Description:

Alabama Slaveowner Wanted for Murder of His Slave

This arrest warrant, signed by deputy clerk G. C. R. Mitchell for circuit court clerk Jonathan Burford, authorized the sheriff of Lawrence County in northern Alabama to arrest John P. Robinson for the murder of his own slave Isaac two months earlier.

On March 16, 1827, Sheriff Hugh M. Warren by his deputy Andrew Kaiser returned the warrant with the note that the "defendant is not to be found in my county." The May 1827 term of the Lawrence County Commissioner's Court approved the payment of $8.75 to the sheriff for summoning a coroner's inquest and witnesses "over the body of Isaac a slave."

On May 28, 1828, the Circuit Court issued another arrest warrant to the sheriff of Lawrence County to take the body of John P. Robinson and keep him until the next term of the court in September 1828 to answer "a charge of said State against him for the murder of a Negro slave named Isaac the property of said Robinson on the 11th day of September 1826." On September 15, 1828, deputy Kaiser returned the new warrant with the notation, "not found."

Robinson may have simply moved northeast across the Tennessee River, as there was a John Robinson in the 1830 census living there with his wife, five children, and no slaves.

[SLAVERY.] Partially Printed Document Signed, Arrest Warrant for John P. Robinson, November 13, 1826, Lawrence County, Alabama. 2 pp., 12.75" x 8". Some edge tears and toning; very good.

Excerpt
"You are hereby commanded to take the body of John P. Robinson wherever he may be found in your County and him safely keep so that you have his body before the Judge of our next Circuit Court, to be held for said county, at the Court House in the town of Moulton, on the 3d Monday in March next to answer said State of a charge of Murder commited on the body of a negro slave name Isaac the property of said Robinson on the 11th September 1826."

The defendant may have been John P. Robinson (1793-1848), who was born in Greenville County, Virginia. He married Cynthia (1797-1856), and they had at least one child. He died in DeSoto County, Mississippi.


Hugh M. Warren (b. ca. 1800) was a farmer and the third sheriff of Lawrence County, Alabama, serving from 1825 to 1828. He had previously served as sheriff of Madison County and as a deputy to the second sheriff of Lawrence County, William Reneau. In 1824, Warren married Margaret M. Hart, and they had at least four children. In 1836, he married Nancy E. Smith, with whom he had two children.

Andrew Kaiser (1799-1864) was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He served as a deputy sheriff of Lawrence County, Alabama, from 1825 to 1828. He married Elizabeth Trotter (1800-1835) in February 1829 in Lawrence County. He later studied medicine and found some mineral springs in Winston County, where he settled. In 1837, he married Martha Jones Childs (1791-1848) in Morgan County, Alabama. In 1848, he married Margaret Robb Grant (1818-1870) in Trinity, Alabama.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 28, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000