A Body Double and Some Cross Dressing
Lewis Williams was a Black boy who actually escaped from slavery not once, but twice. He escaped slavery as a young boy in Kentucky and grew up as a free child in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, at the age of 20 he confessed to a psychic that he actually escaped slavery. The woman ratted him out and Williams was quickly apprehended. Fortunately for him Cincinnati was the home of Rev. William Troy, who refused to let the young boy go back to a life of being enslaved. Troy called on the aid of a young boy who looked incredibly similar to Williams. When it was time for William’s court appearance, Troy had the courtroom packed with abolitionists who caused quite the fuss and distracted authorities as Williams switched places with his body double. Eventually a bailiff realized the defendant was a completely different person and the body double was also set free. Then there was the matter of getting out the courthouse. Troy simply dressed Williams up as a girl and the two strolled out of the courthouse and back home as if nothing had ever happened.
