On April 1, 1858, Blairsville Constable George Wilkinson was summoned to quell a mob of angry Blairsville citizens, a mixture of black and white men who had surrounded three slave catchers attempting to kidnap a former slave named Richard Newman. Newman had been living in Blairsville, a hub of the UGRR, for nearly 6 years. Wilkinson did not recognize the validity of the warrant carried by the deputy and advised the slave catchers to leave Blairsville immediately. Wilkinson, who resided on Market Street, was the son of Revolutionary War soldier Mott Wilkinson and had moved to Blairsville from the Scranton area in 1820. In addition to serving as constable, he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the PA Militia, a master bricklayer, and owner of the Union House, and at the time of his death in 1902 he was one of Blairsville's wealthiest men.