Missouri v. Celia, a Slave

A Black slave woman, Celia (no known last name), was approximately 14 years old when Robert Newsom bought her in 1850 as a slave for his Missouri farm. After several years of being raped repeatedly by Newsom, Celia killed him, was convicted of murder, and hanged. Her trial and execution illustrate the limited rights available to female slaves and the way in which the criminal justice system of the time left them with little protection against abusive masters.

There is little doubt that Newsom raped Celia on the way home from the sale, and he continued this behavior in the years that followed. At the farm, Celia was separated from the five male slaves Newsom owned and given her own cabin located close behind the main house. Within a few years, Celia had two children who were fathered by Newsom. Around February 1855, Celia became pregnant again. During this time she was involved with George, another slave on Newsom's farm. According to interviews presented during trial testimony, the following occurred: George thought the child was his and wanted Celia to put an end to Newsom's visits. Newsom entered Celia's cabin on the evening of June 23, 1855, despite Celia's telling him earlier in the day that she didn't want him visiting any more. As Newsom continued approaching her, Celia claimed she was protecting herself against him and his sexual advances when she struck him twice with a stick. Realizing she had killed him, Celia burned his body in her fireplace and had the remaining bones and buttons buried. On December 22 of the same year, having been convicted of murder, Celia was hanged.

[Page 528]As a Black female slave, Celia's rights within the existing laws were exceedingly limited. The following is a brief synopsis of Celia's trial and appeal. At the time of the incident, strong pre-war activities between pro- and antislavery activists in the bordering states of Missouri and Kansas were taking place. It is certain that these uprisings led to politically motivated court decisions. Additionally, the Dred Scott case had just been decided, in which the Missouri Supreme Court reversed a prior ruling concerning free slaves. This did not add favor to Celia's case. In essence, Celia's story reflects a denial of laws and dignity for slaves.

At the time Newsom acquired Celia, he was 60 years old. His wife had died the year before; his two sons were married and lived elsewhere. His two grown daughters lived with him on the property the family had acquired in Callaway County in 1822 after traveling from their former home in Virginia.

It would have been highly inappropriate for George to confront Newsom regarding his involvement with Celia. It might have meant his own death, because Newsom would likely have interpreted that George was trying to overstep his master. Moreover, according to slave law, marriages between slaves were not acknowledged, and any offspring of any female slave were the property of the master, even if the female slave left that master's ownership. Hence, female slaves were valuable by virtue of the children they were to bear.

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