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Ruthie
The Blackburn Affair:
An early scene in Book Six is a famous piece of Detroit history from 1833, years before the Fugitive Slave Act. It seems a black couple, Thornton Blackburn and his wife, Ruthie had come to Detroit as runaway slaves a few years before. They had become members of the community and Thornton had a cart with which he did errands and odd jobs. Things were good until a southern sheriff arrived with a warrant for their arrest. You will need to read the book to get the wonderful details but suffice to say, the Blackburns make a daring escape to Canada aided by the abolitionists of Detroit. From there they went to Toronto where he formed the first taxi company in the Canadian city. I feel that with this event, a gauntlet was thrown down on the streets of Detroit where it would remain for years to come. Read More
An early scene in Book Six is a famous piece of Detroit history from 1833, years before the Fugitive Slave Act. It seems a black couple, Thornton Blackburn and his wife, Ruthie had come to Detroit as runaway slaves a few years before. They had become members of the community and Thornton had a cart with which he did errands and odd jobs. Things were good until a southern sheriff arrived with a warrant for their arrest. You will need to read the book to get the wonderful details but suffice to say, the Blackburns make a daring escape to Canada aided by the abolitionists of Detroit. From there they went to Toronto where he formed the first taxi company in the Canadian city. I feel that with this event, a gauntlet was thrown down on the streets of Detroit where it would remain for years to come. Read More