As you all now it was illegal to help free slaves and many people spent years in prison for that "supposed" crime back in the 19th century. In fact, in Kentucky back in the time when slavery was legal, The Rev. Calvin Fairbank spent 17 years in a Kentucky prison, suffering beatings and brutal labor, for committing the felony of helping slaves escape to freedom.
According to McClatchy DC , at least 58 people, in Kentucky, were convicted for "seducing or enticing slaves to leave their lawful owners." Defendants faced 20 years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary, where some died. One, David C. McDonald, was forgotten and languished in prison until 1870, five years after slavery was abolished.
Today, some activits are working to clear the names of those whose their crimes were only to help other human being to be free. In fact, they want Gov. Steve Beshear to issue pardons for the slave rescuers, albeit posthumously.
"I want to resurrect their names and deeds and give them their proper place in history," said James Prichard, 56, a retired state archivist who spent much of his career studying slavery in Kentucky.
Prichard is working with public defender Rodney Barnes and Barnes' intern Jared Schultze, both of whom are volunteering their time. The idea of Barnes' after he saw a display at Frankfort's Capital City Museum that mentioned the crime of slave stealing. The Kentucky State Penitentiary, where most slave rescuers served their time, was in Frankfort, under the current State Office Building, until it was razed early in the 20th century.
I have to applaud their work and hope that they will succeed in clearly the names of those people who should be considered as heros not criminals. It's a shame that no one before thought to rehabilitate their names after nearly 2 centuries.
Since the governor of Kentucky is a democrat, I have good faith that he will issue a pardon to clear the names of those men and women, black and white, whose crimes were to "commit" the finest act ever.