Slave Turned Murderer: Was Celia a Victim or a Calculated Killer?
The story of how one enslaved woman murdered and burnt the remains of her slave owner and the legal battle that followed
Celia when interviewed about 23 June 1855 said, “the Devil got into me.”
Celia’s words are a somewhat accurate reflection of the events that took place on that frightful June night in 1855. Things took a turn for the worst when Robert Newsom, entered Celia’s cabin as he did on numerous occasions to rape her. This time Celia was not having it. Earlier in the day she had hidden a large stick in her cabin ready to strike if Robert dared to attack which he did. Celia rejected Robert’s advances but he refused to take “no” for an answer.
She took out her stick and hit him on the head but again this was not enough to deter Robert who was so used to having his way with Celia despite her objections. To stop him from raping her, Celia hit Robert in the head again, this time with incredible force. The second hit was fatal and killed Robert instantly.
Realizing what she had done, Celia gathered some firewood and placed Robert’s dead body in her fireplace. She watched her slave owner burn all night in a raging fire. In the…
