William Gilman
(1800-1880) William Gilman, was a Kentuckian and owner of the Charleston
Hotel who had lived in Illinois since the 1830s. He was not very
well-educated though he served as Justice of the Peace and later as
Constable for Charleston. During the trial in his court in August, he
was considered a pro-slavery man, hence, the defense asked that two
other justices of the peace join him as a panel to decide on whether or
not Jane and the children should be considered fugitive slaves.
However, by 1864 when he was injured during the Charleston Riot, he was
labeled a Republican. The panel of justices decided that Jane and the
children were blacks living in Coles County without a certificate of
freedom, so they would be held in jail until, after the proper public
notices, the would be hired out to the highest bidder at auction.