Feature Article on Buddie Shang.
Topic: BLACK HISTORY & PEOPLE
Written by Rich Wallace in February, 1997
A BLACK MAN ACCUSED OF MURDER |
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| Sensational
trials have been a part of the fabric of American life and history since the beginning of
our country. Examples abound: The trial of Aaron Burr, the case against the kidnappers of
the Charles Lindbergh baby, the famous Ohio case of Dr. Sam Shepherd, and recently, the
People v. O.J.Simpson. Questions about trial by jury continue to both haunt and fascinate
us. Will the defendant get a fair trial? Can the jurors avoid the swell of pre-trail
publicity and objectively consider the facts? These very questions swirled in the mind of
Buddie Shang, a 75 year old black man charged with the shotgun slaying of a white man, as
he sat in front of an all white jury in Sidney of January 27, 1890. This is his story.In one of
the greatest events in black history, John Randolph,
a Virginia plantation and slave owner, freed his slaves by the terms of his will, executed
prior to the Civil War. After will
contest lawsuits by his next of kin were resolved by the courts over a period of 13 years,
a band of lonely and frightened former slaves found their way north to the Ohio River.
After crossing the Ohio, the freed men and women traveled by canal boat northward and eventually settled in west central Ohio. A number of them formed the settlement of Rumley. It was located off state route 29 near McCartyville. A few moved to Sidney. Among them: a young black man named Shadrack White. For reasons history does not record, Shadrack obtained the nickname "Buddie Shang." Buddie quickly became a favorite among the residents of Sidney. He was well liked, and was often kidded about his two favorite things: fishing and corn liquor. Buddie's motto, when referring to his need for the latter, was always "I'm dry as a hoss." He lived in Lacyburg, a shanty town that was located along the canal feeder south of Water Street. The settlement was composed mostly of blacks, who were not especially welcome in Sidney in those days. |
Shadrack White -- otherwise known by Sidney residents as Buddie Shang. [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] |
