A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.

Robert Treat Paine Papers

Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 4

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In this 1784 case, Asa Sparks was charged with murdering his elderly African American slave, Prince, in December 1774 by abusing him and locking him outside of Sparks’s Sheffield, Mass., residence on a bitterly cold winter evening. Sparks was found not guilty.

Grand Jury notes
RTP
Berkshire Sup. Jud. Court Octr. 1784 before Grand Jury

Commonwealth vs. Asa Sparks1

Wm. Day. 27th: Decr. 1774. we found the Negro Dead, bloody water issued out of his Ears, it had been very Severe weather—his clothing nothing William Cambell I lived in 100R. the day before Asa Sparks sd. Prince was gone Esqr. King. We found him dead; Sparks sd. it was no matter. cold night, a Track from the house to near him enough to see him & back again this was in the morning sun an hour high, there was blood at the Door & some blood on the bar where he was—he sd. he had liked him the day before John Dibble Sparks had an old decriped Negro Peter Wooden, the week before the Negro died, he fell down & I helped him up, abt. sun two hours high I saw Prince fall down. I told Sparks he called to him to get up in abt. 1 hour I return’d, he had a Bill of Sale carried at 1/ John King Esq: the morning after the Death of the Negro, he came to my house to bury him. Snow over shoes, some blood on Snow by him some on barrs: the Cloaths he had on by no means Sufficient: he sd. he went out to cut a broom stick, an old ax lay by him, the Edge broke, not fit to cut a broom Stick, he was old & decripid Philip Ruff the next morning I saw a Track from the house at the end of wch. he might see the Negro, I asked him why he calld on the neighbours 311 to look up a Negro he cd. see, he sd. he had a right to go where he pleased, it was nobodys business, the Negro was dead & he was glad of it, he was his money, & he defied any Court or Law to hurt him: we discovered blood on the Wood at the Door; the Negro had no shoes stockins or above 2/3 of his skin covrd., & what he had was raggs he was lowzy. Moses Buck I was going by Sparks house latter end of PM, before Negro died, Sparks called to Negro to cut wood I can’t saith the Negro. I sd. to Sparks what don’t you let the Negro go into the house & warm him, he will freeze to Death damn him sd. he I wish he was dead. the Negro stooped & crawl’d into house—I saw them abt.—next morning he came to me & sd. my negro is frozen to death, let us bury him I want you to give me leave & help him, the Negro was Naked Aaron Mead the Negro old master desired me to carry some Winter cloath to Parks to cloath the Negro Martha Osborn 2 I lived a mile from him. he was at my house in fall or Winter was setting in he offer’d my Son Wm. 5£ or some Sum to kill his negro my Son resented the thing

MS .

1.

Asa Sparks had served as a private in various regiments for several short terms between Dec. 1776 and Oct. 1780.

 2.

Martha Osborn was described in Increase Sumner’s case notes as “a Shaking Quaker.” See Increase Sumner Papers, 1746–1799, MHS.