Biography
John C. Cluer was an abolitionist speaker jailed in Boston during the prosecution of people accused of attempting to rescue Anthony Burns from rendition under the Fugitive Slave Act. Arrested on May 27, 1854, he was committed to jail on allegations that included involvement in the death of James Batchelder. A June 7 newspaper report listed him as discharged. His later federal prosecution with other abolitionists ended in 1855; that proceeding does not establish uninterrupted jail time until then. At an antislavery meeting in July 1854, Cluer spoke publicly about his imprisonment and reaffirmed his commitment to abolition.
