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The Liberation of Jane Johnson: Her Famous Escape and Court Testimony

Jane Johnson (circa 1814/1827-1872) and her two young sons, Daniel and Isaiah, were slaves of one John Hill Wheeler of North Carolina, who brought them north to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on his way to New York in July 1855 en route to a government position in Nicaragua. In Philadelphia, Johnson was able to get word to abolitionists William Still (1819-1902) and Passmore Williamson (1822-1895), who rescued her from Wheeler and sent her on her way to freedom in Canada.

Still, Williamson and five Black dockworkers who had assisted in freeing Johnson and her children were arrested. Williamson was charged with contempt of court for refusing to disclose Johnson’s location in the city, but, actually, he had no idea where she had been taken. Still had brought Johnson and her boys to a safe house without Williamson’s knowledge, and then later he snuck them into his home; from there, they were sent north.

While Williamson was in prison on the contempt charge, Still and the five others, charged with assault and causing riot, were taken to court. Still was charged with kidnapping as Wheeler claimed Johnson would never have left him of her own free will. Johnson, hearing of this through the Underground Railroad, returned to Philadelphia, at great personal risk, to testify on behalf of Still, Williamson, and the others who had helped her gain her freedom.

Bondage & Freedom in Philadelphia

Pennsylvania was a free state, and, by law, any slave brought by their master into its borders could claim their freedom – as could any slave who managed to arrive here on their own or with the help of the Underground Railroad. Masters traveling with their slaves through the state were therefore careful to keep them from talking to anyone, thereby preventing them from making their claim to freedom.

In the case of Jane Johnson, John Hill Wheeler kept her under constant watch and, when he was unable, locked her and the children in their hotel room. He told her, should she be asked, to say she was a free Black woman traveling with a minister, and to say nothing else. Johnson found the opportunity to speak with a Black porter at the hotel, telling him the truth, and the porter sent word to Still and Williamson.

When Wheeler and his party were about to leave from the Philadelphia port for New York, Williamson and Still intervened and, while the five Black dockworkers restrained Wheeler, informed Johnson of her legal rights in Philadelphia and offered their help in freeing her, which Johnson accepted.

Afterward, as noted, Still, Williamson, and the others were arrested. Still and three of the dockworkers were acquitted on the strength of Johnson’s testimony, and the other two were convicted of assault on Wheeler, fined, and jailed for a week. The event received national coverage, especially the unjust imprisonment of Williamson, and encouraged greater support for abolition in the North, further increasing tensions between free and slave states in the years leading up to the American Civil War.

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Passmore Williamson: Liberator and Celebrity Prisoner

Passmore Williamson (1822-1895) was a Quaker abolitionist, successful businessman, and member of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Williamson helped many slaves gain freedom, among them Henry Box Brown (circa 1815 to 1897), but is best known for the liberation of Jane Johnson (circa 1814/1827 to 1872) in July 1855 and his subsequent imprisonment, which made him a national celebrity.

Williamson and William Still (1819-1902), both active members of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and the Underground Railroad, rescued Johnson from her master, John Hill Wheeler, at the docks of Philadelphia, and Still carried her and her two sons off, hiding them in a safe house. Wheeler had Judge John K. Kane issue a writ of habeas corpus to Williamson for Johnson and the boys to appear in court. Williamson could not comply because he had no idea where Still had taken them. He was charged with contempt of court and sentenced to 100 days in Moyamensing Prison.

Jane Johnson's liberation, the subsequent trial of William Still and five dockworkers who had helped in her escape, and, especially, Williamson's imprisonment became national news, and Williamson a celebrity prisoner. He was visited by Harriet Tubman (circa 1822-1913), Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), and many others. Friends sent him gifts and all the comforts of home for his prison cell, and he granted interviews on the Jane Johnson escape and the evils of slavery to anyone who asked.

By the time he was freed, on 3 November 1855, his name was known nationwide, and his unjust imprisonment further escalated tensions between the free states of the North and the slave states of the South, leading up to the American Civil War. The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society published a book on the facts of the case of Passmore Williamson in 1855, which encouraged people's outrage and furthered the increasingly high tensions. An excerpt from that work appears below.

Early Life & Abolition

Passmore Williamson was born in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania, in 1822, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Williamson, both Quakers, who opposed slavery. He was one of three children, the other two girls, and, in the 1840s, the family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Thomas found work as a conveyancer preparing land deeds. Passmore took up his father's profession and became a successful businessman and respected member of the community. In 1848, he married Mercie Knowles Taylor, and the couple would have four children.

Having been raised by his parents to oppose slavery, he naturally joined the Pennsylvania Abolition Society in 1842 and was elected secretary in 1848. Even among the staunchest abolitionists, Williamson was considered a radical and devoted himself fully to the cause in any way that he could, whether directly as an agent and conductor on the Underground Railroad or indirectly by financing operations to free slaves.

In 1849, Williamson was instrumental in freeing Henry Box Brown from slavery. Brown hit upon the idea of having himself mailed in a box from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, but, of course, he needed an address to be mailed to. Williamson agreed to have Brown delivered to him and was present when the box was opened, and Brown stepped out a free man.

As Pennsylvania was a free state, once a slave arrived there, they were legally free. Slaves brought into the state by their masters, for whatever reason, could claim their freedom; but only if they could find some way to let people know they were enslaved, not a free Black servant or free Black traveling with a White companion, which was the story masters encouraged their slaves to tell if asked. This was the case with Jane Johnson, who had been told by her master, Wheeler, to tell anyone who asked that she was a free Black traveling with her friend, a White minister.

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Passmore Williamson: Libérateur et Prisonnier Vedette

Passmore Williamson (1822-1895) était un abolitionniste quaker, un homme d'affaires prospère et un membre du chemin de fer clandestin à Philadelphie, en Pennsylvanie. Williamson aida de nombreux esclaves à recouvrer la liberté, dont Henry Box Brown (vers 1815 à 1897), mais il est surtout connu pour le sauvetage de Jane Johnson (vers 1814/1827 à 1872) en juillet 1855 et son emprisonnement ultérieur, qui lui valut une célébrité nationale.