Oberlin-Wellington Rescue

On this day in 1859, John Price, who had recently escaped enslavement, was kidnapped by a US Marshall (Federal Police) who sought to return him to his enslavers under the Fugitive Slave Act in Oberlin, Ohio. Oberlin was a known stronghold of abolitionism, having freed other recaptured fugitive slaves in the 1840's with one newspaper describing those involved as "fanatical abolition anarchists". Knowning this, the Marshall took Price south to Wellington where he planned to board a train to Kentucky. A group of abolitionists found out and followed him to Wellington where they rescued Price by force and he escaped to Canada. While there are many instances of rescues happening, this rescue in particular is notable because it is considered a key event in the lead up to the Civil War. The rescue got widespread news coverage and kept the debate about slavery in the public mind. It is also notable because two men involved went on to take part in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. John Anthony Copeland Jr. and Lewis Sheridan Leary were two Black freedom fighters involved in both this incident and the raid on Harper's Ferry. Leary died from wounds sustained during the raid and Copeland was executed. Their actions led not only to the freedom of the individuals they helped but to the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.