Baltimore

At the young age of 20 years old, while deployed as a member of the Pennsylvania Reserves, William Iams made an ill-advised cheer. What immediately followed was his torture by his own commanders nearly to the point of unconsciousness, literal tar and feathering out of camp, dismissal from the Army, and an national news spectacle with court-room drama. And ultimately, his violent death only four years later.

Raleigh Brown Ijams was born into a wealthy family in modern day West Virginia, raised in Baltimore and later lived in Manhattan. He engaged in a variety of business ventures. He never married, nor had any children, and died at a relatively young age of 48. Fortunately, through his appreciation of a young Helen Keller, we learn much more about Raleigh.