"The Branham Affair" by Frederick A. P. Barnard
 

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Creation Date

3-1-1860

Description

In May 1859, while Chancellor Frederick A.P. Barnard was away, two students—J.P. Furniss and Samuel B. Humphreys—entered the residence of Professor Boynton, reportedly with the intent to assault Jane, a 29-year-old enslaved woman. Jane was beaten and apparently raped. Witnesses identified Humphreys as the assailant, and although some faculty members believed him morally guilty, the faculty ultimately declined to punish him, citing legal limitations that barred enslaved people from testifying against white individuals. Barnard then refused Humphreys’s re-admittance in the fall, sparking student protests and backlash from certain faculty members—Branham, Carter, and Richardson—who accused Barnard of relying on “negro testimony” and being unsound on slavery and states’ rights. This culminated in a “whispering campaign” and public attacks through the Mercury newspaper. In response, Barnard requested a formal investigation by the Board of Trustees, which convened in March 1860. After hearing from 17 witnesses, including Barnard, the board unanimously cleared him of all accusations. Despite claiming he was “sound” on slavery, Barnard held private reservations and would later renounce the institution. A more detailed account of this story is available in David G. Sansing’s The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History (1999): 96-98.

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