The Jerry Rescue

This chapter details the rescue of William Henry, a fugitive slave also known as Jerry, from a jail cell where he awaited his extradition to the South. It points out that Jerry was rescued by antislavery advocates in Syracuse, New York in October 1851. It also mentions Rev. Samuel Ringgold Ward, who participated in the liberation campaign that was later dubbed the “Jerry Rescue.” The chapter covers Ward's account of the rescue that is considered both evidence and allegory as it qualifies as eyewitness testimony. It features an excerpt from Ward's autobiography, wherein he related the details of the Jerry Rescue and indicated what lessons abolitionists should take from it.