How Did Law Trials Change Over Time?
The trials and stories surrounding pirates in the 1810s can be compared to those of which that surround Gilles de Rais because of the structure of the trial and subsequent punishment, the mainstream ideals of the time, and the conflict of religion versus the state. The issues that come about in law trials did not change over time because these factors always complicate the trial process.
In a report written in 1819, the unknown author gives the reader “a brief account of the horrid massacre of the captain, mate and supercargo” that happened in July of 1816. According to this report, four crewmembers, John Williams, John Rog, Francis Frederick, and Niles Fogelgreen, led by Williams, killed the captain and the supercargo, threw the first officer overboard, and held the second officer hostage. The ship, sailing from Baltimore to Europe, had approximately 42 thousand dollars’ worth of coffee and other valuables onboard. The crew divvied up the goods and sold them in Norway, but caused too much suspicion when they next stopped in Copenhagen, so the authorities arrested them and sent them to Boston to await trial. Their trial was open to the public, and the courtroom was full of excited …show more content…
Even with the added layer of fictional narrative, Huysmans’ character understood the problem that people face today when researching past trials because “exactitude was an impossibility. How could anyone be expected to understand the Middle Ages when nobody had been able to give a convincing account of more recent events?” Despite the continued lack of information, readers can understand that the trials were important. A trial needed to have cultural significance in order for it to reach the arts. Once there, the artist could then use his or her own interpretation of the trial to convey a specific
In a report written in 1819, the unknown author gives the reader “a brief account of the horrid massacre of the captain, mate and supercargo” that happened in July of 1816. According to this report, four crewmembers, John Williams, John Rog, Francis Frederick, and Niles Fogelgreen, led by Williams, killed the captain and the supercargo, threw the first officer overboard, and held the second officer hostage. The ship, sailing from Baltimore to Europe, had approximately 42 thousand dollars’ worth of coffee and other valuables onboard. The crew divvied up the goods and sold them in Norway, but caused too much suspicion when they next stopped in Copenhagen, so the authorities arrested them and sent them to Boston to await trial. Their trial was open to the public, and the courtroom was full of excited …show more content…
Even with the added layer of fictional narrative, Huysmans’ character understood the problem that people face today when researching past trials because “exactitude was an impossibility. How could anyone be expected to understand the Middle Ages when nobody had been able to give a convincing account of more recent events?” Despite the continued lack of information, readers can understand that the trials were important. A trial needed to have cultural significance in order for it to reach the arts. Once there, the artist could then use his or her own interpretation of the trial to convey a specific