Mob frees fugitive Shadrach Minkins after his arrest in Boston

U.S. Deputy Marshal Patrick Riley and his men arrested a fugitive slave from Norfolk, VA named Shadrach Minkins, who had been working as a waiter at Taft's Cornhill Coffee House.  Later in the day, members of the Boston Vigilance Committee, led by Lewis Hayden, rescued Minkins from custody.  The mob action and Minkins's successful escape to Canada shocked southerners who had expected greater northern compliance with the new Fugitive Slave Act. (By Matthew Pinsker)