Narrative of James Williams, an American Slave: Annotated Edition

E. Slatter v. Holton

] APPENDIX E [ Slatter v. Holton When Caleb Tate sold Williams to slave trader Hope H. Slatter in Baltimore, Slatter transferred him to his brother, Shadrach F. Slatter, a trader in New Orleans. Shadrach Slatter sold him to Charles Armstrong, from whom Williams soon escaped in January 1837 by stowing away on the steamboat Henry Clay. The Henry Clay took him as far as the mouth of the Cumberland River, where he transferred to another steamboat, the Wave. The captain of the Wave let him work for his passage from the mouth of the Cumberland to a few miles above Flint Island on the Ohio River, where Williams disappeared and was not recovered. Shadrach Slatter returned Armstrong’s purchase price of sixteen hundred dollars and successfully sued the captain of the Henry Clay, John A. Holton, in the Parish Court of New Orleans to recover the money, claiming that Holton had vouched for Williams to the captain of the Wave. Holton appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court, claiming the plaintiff’s lawyers had offered no proof that Williams belonged to Shadrach Slatter, was ever in New Orleans, or had boarded his boat there. In Slatter v. Holton the state supreme court upheld the lower court’s ruling and also refused a later request for a rehearing, closing the case finally on July 5, 1841, over three years after Williams had already published his narrative and left for England. There is no evidence that any of the people involved in the suit ever realized their runaway was the author of the narrative. The following statements come from the testimony assembled for the state supreme court. Also included are the decision of the lower court, the statements on behalf of the plaintiff and defendant to the supreme court, and the supreme court’s decision. The witnesses called Williams either by his birth name, Shadrach, or a variation of that name (which was coincidentally the first name of his new owner), or by the alias he was using then, Jim Thornton. The testimony comes from Slatter v. Holton, Docket no. 2894, Eastern District, June 1841, Supreme Court of Louisiana 19 LA 39, Earl K. Long 162 appendix e Library, University of New Orleans, http://libweb.uno.edu/jspui/handle /123456789/12613 (accessed October 23, 2011). ] Statement of William Holton, first mate of the Henry Clay and brother of the defendant, April 3, 1837: Also the deposition of Wm Holton who deposes & says that he was on board the steamboat Henry Clay on her trip from New Orleans to Louisville commencing about the 10th of Jany last acting in the character of first mate, and he is confident that the negro Shadrack claimed by the plaintiff in this cause was not on board the Henry Clay when she left New Orleans or at any other time during the trip. There was no chance of his being there without deponent’s knowing it unless he came on board during the time the boat lay at Cumberland bar and departed before the boat got under way from that place. There were no coloured persons on board during the trip from Louisville to New Orleans & back to Louisville except the servant of Capt Slade and the stewart of the St Lawrence except those who belonged to the boat. Deponent is brother to the defendant Capt Holton. Additional statement of William Holton, December 22, 1837: First William Holton being of lawfull age and first duly sworn deposeth and saith that he was on board of the Henry Clay steamboat in January last in character of first mate, that he was been on board of said boat whilst running for about five years he descended the Ohio river from Louisville upon her to New Orleans in December last and returned upon her leaving New Orleans about the 9th or 10th of January last. It was a part of his duty to see and know what persons were upon board of said boat upon her ascending trip and he took much pains to ascertain who was on board and particularly if there were any run away negroes—the deck passengers on the trip were frequently mustered for the purpose of seeing that no person was improperly on board, and he is satisfied that there was not on board of said boat in Louisiana the Negro Shadrack claimed by the plaintiff in this cause. The steamboat slatter v. holton 163...