Skip to content

Walter Phoenix

AKA: Walter Phenix; Walter Phinney
Released
Gender:Male
Race:Black
Era:1800s
State:Massachusetts
Support
No image available

Biography

Walter Phoenix was a Black defendant jailed after the May 26, 1854 attempt to rescue Anthony Burns in Boston. Initially accused of riotous conduct, he was included in a collective murder complaint and committed to jail after the May 27 hearing. The June 7 report placed him among the defendants held on $3,000 bail for riot. The available records establish multi-day pretrial detention; they do not establish when bail was posted, his exact release date or the final disposition. (whose name also appears as Phenix and Phinney in contemporary reporting)

Case

Charges: Collective murder complaint after the Anthony Burns rescue attempt; later held on riot bail
Arrested: May 26, 1854
Incarcerated: May 27, 1854
Sentence: Actual custody after arrest May 26, 1854 and jail commitment May 27. The June 7 report records $3,000 bail for riot. Bail being set is not proof that it was posted; exact release and total duration remain unverified.