Newport Fugitive Slave Rescue

In July 1841, three Maryland slaves, Alick, Tom, and Ben, were pursued to Newport by bounty hunters. Ben drowned while attempting to cross the Juniata River, and 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 episode reflected growing tensions between the North and the South before the Civil War and helped lead to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.

Newport, Pennsylvania · United States