| Bill Wheeler Sentence |
| In 1841 an armed insurrection that began in Charles County with slaves from Prince George's and St. Mary's Counties. They met and combined forces near Washington. At Montgomery County near Gaithersburg they fought a pitched battle with some farmers. Several of the slaves were killed, the rest of the group was subdued. Public trials were held in Charles County. Bill Wheeler, a free black, was sentenced to death on September 4, 1845. Mark Ceasa, another free black, was tried. The first time he had a hung jury. The second trial resulted in convictions on 10 of the 36 indictments against him. As a 37 year old man he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. |