Newport Fugitive Slave Rescue
In July 1841, three Md. slaves, Alick, Tom, and Ben, were pursued to Newport by bounty hunters. While Ben drowned as he attempted to cross the Juniata River, the other two were captured. Several Newport citizens aided the fugitives' escape, and in 1842 six of them were fined in a federal court for their actions. The event is an example of growing tensions between the North and the South prior to the Civil War that led to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov
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