Patty Cannon Reverse Underground Railroad

In the early 1800s, a woman named Patty Cannon led the Cannon–Johnson gang on the Delmarva Peninsula, kidnapping free Black people and fugitive slaves and selling them south into bondage in what became known as the Reverse Underground Railroad.

In 1829 authorities arrested her after discovering the remains of several Black victims on her Delaware property, and she was indicted on multiple counts of murder. That same year she was also accused of killing a slave owner and stealing 15,000 dollars from him. Cannon allegedly confessed to many killings and died in jail at Georgetown, Delaware, while awaiting trial.

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