Dr. John Doy (-1869) was an English-born abolitionist best known for his dramatic escape from a Missouri prison. In January 1859, Doy attempted to lead a group of Missouri freedom seekers from Kansas to Iowa, but slave catchers overtook the party and clapped Doy and his son in jail. In June 1859, Missouri authorities sentenced Doy to five years of hard labor for “seducing” slaves from the state, but a band of Lawrence abolitionists rescued Doy from prison in July. Still a fugitive, Doy published his Narrative (1860) recounting his confinement and rescue. Missouri governor Thomas Fletcher finally pardoned Doy after the state abolished slavery in 1865. Doy died in 1869 in Battle Creek, Michigan, of suspected suicide.
ROLES: Abolitionist // UGRR Operative