Clause 14 permitted an enslaved person alleged to have been wantonly punished or confined to testify in the trial of the person accused of that abuse. In that specific setting the witness did not need the certificates normally required by the act for enslaved testimony. The exception created a narrow legal opening while leaving status, credibility, and wider access to justice controlled by colonial courts. (Consolidated Slave Act, clause(s) 14.)
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In what kind of prosecution could the abused enslaved person testify without the act’s usual certificates?
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Explanation
Clause 14 allowed testimony in a prosecution for improper punishment or confinement.
Clause 15 could punish an enslaved complainant if officials considered the complaint groundless.
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Explanation
Possible sanctions included up to 39 lashes or 30 days of hard labor.