Luther Donnell

Released
Gender:Male
Race:White
Era:1800s
State:Indiana
Support
Abolitionism Underground Railroad
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Biography

Luther Donnell was a Decatur County, Indiana abolitionist who in 1847 helped a woman named Caroline and her children — recaptured after escaping from Kentucky — obtain a writ of habeas corpus and reach freedom in Canada via the Underground Railroad. Arrested and indicted under Indiana law for "aiding Negroes to escape," he was found guilty, and a $3,000 civil judgment was entered against him. In 1852 the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the criminal verdict, holding the law unconstitutional.

Case

Charges: Aiding freedom seekers to escape (Indiana, 1847) — helping Caroline and her children reach Canada.
Incarcerated: 1847
Sentence: A $3,000 civil judgment; the criminal conviction was later voided. Verdict as recorded: Yes — found guilty; the criminal verdict was overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court in 1852.
Convicted: Yes

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