The murder of William Robinson, an African-American immigrant to Canada and a Sunday school teacher, occurred in March 1868 on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. A short investigation and trial convicted a local Chemainus Indigenous man named Tom (Tshuanahusset) for the murder. Later historians have questioned the validity of the verdict and the lack of evidence of Tshuanahusset's guilt.

Life and murder

William Robinson, along with a few other

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

s, immigrated to

in Canada in the mid-1860s. He lived peacefully by himself in an isolated cabin and often attended church. Within a few years of his immigration, he was murdered. Evidence suggests that he was shot in the back while eating dinner. His murder was one of a string of murders that plagued this small community during the mid to late 1860s. An investigation was launched to discover who had committed the gruesome killing.

Investigation and trial

The investigation soon concluded that a local Chemainus Indigenous man, Tshuanahusset, was responsible for William's murder. A trial quickly found Tshuanahusset guilty and sentenced him to death shortly after. Unfortunately for the community, Tshuanahusset's execution did not prevent another African-American settler, Giles Curtis, from being murdered. The case against Tshuanahusset was questionable at best and historians have wondered whether or not he was the actual murderer. Certain evidence does point to Tshuanahusset murdering William Robinson. A local resident, John Norton, was told by an anonymous Indigenous person fishing near his house that Tshuanahusset had killed William Robinson and the murder weapon was hidden in a box in his house. Furthermore, Sue Tas, a member of Tshuanahusset's tribe, claims to have been with Tshuanahusset when he murdered William Robinson and testified to this in court. The evidence against Tshuanahusset seems overwhelming, but there are many holes in the case against him. For example, the auger (allegedly belonging to Robinson) that was found in his house was 'lost' in the lake after it fell out of the Constable's

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

. Tshuanahusset was also the only one seriously investigated, even though there were other people who should have been strong suspects in the investigation. The killing of another African-American after Tshuanahusset's execution creates the possibility that Robinson's murderer struck again. Who truly murdered William Robinson, however, has never been identified.

References

External links

Who Killed William Robinson? website
1868 murders in Canada 1868 deaths Deaths by firearm in British Columbia Deaths by person in Canada History of Black people in British Columbia Murder in British Columbia 1868 murders in North America {{Canada-law-stub