Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University

People convicted-rightfully or not-of criminal conduct such as murder, adultery, or theft could be condemned to enslavement.

The following description of Fargina, convicted of adultery, was published in John W. Barber, A History of the Amistad Captives (New Haven, Conn. 1840):

"Fahi-dzin-na, [Fa-gin-na,] (twin) 5 ft. 4 in. marked on the face with the small pox; was born at Tom-bo-lu, a town of Bomboli, in the Mendi country. He was made a slave by Tamu for crim. Con. With his wife. Tamu sold him to a Mendi man, who sold him to Laigo, a Spaniard, the same who purchased Grabeau. He says many people in his country have the small pox, to cure which, they oil their bodies."