Description
(Excerpted from longer article) By the Spring of 1858 a fugitive slave had made his way from somewhere and some owner in the South to a house 5 miles westerly from Lawrence, Kansas on the road to Topeka.
In that house he was staying on the day of the Spring election of 1858 (May 18, 1858). His owner had offered a reward to the man who would return his slave to him.
Accordingly, Jake Hurd, fellow living near by, heard of the case and set out to get the reward. Soon the afternoon of election day, when the men were gone from home, Jake Hurd saw his chance and with another fellow and a horse went to that house and called on the woman living there to deliver up the fugitive. This she refused to do. Next, they threatened to burn out the fugitive - he was down in the cellar - and they set the house on fire.
But the woman went to work to put out the fire, whereupon Jake got his fugitive out of the cellar and upon his horse and hurried him away to Lecompton, which was 6 miles to the north on the Kansas river. Here he secreted him or sent him down stream and probably got the reward offered by the owner of the slave.
But Mr. Leonard, the owner of the house in which the slave was secreted, and a dozen or so of his neighbors, who were attending the election were notified of the capture and carrying off of the fugitive and rallied at once, and drove off towards Lecompton, hoping to capture Jake and his fugitive, and carry them back.
But Jake and his prize were gone, and the rescuing party was foiled in its hopes to save a man from slavery and to visit upon Jake Hurd, justice or no more than the due reward of bis deeds.
His next move was to join the Secession, or Southern Army while several brothers of his joined the Northern or Union Army, and so they fought.
Not long afterward, however when attempting to board cars in Kansas City, he fell under the train which was in motion and was crushed to death. Warren Stowe
(Researcher's note: Slave trader and kidnapper Jake Hurd was known to operate in Platte County, Missouri.)Date(s) of Creation
5/18/1858
