If slaveowners wanted to retrieve an escaped slave across state lines, all they had to do was show proof of ownership to court officials. There was a thing called free soilers; the free soilists were anti-slavery.
Benson says in addition, Wisconsin had European immigrants who were descendants of slaves and were against the practice, and there was religious opposition as well. His former owner, along with a group of men that included law enforcement, found Glover in his Racine cabin, beat him up, and threw him in a wagon headed for the Milwaukee County Jail with the intent of returning him to St.
That effort was unsuccessful. Eventually, the crowd rushed the jail. Some of the protesters fashioned a battering ram from a wooden beam at the construction site of the soon-to-be built Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist.
The crowd freed Glover, cheering and parading him through the street to a nearby wagon. Sherman Booth led a group of abolitionists who transported Joshua Glover through the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists led by a man named Sherman Booth stormed the jail the next morning. He was on his way to freedom. He spent over a month traveling from safe house to safe house along the Underground Railroad. It was a system of homes abolitionists used to help freedom seekers make their way to safety.
Joshua spent many nights in fear that he would be captured again. Many men and women risked everything they had to defy the Fugitive Slave Act and keep Joshua safe. After nearly 40 days on the run, Joshua was put aboard a steamer headed to Canada. Joshua lived the rest of his life in Canada as a free man. He did what free men and women around the world do. He found a job. He found a place to live. He made friends.
Ruby West Jackson and Walter T. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, Olin," in The Olin Album, Indianapolis: Baker Randolph Co. Transcribed by Burlington Historical Society. Joel Winters. Explore This Park. Place of Birth:. Date of Birth:. Place of Death:. Date of Death:. In the meantime Mr. Booth had returned to the jail with some five hundred citizens.
Writs of habeas corpus were issued on both the marshal and sheriff. About this time a dispatch was received from Racine stating that a large meeting had been held and strong resolutions passed in regard to a United States Marshal coming into their midst and kidnapping a citizen without legal process, or even having an examination before their own authorities.
On reception of this news from Racine, the public became more and more excited. There was an impromptu meeting held and Dr.
Wolcott was appointed Chairman and A. Biefeld Secretary. Booth explained to the thousand or more people that a second meeting had been called at Racine in which the people pledged themselves to do their utmost to rescue Glover by habeas corpus and secure a fair and impartial trial by jury.
Speeches were made, a vigilance page LVI committee was appointed of twenty-five to wait on Sheriff Page and ascertain if he would obey a writ of habeas corpus. After doing this, the meeting was adjourned to meet at the ringing of the bells. At p.
Watkins was chairman, waited on Judge Miller to see if he would obey the writ. The judge pompously informed him that he would not do so; that Glover would remain in jail until a. By p. They landed at the steamboat wharf and marched to the county jail.
The bells were ringing and the people assembled in large numbers. Booth explained to the Racine delegation what had been done and denounced the Fugitive Slave Act. But he cautioned the people against violence. Watkins reported that Judge Miller had decided that the writ of habeas corpus should not be obeyed and that no earthly power should take Glover from the jail before Monday. Watkins said it was an outrage to keep Glover in jail over the Sabbath without medical aid, as he had been badly assaulted, maimed and covered with blood by the cruel treatment of Garland and United States Marshal Cotton; that there were times when the people must take the law into their own hands, but whether the present was such a time the people must judge.
He would give no advice on that point. After a conference of the vigilance committee with the Racine delegation it was decided to report at the American House, take tea and consult as to the best course to be pursued. Booth made his announcement publicly, when the crowd made a rush for the jail. On arriving there, a demand was made for the keys of the jail of the under-sheriff of the jail, S. But the request was denied, whereupon, about twenty strong and resolute men seized a large timber some eight or ten inches square and twenty feet long and went for the jail page LVII door; bumb, bumb, bumb, and down came the jail door and out came Glover.
About this time, the United States Marshal made his appearance upon the scene, and a rescue was attempted from those who had Glover in their possession, and for about twenty minutes or half an hour the devil was to pay. Glover was well kept in hand by his rescuers from the jail to Wisconsin street, about one thousand people following in the wake. Sometimes it seemed as though the marshal and sheriffs posse would rescue him from the angry populace, but on they went from Wisconsin street to East Water street, and down East Water street to what was then called Walkers Point bridge, while the crowd was constantly increasing.
But the victory was for the rescuers. On arriving at the bridge, John A. Messenger, a Democrat, came along and wanted to know what was up What was this large crowd in search of, was his inquiry. After being told, he said, Put that man into my buggy, and no quicker said than done, and away he went with the whole posse of the United States Government in his wake. But he had a fleet and strong horse.
He took a westerly course out of the city toward Waukesha, but he meandered on several roads, here and there, so that the slave-hunters on his track gave up the chase and exclaimed, Lost, lost, lost. Messenger continued his journey until he arrived in Waukesha, as that was considered the surest avenue of escape for all fugitives from slavery. When he arrived at Waukesha, his horse was pretty well used up, as the roads were heavy and he had been pursued for some distance by men on horseback and even by men on foot, so that he had to put his horse at the top of his speed to escape such a hungry and anxious crowd.
John A. Messenger was born at Egremont, Berkshire county, Massachusetts in , and came to Milwaukee in , he had studied for the practice of medicine, but being of active, energetic turn of mind he left the slower ways of professional life and entered into real estate operation.
He purchased on the west side of Kilbourntown and began making improvements, saying that the west side had more high and dry land and more room for development than any other quarter of the city. Messenger early began the manufacture of bricks, and to contract for building public and private edifices. No one ever applied to him in vain for charity. In politics, he was a staunch Democrat, but his name will be forever green in history in connection with the rescue of Joshua Glover, an alleged escaped slave.
He took the escaped slave in his carriage and drove him from Milwaukee to Waukesha, where a band of anti-slavery men relieved him of his charge.
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