Book contents
- Williams’ Gang
- Williams’ Gang
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Acknowledgments
- Williams–Milburn genealogy
- Introduction The Slave Depot of Washington, D.C.
- Chapter 1 An Ambush
- Chapter 2 The Yellow House
- Chapter 3 Sale and Transportation
- Chapter 4 Mobile to New Orleans
- Chapter 5 Legal Troubles
- Chapter 6 The Millington Bank
- Chapter 7 State v. Williams
- Chapter 8 Slave Trading in “Hard Times”
- Chapter 9 Politics of the Slave Pen
- Chapter 10 Brothers
- Chapter 11 The Louisiana State Penitentiary
- Chapter 12 Closure
- Chapter 13 Perseverance
- Chapter 14 Violet
- Epilogue The Legal Legacy of the Domestic Slave Trade
- Book part
- Notes
- Index
Chapter 7 - State v. Williams
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
- Williams’ Gang
- Williams’ Gang
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Acknowledgments
- Williams–Milburn genealogy
- Introduction The Slave Depot of Washington, D.C.
- Chapter 1 An Ambush
- Chapter 2 The Yellow House
- Chapter 3 Sale and Transportation
- Chapter 4 Mobile to New Orleans
- Chapter 5 Legal Troubles
- Chapter 6 The Millington Bank
- Chapter 7 State v. Williams
- Chapter 8 Slave Trading in “Hard Times”
- Chapter 9 Politics of the Slave Pen
- Chapter 10 Brothers
- Chapter 11 The Louisiana State Penitentiary
- Chapter 12 Closure
- Chapter 13 Perseverance
- Chapter 14 Violet
- Epilogue The Legal Legacy of the Domestic Slave Trade
- Book part
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Charged with the illegal importation of convict slaves, William H. Williams faced a series of three trials before the New Orleans First District Criminal Court in 1841. Williams’ defense argued that the slave trader was merely passing through New Orleans en route to Texas, with no intention of selling any convict slaves within the state, whereas the state prosecutor maintained that the fact of Williams’ introduction of the convict slaves was proof enough of his guilt. Jurors struggled to reach a verdict, and the first two trials ended in hung juries. At the third trial, however, Williams was found guilty. He opted to serve a year in the Orleans Parish jail rather than pay exorbitant fines. Williams’ attorneys secured an appeal before the Louisiana state Supreme Court in 1842, and although Williams won, by then he had served almost the entirety of his time in prison.
Keywords
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- Williams' GangA Notorious Slave Trader and his Cargo of Black Convicts, pp. 161 - 186Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020