Celia, a Slave: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

The judge at Celia’s trial is a man named William Augustus Hall. Judge Hall grew up in Virginia and later attended Yale. He studied law and was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1841. He served as a circuit court judge, and became an important Democratic ally. While it’s unclear what, exactly, Hall believed about slavery, Hall must have realized that the results of the trial would reverberate throughout the country. In all probability, he would have wanted the trial to end as “decorously as possible,” to avoid an outbreak of further violence in Missouri and Kansas.

The defense attorney for Celia is John Jameson, the uncle of Jefferson Jones. He’s a respected figure in the county, not just as a community leader but as a gregarious, fun-loving fellow. He’s served in the Missouri House of Representatives, but failed to distinguish himself as a great politician. In general, Missouri politicians think of him as a likeable and fair-minded man, even if he’s no genius.

Politically speaking, John Jameson supports the expansion of the United States. As a lawyer, he’s not a brilliant scholar, but he’s a persuasive rhetorician and a shrewd judge of character. Hall is also a slave owner, though there’s no evidence that he supports the expansion of slavery. By appointing James as Celia’s attorney, Hall has made a clever move: nobody can deny that Celia has been given adequate representation.

Hall appoints two additional attorneys to the defense, to assist Jameson with research. The first is Nathan Chapman Kouns, the son of a prominent Missouri slave owner. Nathan is a young man, and this is his first trial. The second is Isaac M. Boulware, also a young, inexperienced attorney. He’s the son of a prominent Baptist preacher, admitted to the Missouri bar just months before being assigned Celia’s case.

Two other factors make Jameson’s appointment to Celia’s case somewhat unusual. First, there’s the fact that Jameson has two daughters of about Celia’s age. Second, Jameson is one of the Disciples of Christ (a Presbyterian movement), and has been studying religion seriously for years. Therefore, Jameson is perhaps unusually likely to develop sympathy for Celia, and to consider the moral aspects of the case. Whether Hall considers these two factors when appointing Jameson isn’t known.

At the time, the Disciples of Christ are divided on the issue of slavery. In the South, most of the Disciples see no contradiction between their faith and owning slaves. In the North, some abolitionists identify with the Disciples. Out west, the Disciples tend to be moderate on the issue of slavery, but believe that slaveholders have a moral obligation to treat their slaves kindly. One of the key leaders of the Disciples of Christ, Alexander Campbell, argues that slavery is a political issue, not a religious one, meaning that the Disciples can make up their own minds.

It’s impossible to know what Jameson thinks personally about Celia’s innocence. However, he and his aides prepare Celia’s defense. By late September, he’s arranged for his witnesses to come to the trial in October. The lead attorney for the prosecution is a circuit attorney named R. G. Prewitt, who’s served in this capacity for less than two years.

The trial begins with the jurors—who, following the laws of the time, are exclusively white and male—taking their oaths. Only one of the jurors is from Missouri—the rest have migrated west in search of a better life. All have been married and have children, and none are particularly wealthy. At least four jurors own slaves. “From the perspective of the defense,” McLaurin concludes, “the jury was about as good as could be expected.”

The defense begins by pleading Celia not guilty to the charge of murder. The next day, the prosecution calls its first witness, Jefferson Jones. Jones reports that, during his interview with Celia, Celia claimed she’d had “sexual intercourse” with Robert Newsom, and that she’d tried to end the sexual relationship with Newsom. When Jameson cross-examines his nephew, he focuses on the sexual relationship between Celia and Robert. On further questioning, Jones admits that Celia claimed Robert raped her many times. He gives evasive answers, trying to foil Jameson’s attempts to portray Robert “as a fiend.”

The next witness for the prosecution is Virginia Newsom Waynescot. She explains how she searched for her father’s body for hours, and again the prosecution focuses on the facts of the murder, rather than asking questions about why Celia would kill Robert Newsom. In cross-examination, Jameson presses Virginia to admit that Celia was pregnant and sick in the months leading up to the killing. He does not, however, ask Virginia about her father’s rape—to do so would be a violation of “Victorian sexual mores.”

The next witness is James Coffee Waynescot. He explains how, horrifically, he gathered the ashes of his own grandfather. Jameson’s cross-examination is quick, and doesn’t mention Robert Newsom’s rape.

The next witness, William Powell, describes how Robert Newsom’s bones were discovered the day after the killing. In cross-examination, Jameson asks Powell if he knew whether Robert had slept in his own bed on the night of the murder. Under pressure, Powell admits that Celia told him about how Robert repeatedly raped her. Powell also admits that Celia stressed that she was acting defensively.

The final two witnesses for the state are doctors who confirm that the ashes found in Celia’s fireplace most likely belonged to Robert Newsom. The state introduces into evidence Celia’s signed confession of the murder, and the prosecution rests its case.

The defense calls its first witness, Dr. James M. Martin. The very fact that Martin, a prominent doctor in the county, would testify for the defense suggests that many people sympathize with Celia. Martin testifies that it’s possible, but extremely difficult, to burn a human body in one night. When Jameson asks more specific questions, however, the state objects, and Hall sustains the objections. Jameson is forced to dismiss his witness.

The next witness for the defense is Thomas Shoatman, the man who accompanied Jefferson Jones to Celia’s interrogation. Shoatman testifies that Celia claimed to have feared for her life. This is a crucial point for the defense, since there’s a robust legal precedent for slaves using deadly force for self-preservation. Shoatman also testifies that Celia struck Robert Newsom to stop him from raping her, not to kill him. This testimony is stricken from the record, but Jameson makes sure the jury hears it.

In all, Jameson does a spectacular job in the trial. He presents compelling evidence that Celia acted on the legal right to repel her master’s sexual advances, and that Robert Newsom regularly raped her. The energy and inventiveness with which James has presented his case suggests that he not only believes all slaves are entitled to a fair trial; he believes that Celia is innocent.