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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Quinn Pardons 3 Men For Underground Railroad Work

Outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn pardoned three men for their work with the Underground Railroad.  

The three men all lived in west central Illinois and were convicted more than 170 years ago based on laws that prohibited helping runaway slaves.  Those laws remained in place even after Illinois abolished slavery in 1824. 

Dr. Richard Eells was from Quincy.  He agreed to help a fugitive slave get to an Underground Railroad site but the slave was caught and Eells arrested.

Eells was convicted and fined, but remained a leader in the abolitionist movement and helped hundreds of other enslaved African Americans escape to freedom. 

Quinn also pardoned Julius Willard and his son Samuel.  They helped a woman reach the Underground Railroad from their Jacksonville home.  The Willards were also convicted and fined.

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon and her staff worked with historians and legal interns to prepare clemency petitions in the cases. 

Editor's Note: WUIS's Rachel Otwell wrote the original story.