The Jerry Rescue

The Jerry Rescue. . In 1827, the State of New York was among the first in the Union to abolish slavery. By the mid-1800's, Syracuse was known nationally as a hub of anti-slavery activity. Harriet Tubman, Gerrit Smith, the Rev. Samuel J. May, and the Rev. Jermain W. Loguen lived in the area and played historic roles helping escaped slaves reach freedom and safety in the northern United States and Canada. They organized and maintained the secret routes and hiding places known as the Underground Railroad., Their Abolitionist sentiments were shared by many men and women in the community. When Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, a local Vigilance Committee publicly called on people everywhere to oppose it. Then-Mayor, Alfred H. Hovey, was one of the community leaders who denounced the law, as "a most flagrant outrage upon the inalienable rights of man." , With the attention of the nation focused on the acts of civil disobedience this position might spark, the great American orator, Daniel Webster, came to Syracuse and delivered a dramatic address from a balcony overlooking City Hall. He warned the supporters of the Vigilance Committee of the dire legal consequences they faced in opposing the Fugitive Slave Law., Meanwhile, William "Jerry" Henry had escaped from slavery in Missouri, and was working as a cabinet maker and cooper in Syracuse. At noon on October 1st, 1851, he was apprehended, taken before the local U.S. Commissioner, and charged as a fugitive slave. Alerted, the Vigilance Committee sprang into action. A first, disorganized attempt to free Jerry that afternoon failed. But, later that evening, a mob of outraged citizens, both black and white, stormed the jail across Clinton Street from this site, and rescued him. Jerry was hidden in the city for a few days, then spirited north along the Underground Railroad to Kingston, Ontario., Twenty-seven people, including Loguen and eleven other black citizens, were indicted for their involvement. Enoch Reed, a black man, was the only person convicted of any crime related to the rescue; it was a minor offense, and he died before his case could be heard on appeal., For many years afterward, Abolitionists from all over the north gathered in Syracuse on October 1st, to celebrate Jerry's rescue.