Charles Mitchell, enslaved since boyhood, was a stowaway aboard the SS Eliza Anderson sailing from Olympia Washington to Victoria. When the steamer arrived in Victoria word soon spread that a slave was being detained on board. The Royal BC Museum and Archives documented that “As many as 700 people gathered dockside on September 25th, 1860 calling for his release.” The case was taken immediately to the BC Supreme Court where Charles Mitchell was declared a free man because he was on British soil.
Watch the video produced by the Royal BC Museum in a series “This Week in History: Charles Mitchell, from slavery to freedom.
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Author: Crawford Kilian Producer: Anthony Brown February 4, 2013, Film showing at Greater Victoria Public Library – Main Branch, Broughton Street
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