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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY 383
of the town, to use the church, but on account of the hostility of the
people, it was not considered safe to allow him its use, and it Avas finally
closed against him. A decidedly heated discussion of the advisability
of allowing the use of the church for such purpose took place at the
mayor's office, aiid was participated in by John Beatty on behalf of
the lecturer and in favor of allowing him the use of the church, and by
Col. John N. Sloan in opposition. The sympathy of the people was with
the latter at that time.
The total black population of Sandusky as late as 1841 did not exceed
forty, and there were, prior to that date, not more than seven abolitionists
among the white population to whom fugitives could be directed
safely and from whom they could expect aid. The.exciting discussions
of the political campaign of 1844 increased the number of abolitionists,
and at the October election in that year the abolition candidate for governor,
Mr. King, received in Erie County votes as follows: Vermillion 11,
Florence 8, Berlin 15, Huron 1, Oxford 8, Groton 1, Margaretta 5, Perkins
1, Milan 2, Portland and Sandusky City 21. One of these two votes
cast in Milan at this election was voted by Mr. George Barney, later residing
in Sandusky, who Avas the candidate on that ticket for the office
of sheriff, and recei\'ed a total vote in the county of 66, but was not
elected, Isaac Fowler, a whig, being the successful candidate.
A meeting Avas held at the courthouse March 6, 1845, at Sandusky,
Ohio, about the time two runaAvay slave boys had been captured, which
was largely composed of and attended by the best citizens of the place as
related in the columns of the papers then published. Erastus Cooke,
brother of Hon. Eleutherous Cooke, Avas chairman, and James D. Lea,
secretary of the meeting, and John AVheeler, Charles Rice, John N.
Sloane, William Carkuff and James Wright committee on resolutions,
and William B. Smith on printing the proceedings of the meeting. It
was stated in the printed report that the meeting Avas called to correct
an erroneous impression that the citizens of Sandusky are so generally
abolitionists that they offer every facility to" the fugitiA'e to make good
his escape, and this meeting is more particularly called at this time in
consequence of the treatment to Avhich certain citizens of Kentucky were
subjected a few days since, AVIIO came here to reclaim their slaves. The
immediate cause of said meeting arose from the following transactions:
About noon of the twenty-eighth day of February, 1845, Charles S.
Mitchell, Andrew J. Driskell, Alexander B. Martin and Dennis Luony
seized two black boys as fugitives from labor from the State of Kentucky.
One was taken in the woodhouse of the gentleman with whom he had
lived, while sawing wood, the other in the street. The boys Avere carried
to an upper room in the "Mansion House" and held under keepers. For
these acts the captors were arrested on a writ issued by Z. W. Barker,
Esq., and on an examination before him, assisted by Hon. E. B. Sadler,
then the mayor of the town, were ordered to give bonds in the sum of
$100 each for their appearance at the next court of common pleas, on
charge of riot. Immediately an affidavit was made that the boys Dock
and William were unlawfully detained, and writs of habeas corpus were