for its world renowned museums. And you know, it always interests me. And this is I'm this is just me talking. This is a no way to shade Callaway County, because I just truly don't know. Maybe they are known for their world renowned museums. But when I see things like world renowned and world famous, I'm just like, by who? Because I personally have never heard of a museum in Callaway County, Missouri. However, I am one person in a very big bucket. So maybe they are. Let me know. I could just be misinformed. I just can't name a single one. So like you guys know it's no strange, you know, news. I've said this a million times before. I live in North Carolina. And we have this one barbecue spot close to my house. And On the outside, it says world famous barbecue. And I'm just like to who I have never eaten at that place. And in all fairness, I don't like the vinegar-based barbecue sauce that North Carolina is famous for. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just don't. I just don't. I don't like it. It's just too tangy. I like more of like a hickory, like a brown sugar honey. Like I am more I like more of like a sweet and sticky barbecue sauce, the vinegar-based barbecue sauce. I know people love it, especially up in Lexington area. I am just, I am just not a fan. I'm so sorry, but that's my rant on being world famous or world renowned. Now, before we get into the story, I do want you to note that Celia, much like our friend William Hickman from the Marion Parker murder, was not a true minor as she was 19 years old when this story happened. but close enough, right? I mean, she's only nineteen. I know when I was nineteen, I thought I was an adult. I thought I knew better. I thought I was like, boom, I got my freedom. I could buy lotto tickets now, baby. I was still a child. I was still a child. And I really, really wish that my mother had fought harder to keep me in a child's place. Sincerely. So Robert Newsom, he was born in Virginia, but his actual birth year is unknown. He was married and had at least two daughters named Mary and Virginia, and he had two sons, at least two sons, Harry and David. around 1820, Robert packed up his family and he was just like, you know what, guys, let's move out west. Virginia's great. There's just a lot going on here. you know, a lot of people fighting, a lot of civil unrest. Let's move out to the west, shall we? And Moved out to the west they did. They moved to Missouri where Robert established himself as one of Missouri's elite. He was a prosperous man who owned about 800 acres of land, a successful farm which held tons of livestock, including horses, milk cows, beef cattles, hogs, sheep, oxen, and you guessed it, slaves. In eighteen forty nine, Robert's wife suddenly passed away, leaving him to care for the children on his own. Now, I don't know if she passed from natural causes or if it was from like a disease or anything like that. But she passes away shortly before we meet our girl, Celia. So Robert's wife passes and he's just like, you know what? I need another female around. So he rode over to Audrain County, Missouri, where he purchased Celia, who at the time of purchase was 14 years old. And Celia was the first female slave that Robert ever owned. Celia was said to be a gift for his daughter Virginia as she could use someone to basically do her chores and cook and clean up after her. Or she could serve as a companion for his younger daughter, Mary, as Celia and Mary were the same age. Celia was born around 1836, but her place of birth, again, is unknown. Her parents are unknown. And when she was taken back to Robert's plantation, she was provided with her own living quarters, a spacious quote unquote. Cabin house close to the main house and away from the other slaves. Fairly quickly after purchasing Celia, as fairly quickly as on the drive home, Robert became infatuated with her and he took her to himself time and time again. If you are catching my drift, Robert would find himself in Celia's cabin on a regular basis, much to Celia's dismay. Robert raped Celia regularly and very often, which led her to believe. That her purchase had nothing to do with the girls at all, and that she was purchased to fulfill Robert's sexual needs. One source said that in the mornings Robert's kids would, you know, wake up and be like, All right, let's, you know, where's breakfast? Let's go check on dad. And dad would not be in his room because he was out in the cabin with Celia. By 1851, which was only one year after Celia's purchase, Celia found herself with her first child. A child that was presumably Robert's. Frustrated with life and constant abuse, Celia found herself wrapped in the arms of another slave, a man named George, and they fell madly in love. The time span of their relationship is not well known, but for the purpose of today's storytelling, we'll say they started dating around 1852 after Celia delivered her firstborn. And at some point between 1851 and 1855, Celia got pregnant again. But they were unsure if the child was fathered by Robert or fathered by George. To which I say, you probably could have looked at the baby. Just say, whose white baby is this? They probably could have stared in that baby's face and said, that is for sure Robert's baby. Mm-hmm. Yep. Just light and bright. But I digress. In 1855, Celia became pregnant again. By this time, George was over it. He was in love with this woman and he was fairly certain that she loved him just as much. But he was tired of not knowing if her children were his and seeing Robert walk into her cabin at night and walk out of her cabin in the morning. He wanted a real relationship. He was over it. He was tired of playing house. He was tired of having to share her. He wanted her to be his one and only. So I'm assum I'm assuming, right? That George and Celia are cuddled up or they are rendezvousing or just Out by the lake or whatever, and he looks over to her and is just like, Baby, I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of sharing your love. I'm tired of being boyfriend number two. Cause at first one, he don't really, really know what to do. And he reportedly tells Celia that if you don't end things with the old man, I'm done. Like this relationship is over. You don't have to worry about me. And you can continue your time over at the circus in the big house, because I'm done. Mind you, at this time, Robert was calling Celia his concubine. Yep, you heard me. Mind you, Celia is a teenager, and Robert is well into his sixties at the time of this story. I'm side eyeing George too, because what was she supposed to do? It's not like she wanted this sweaty old white man. And I don't see you out there defending her honor, George. You are on the plantation doing what Robert and his kids told you to do as well with your punk ass. Men since biblical days have never ceased to amaze me. I was having a conversation with one of my friends a couple weeks ago, and I was telling her that I get real confused when women ask for their boaz and they're praying and God send me my boaz. Because I'm just like, Boaz did not do anything above and beyond what he should have done. He did nothing special in my opinion. He let Ruth glean from his fields uninterrupted and told people not to bother her. And he asked her c his cousin for her hand in marriage because back in those days she had to marry the first, and Boaz was not the first of his cousins. And so she was actually due to marry somebody else, and all Boaz did was, hey, cut let's talk turkey. You see that girl Ruth over there? I'm very interested in her. You interested in her? And her the cousin was probably like, actually, I got my eyes on that other woman over there. And Ruth's a Moabite anyway. You know we don't mess with Moabites. And anyway, I'm getting off track. But men, since biblical days, have never ceased to amaze me. That's it. That's all. And we are sitting here thousands of years later praying for Boaz, and he literally did the bare minimum. I cannot think of a single dude in the Bible. I would want is my husband, not even Adam, because when God pressed him, he was like, This woman, yuck. I could go on a rant about this for the rest of the day if you will let me, but men never cease to amaze me at all. Anyway, Celia, fresh off of an ultimatum with George, the love of her life, heads back to her cabin, which was no bigger than a present-day closet, and she's greeted by Robert. And Robert's just like, listen here. On tonight. I'm coming back to your cabin and we're gonna make this bed shake. And Celia is just like, Robert, please don't start. Like, my man is upset with me. I'm not in the mood. She tells Robert, listen, I have truly had enough of you crawling in and out of my cabin. I have children. They sleep here. They can hear you. They can see you coming in and out. And I can't do this anymore. And Robert's like, yeah, that's my kids. I do what I want. Mind you, Celia is pregnant again. During this exchange, like baby was a Hebrew woman, she was fertile and she is now on child number three within five of four year span. And so realizing that pleading with him is not working, she tries to get some sympathy out of Robert and tells him, like, Listen, this pregnancy is really tiresome to me. I've been struggling with sickness, I've taken sickness. And Robert did not care about none of that. And he tells Celia once again that he will see her later. And so in a final attempt to get Robert to kind of back off, Celia says, listen, Robert, if you come in this cabin tonight, I'm going to attack you. I'm going to hurt you. I'm not, I can't do this anymore. And Robert clearly took Miss Celia as a joke because he pretty much blew her a kiss, tapped her on the butt, and said, Have that thing tooted in the air when I come back tonight. Of course I'm paraphrasing here, but this is how the story went in my head. So Celia, she goes into the main house and she's pleading with Robert's daughters, like, please guys, get him to stop. I'm just tired of the abuse. I'm tired of, you know, being used. I'm tired of him taking my body from me. I just, I just need some space. And it's not clear whether Virginia or Mary said anything to their dad, but I'm of the opinion that they either did not care or they didn't really have the power to speak to their father and say, stop. Raping this girl. I would hate to think that they would ignore the cries of a young woman being raped, but again, this is Slave Era Missouri, so we'll go with that. So now it's about 10 PM on July 23rd, 1885, and Celia is dreading Robert's return. She lights a small fire in her fireplace and she is essentially staring at the door like, he's gonna walk in here any minute. He's gonna walk in here any minute. My two babies are sleeping and he's gonna come in here and he's gonna do what he does. And so she sees Robert's silhouette walking along and she turns the fire up some more. And so Robert walks in and he is like, Celia, baby, it's the moment you've been waiting for. And Celia like runs over into a corner of the cabin and she's like, Robert, please, please just leave me be. Unbeknownst to Robert, Celia had placed a large stick in the corner of her cabin earlier that day. And she was really trying not to use it. Like she Gave him his warning, she fired his warning shot, he was not listening, and she's like, please, for the love of all things, do not make me use this stick. Now the stick that she had was about the size of a table chair leg. So Robert walks towards Celia and she raises the stick to show him she means business. And Robert is like, girl, you you you may be a trip, but I know you're not crazy. And he keeps walking toward her. And so Robert steps in front of Celia and she whacks him over the head. He falls back and he sinks down on a stool close to the floor and then he's like dazed, he's disoriented. You know, I mean, I can't speak for, you know, everyone having being hit on the head really hard, but have you ever been hit on the head really hard? Like and and you see colors and you are just like the room is spinning and nothing makes sense? That's what Robert was going through. And so he's dazed and disoriented and he looks up at Celia and she whacks him on the head again, killing him. Celia at this point is staring at Robert and she's just like, Is he dead? Now the articles I read did not expressly state that she poked him with the stick, but in my in my imagination, I'll if you're just like, Is he dead? You gonna poke him with that stick? And so she realizes like, my gosh, he is dead, like, my gosh, he's dead. my gosh, I killed him. my gosh, he's dead. my gosh, what am I gonna do? And so an hour later, she decides to throw his lifeless body into the fire. And once his body was burned down, Celia took his bones and placed them under the floorboards and gathered his ashes to throw in the trash the next day. And then after that, Celia had her some rest. She went to bed. Early the next morning, Robert's kids wake up and they're just like, Okay, dad's not in his room. He probably out about Celia's cabin. So they go out there, they're like, Hey Celia, have you seen Dad? She's nope, haven't seen a word of him. And they're walking around and they're just like, Okay, he is not in any of his usual places. He didn't say he was going to town. Okay, this is strange. So Celia Robert's grandson, whose name is Coffee Wayne Scott, actually love that name. That was the name of the first and last dog that I purchased in my adulthood. That dog was a crackhead though, who ate everything he wasn't supposed to, but I do love the name Coffee. So Coffee now heads out to Celia's and he's just like, hey Celia, I know you were asked this already, but have you have you seen my granddad? And she's like, no, but hey, listen, I will give you two dozen walnuts if you help me clean up these ashes and my fireplace and help me dispose of them. Would that be okay with you? And so coffee's like, hell yeah, I want two dozen walnuts. And so he shuffles the ashes out of Celia's fireplace along with the ashes that Celia had already begun to collect and he spread them throughout the property leading down to the stables where the horses stayed. So by this time, Virginia and the neighbors, they had formed a search party and they were looking all over for Robert. And the fear at the time was that this guy has walked out and he drowned in this freaking lake. I know it. But after hours and hours of searching, the search party's just like, okay. we would have found him by now, like which my thing is okay, yes you guys searched for a couple hours and you didn't find him, but eight hundred acres, you could not have searched eight hundred acres. There's no way, in my opinion. But I don't know nothing about Acreage because I was raised in New York. So so the search party at this point, they're just like, you know, Celia stay hanging out with this boy over here, George. And now Robert's missing. He had to have had something to do with it. He had to have killed him out of jealousy. So while this was all going on, Celia apparently confided in two other slaves and told them about what she had done. And she was just like, You guys, I killed him. I'm scared I'm gonna be found out, like I'm freaking out. And they're just like, Girl, I mean, you know, just lay low. I guess you better lay low. So one of the neighbors, Mr. William Powell, was called and he came to the plantation to investigate. And my boy George was the first person he questioned. Were there police back then? How are crimes investigated in the eighteen hundreds solved? Like how did they let's see, hold on. Okay, so the police department was started in the eighteen thirties. So this still fairly new, I guess, at the time of this story. So William is questioning George, and George adamantly is denying any involvement in the disappearance of Mr. Newsom. But he tells William that the last time he saw Robert, he was walking toward Celia's cabin. Snitch Snitch. He is worse than Adam. He is worse than when Abraham and the Bible told the king that Sarah was his sister because she was beautiful and he was afraid that they were gonna mollywop him for her. Men really have been a piece of work since inception, I swear. Any rate, with the information that George provided, law enforcement set off to Celia's cabin and they begin searching. Since they found no trace of Robert there, they went to find Celia who was completing her chores in the kitchen at the time. So Celia was outright asked if she knew anything about Robert's disappearance, and with a calm demeanor, she said, Nope, haven't seen a thing of him. William told her that he had spoken to George, and George informed him that she was the last person to be seen with Robert. Once again, she denied any involvement with a straight face. So finally, they up the ante and they tell her, like, listen. If you do not tell us what happened to this man immediately, it will not be well for your children. And Celia at that point is just like, okay, I will talk to you, but I need Harry and David out of the room. And so Harry and David leave and she confesses to killing Robert. And I'm like, girl, you almost got away with it. You almost got away with it. You had it. They could not find his body. You almost got away with it. I just feel like But honestly, even if they didn't find anything or even if she didn't say anything, they probably would have figured out a way to make this about her. So after Celia confessed, they found the ashes leading out to the horse stables, gathered bone fac fragments from her fireplace, and they found Robert's burned belt and pocket knife and the larger bones that she had hidden in the floorboards. Where was George while all this was happening, you ask? Gone. George got the hell on and got the hell out. He left while they were questioning Celia. He said he did not want any parts and he left her and them kids behind. Christina, Christina, Christina's gone. In the great words of our girl Helen, George was out of there. My thing is, George, if you knew how to get away, why did you just not make that the plan from the beginning? If you knew you had such love for this girl and you She bore your children, probably one or two. And you're just like, listen, I can't deal with you and him no more. And you knew how to get the hell off the property. Why didn't you take that woman and your children and leave? I mean, maybe it's not as simple as I'm making it, but hello? I guess it was a matter of life and death. I don't know. But there was no record of any of the other slaves releasing what Celia had told them. And the only reason that we knew she told them what she had done is due to her own testimony. There was suspicion that George helped Celia kill Robert because Celia was a tiny thing. She may have been 95 pounds soaking wet. There is one picture that I saw of her, and she is a literal rail. So most people doubted that she could take down Robert on her own. Even Robert's own family questioned whether or not she was capable. The evidence against Celia was placed in a box while they waited for an inquest to come. And what an inquest is, is back in those days, back in the hateful day, an inquest was an investigation led by a coroner or jury to determine the identity of a deceased person as well as figure out how they died. They want to know if they died of natural causes, if it was a homicide, if there was foul play. That is what the inquest party was for. So, according to my homegirl Google, an inquest is not meant to be a trial. But a fact-finding mission. And in Celia's case, a jury came out to the Newsom residence to determine what happened to Robert. So the jury the jury arrived early the morning of July 25th, 1885, and heard evidence from William from William Powell, which again is the guy that questioned them when he he's the neighbor that questioned them when they came over. And it included a written statement from William that read, William F. Powell. Being produced and sworn on the part of the State Deposeth and Seth Herring on the twenty fourth day of June 1855 that Mr. Robert Newsom was missing. I went over to his house with the other neighbors to assist in searching for him. After looking for him, I asked his Negro boy George where he thought he was. He stated that he did not believe it was worthwhile to hunt for him anywhere except close around the house, for he had reasons to believe he was not far off. I told him. He had better go and shows the old man if he knew where he was. He stated he believed the last walkin' he'd done was along this path, pointing to the path leading from the house to the negro cabin. From the statements of George, I believe he had been destroyed in the negro cabin. I went to the cabin with others to search, but we made no such discovery. After searching, we called up mister Robert Newsom's negro woman named Celia and asked her if she knew where her master was. She first denied knowing anything of it. But finally acknowledged that she struck him on the head with a stick and knocked him down and then struck him once after he was down. She said she found out she had killed him and thought she would throw him out the door, but got afraid she would be hung for it. So she concluded that she would try and burn him up so he could not be found. She said she burnt him in the Negro cabin with one stick of wood and some boards. She said she found she could not entirely consume the bones. She punched them to pieces and got Coffee Wainscott, mister Newsom's grandson to help her carry the contents of the fireplace and emptied them by the side of the path running from the negro cabin to the stable. Myself and others then went and examined the said ashes and contents and found bones. The bones here presented was part of them that I saw in said ashes, which I believe to be the bones of mister Robert Newsom, as we found them where she said she had put them. She said there was no person at the cabin that night but Mr. Robert Newsom and her children that had no assistance in killing him. Signed WMF Powell. I don't know why I did it in that voice. I just assume that's what he sounded like. Coffee Wainscott was also questioned and he drafted a testimony that stated, James C. Wainscott being produced and duly sworn on part of the state, deposeth and saith that it was after broad daylight when he helped Celia take the ashes out of the fireplace in her cabin on Sunday morning of June the twenty fourth, nineteen eighty five eighteen eighty-five, that she called me from the cherry tree where I was gathering cherries and said if I would help her carry the ashes out of her fireplace in her cabin, she would give me two dozen walnuts. We carried them out and emptied them on the right hand side of the path leading from the cabin to the stable. I did not notice any bones in the ashes as we emptied them out. Signed with an X James C. Wainscott. Celia was also questioned where she again admits her part in the murder. In a statement that reads, Celia a slave, the defendant being examined, says that on the night of the twenty third of June 1855, she killed Mr. Robert Newsom, her master, by striking him on the head twice with a stick about two hours after dark. After she found she had killed him, she put his body on the fire in her cabin to burn it up. The bones were not entirely consumed by morning, and after daylight in the morning, she took the ashes and pieces of bone. up out of the fireplace and emptied them on the right hand side of the path leading from her cabin to the stable. She stated she did not intend to kill him when she struck him, but only wanted to hurt him. We hereby certify that the above is the testimony of Celia a slave taken before us on the trial of a case wherein the state of Missouri is plaintiff and the said Celia is defendant on the twenty fifth day of June A.D. 1855, signed by D. White J.P. Isaac P. Howe, JP. So JP stands for Justice of the Peace. So they were the elected Justice of the Peace at that time. Celia was also questioned by someone who would later testify in court about her named Jefferson Jones. And he asked her in 10 million and one ways whether or not George was to blame. And every single time she said she acted alone. When I read this, like what he was asking her, I took it to mean that he was giving her an out like Celia, you're a small gal. Tell me George helped you. Nope, George was unaware. Celia, you're a pretty tiny thing. Like I couldn't imagine you picking up the size of that stick and hitting your master on the head. So was anyone else involved? Nope, I did it all by myself. Celia, so are you meant to tell me that you thought of this plan all by yourself and dragged Mr. Newsom's body into the fire by yourself? Nope, I acted alone. Did George help you, Celia? No, no, sir. Things that make you go, hmm. After hearing all the evidence, the six-person inquest finds probable cause to charge Celia with Robert's murder, and Celia is literally dragged to the Callaway County Jail nine miles away where she awaited trial. Celia's trial starts on October 9th, 1855, led by Judge William Hall in front of a twelve-person jury of drumroll, please, all white males. According to our good friend from Down the Street Wikipedia, both the defense and the prosecution were allowed to submit proposed jury instructions to Judge Hall, which he could choose to accept or reject. Celia's defense team submitted several instructions to Judge Hall that requested for the jury for the jury to acquit Celia if it believed that she had been justifiably resisting sexual assault when she killed Robert Newsom. In Missouri, it was then a crime to take any woman unlawfully against her will and by force, menace or duress compel her to be defiled. And resistance of such an offense would have been considered a justifiable excuse for a woman to kill a man. The defense requested for the jury to be instructed that the words any woman included enslaved women, and that Celia should not be convicted if it believed that she had been attempting to resist rape when she killed mister Newsom. Judge Hall did not accept the proposed instructions and they were not delivered to the jury. The instructions that were actually given to the jury did not address the motive for Celia's crime at all or allow for an acquittal based on the on the idea that she would have been justified in using physical force to resist sexual assault at the hands of her master. So to sum it all up, back in those days, the juries were given instructions. I've never served on a jury, so I don't know if they still do it now, but They were given instructions, and those instructions were basically to teach them, to educate them about the law. And back in Missouri history, at that time, it was illegal, as it still is, I'm sure, to this day, to force a woman into acts of sex. And what the defense was trying to do was to get the jury to understand that Celia was a woman before she was Mr. Newsom's property, before she was sold to him, before she was anything else, she is a woman. And any woman in that law should include slave women. I gotta give it up to Celia's defense team, like they really did try. The prosecution led with evidence collected from the plantation as well as telling the jury of Celia's confession. Jefferson Jones was the first witness called and he provided a detailed account of Celia's testimony ending with Celia did not mean to kill Robert, only hurt him. Virginia Wainscott, formerly Newsom, also testified to Celia asking her to convince Robert to stop raping her. She said that Celia was very sick during her current pregnancy, too sick to even cook her breakfast in the morning. And it was because of her being pregnant, so she was not really able to do much in the condition that she was in. Day one of the trial was wrapped with the testimony of William Powell who questioned Celia that day. He did admit that even he knew about Celia's vain attempts to get Robert to stop raping her. Because she had even asked him to intervene. He also admitted that the confession from Celia was forced as he told her if she did not talk, it would not be well for her children and she would hang. On october tenth, eighteen fifty five, Celia's defense, which was made up of John Jameson, Nathan Coons, and Isaac Bulware, countered the prosecution's argument by stating that Celia acted in self defense against a master that continuously raped her against her will. They call Robert's death a justifiable homicide. The defense called doctor doctor James Martin, who testified that the bones found in Celia's cabin were in fact human. The defense asked the doctor if he felt that a human body could be burned and disintegrated in the short amount of time that Celia had, which the prosecution strongly objected that question. And it was sustained. I would like to well, yeah, it was sustained. I would like to know what the answer to that question would have been because Sisters Who Killed taught me that it is impossible to burn a body. Not to the extent that Robert's body was disintegrated. Celia was not brought up to testify because during this time slaves were not allowed to testify in their defense if their word disputed a white person's. The defense asked Judge Hall for them to figuratively paint a picture to the jury of the abuse that Celia endured and to explain that the killing was justifiable to prevent further abuse. That fell on deaf hair covered white ears because the judge said nope and the jury found Celia guilty of murdering Robert. On October 11th, 1855, that's my husband's birthday. There was another case that I did recently. And I was just like, so it was October 11th. Shout out to the October babies. And when I tell you that man was like, so you forgot my birthday? October 11th is my husband's birthday. On October 11th, a star was born. My man, my husband. The king of our castle. I hope you enjoyed your shout out. But, anyways, so this was the day. That was mean. I'm so sorry. I I do honor that man. October eleventh is his birthday. Let's let's all on October 11th, we're gonna come back and we're gonna give him cheers, okay? So October 11th, this was the day that Celia's defense filed an appeal to be granted a new trial. This too was denied. Shocker! I truly don't know why they even wasted resources and time on trials back in these days, because we all know how this is gonna end, right? Right. And on October thirteenth, eighteen fifty five, Celia was sentenced to death by hanging. He also refused to issue an order to hold off her execution until an appeal can be filed with the state. On November eleventh, eighteen fifty-five, which hey, that's my brother's birthday. Hope y'all exercise caution on Valentine's Day because if not, your baby will be born in November. Take that any way you want. Well, November 11th, 1885, five days before her scheduled execution, Celia said, catch me if you can, and escape from the county jail. Celia, girl, I live. I live. Cause Celia said, Hangin' who? Not me. And she got the hell on. I just only hope and pray that she did not go running back to George because George gotta see us outside at this point. Like, I'm pissed, obviously. Obviously, Robert is the real villain in the story, because why is you raping this girl? Like, why? And I understand that was common practice back then, but like let's just be so for real. You are forcing yourself on someone that does not want you, and you are impregnating this person and not being there for the kids. Like the kids are, my gosh, Negro babies, those are your kids. So yes, I'm pissed off at Robert, obviously. But I wanna punch George in the face for abandoning her like that. The details of exactly how long Celia ran and where she was or where she went or how this all happened is unclear. One source I read said that it was her and another death row inmate that was like, we gotta go. And another source was just like they believed that her defense team kind of propped that door open of her cell and was like, Be free, my child, but then returned her shortly thereafter. But at any rate, in late November eighteen eighty five, the people that helped her escape, whoever those people were, turned on her and told the ja the jail staff where to find her. At this point, Celia was placed back on lockdown, honey, and I hope she enjoyed her time because I was rooting for her. We were all rooting for her. While Celia sat in jail awaiting her new execution date, her defense continued to work hard for her freedom. They drafted and submitted a letter making They drafted and submitted a letter to a newly elected judge named ABL Leonard, who considered Celia's appeal as the fight for making Missouri a free state was ongoing. However, to no one's surprise, her appeal was denied and was denied because they said it was improper to heed the prayers of a murderer. The actual document said the petitioner, but you get the drift. On december twentieth, eighteen eighty five, interrogators once again made their way to Celia's cell. And they asked her again to tell them what happened on the night of June 23rd, 1885. At which point she told investigators that the devil got into her and that she struck Robert with a stick until he was dead. Now I am a a believer in the paranormal, the supernatural, the unexplained, the wild. I believe all that. I find myself on the spooky side of TikTok regularly. But above all, I'm a believer of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. But with that being said, I do not think the devil made her do it. I think she was sick of Robert. I think she was sick of his shenanigans. I think she was afraid of losing George. And that makes me angry because George did not even stick beside her. He straight up snitched on her. and it just makes me wonder like, when are we as women going to learn? Don't get me wrong. I have done a lot of bashing of the male species on today's episode. And I do understand and I do agree and I do acknowledge that there are some there are some pretty amazing men out there. Like, truly there are. Like, I am fortunate to know several and honestly I feel like I married a good one. I love that man. But in this story, George made me want to beat him down. Robert got what he deserved, and if he did not make it to hell, Celia made sure he got to experience the fire. On December twenty first, eighteen eighty five, at two thirty in the afternoon, Celia was brought to the gallows and hung to death in Fulton, Missouri. Celia did give birth to her third and final child while in jail, but there is no record of the birth, which leads historians to believe that either the baby was given back to the Newsom family, sold to another family, or died during birth. Many believe that this child, her last child, is where Celia's known descendants all come from. There is a book written by Melton McLaurin titled Celia a Slave. In which a lot of the information in today's story came from, as well as trial notes found at UMKC School of Law's website. There is one known picture of Celia that I could see and one portrait created by Solomon Thurman, which is widely circulated to be the representation of Celia. So where are they now? Celia's family apparently never stopped fighting to clear her name, and at the request of her descendants, Celia was posthumously pardoned for her crimes on December 20th, 2024. A whopping 169 years after her trial. And my question is, why did it take so long? 2024, really? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Rumor has it that after George left, he was sold to another family, but I was unable to find further information on this. and Celia is still honored. I know they had like a bash or something in Callaway County, Missouri to honor her on her birthday. Was it her birthday or her hanging day? I think it was her birthday. No, it was her hanging day because no one knows when her birthday was. On so on the anniversary of her death, yes, they had a bash in Missouri for her just to celebrate her life. Which brings me to my final thoughts. I wrote nine pages of notes for this episode, which is a new record for me. I did find it very interesting that a slave in Missouri had a more fair, and please know that I'm using the term fair very loosely because I do believe that Celia's fate was sealed from the moment William started questioning her. But her trial seemed more put together and more fair than George Stinney's, which is mind-blowing to me. Because she actually had a multi-day trial. She had adequate defense. There was questioning, there was cross-referencing. Granted, she was not allowed to take the stand because she's a slave. And slaves were not allowed to take the stand if their word went against a white person's. But I just feel like her defense, and I could be wrong because I'm only reading the information I was given, but her defense actually tried. And I feel like George Stinney's defense just sat there like a bump on a log, which is crazy to me because Celia was actually a slave. And George Stinney was a free man in the very, very segregated. Jim Crow era south. Let that soak in. South Carolina, you should be ashamed of yourself. If I was alive during this time, I would be screaming free Celia from the mountaintops. But I'm also thanking God that I was not alive during this time because I would not have made it. I cannot speak on what it's like to be a slave. I can only speak on what it's like to be a black woman in America, but I cannot speak on being a slave. And truth be told, if I was born into slavery, I probably would have been one of the ones to run away. I believe in living life and living life abundantly and I cannot do that under master's tongue. I would have risked it all and I would have left. I d really do not like people telling me what to do. but I can't I mean, the fear that comes like it's just so much. So I can't just say, this is what I would do. I don't know what I would do. I'd probably be scared. I don't know. That's not even in my nature though, 'cause I I like to I'm not saying I'm a fighter or nothing like that, because I'm really not. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I also you're not about to just treat me any kind of way. I can't. I I genuinely can't. Maybe in a past life, but not not me in 2026, no. reading these case notes, though. Do y'all think that George had something to do with it? Did y'all think that George had something to do with it? Like, what are the odds? He gives her an ultimatum. Robert turns up dead and George is like, look at her. I don't know. Like, I would not be surprised if George had something to do with it. But I also feel like if George did not have anything to do with it, that the only reason Celia stood up for herself was because of George. The only reason she had the wherewithal to talk back to Robert was because of George. The only reason she went out swinging is because of George, because she wanted To be with him so badly that she was willing to do what she had to do to make it happen. And women, honestly, I'm tired of us doing what we got to do to make it happen. Let them do some work. Real talk. And like I said, I know I've done a lot of bashing of the male species, but let's talk about it. A lot of women, and I'm not exempt. I will tell you guys my life story. I was stupid. I was stupid. I was stupid. I'm not even gonna hold you. I get on my daughters so much, even at this age, they are four and eleven and I teach them like I teach them how to date. Because the truth of the matter is I read an article a few weeks back and it was basically saying how as parents and as mentors and as leaders, we teach our daughters like, hold on to your flower until you as long as you possibly can. Or you don't need to be dating, you need to focus on school. You don't need to be dating, you need to be worried about your grades. You don't need to be dating, you need to focus on your career. This is and these are all things I know that I have told my daughters. Like, hey, you you worried about dating, you need to be worried about them books. And the truth of the matter is we say that so much that we never actually teach them, like, okay, when my grades are fine and my career is on and popping, how do I maneuver this dating world? And that's the truth. Like we have to teach them what's acceptable and what's not. We have to teach them what You know, to really stick by their non negotiables. We need to teach them about non negotiables. We need to teach them not to settle. We need to teach them that you are the prize. And if that man comes to you talking about what you bring to the table, flip the flipping table and walk off. Like we need to teach our daughters how to date. And as I was reading the story, I could not help but thinking that Celia really did all of this for George's approval and it got her nowhere. It got her hanged and George got sold like sold into another family. So it's like, what was it all for? Now, granted, she has eternal rest. Like, she doesn't have to be under Robert anymore. I I love that for her. But I just feel like I would have been more appreciative if it was on her own terms. This was not on her own terms. She did what she had to do to keep a man. And that's exactly why I do not watch For My Man, because I'd be ready to smack the TV every single time. And this is maybe me being a little judgmental, but like I said, it also comes from a place of me being stupid before. It comes from a place of me being in that relationship where it's like, girl, you are settling. It comes from a place of me dumbing myself down to make someone else feel better. I know what it's like. And I'm here to tell anybody it's not worth it. This story does not end the way you want it to. It does not end the way you think it's going to. It's going to end with you still being apart from that man. So you might as well just do it. That's how I see it. And if you're not. If your story does not end with you being apart from that man, then it ends with you hating that man, but being with that man. Because that's a real thing too. So that's my rance. I really think she did it for George. And I think if she did not do it, then George did it. And he left her to hang. That's my rance. thank you for tuning in for another week. Thank you for spreading the word of the Minor Mischief Podcast. send me an email, minor mischiefpodcast at gmail.com. Follow me on TikTok, Minor Mischief Pod, and on Instagram, Minor Mischief Podcast. Please leave a comment, write a review, case suggestions. Tell me if you think George did it. Cause I am starting to think he did. Have something to do with it. I don't know if he delivered the blow, but I think that he either. Delivered the blow or helped her clean up the body. She did not she did not do all of that by herself. I'm sorry. She wouldn't have had enough time. Because by the time the sun came out, they were looking for George. She would have only had six hours or so, six hours to kill him, wrap him up, throw him in the fire, and have him completely burned down. Nah, she was helped, in my opinion, but that's just what I think. What do I know? Anyways, thank you for tuning in. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being a friend. Woo, whoa, whoa. And until next week, stay mischievous, friends.