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EspañolPATTY CANNON
'Martha "Patty" Cannon', who apparently settled in the United States from Canada in 1802, was the leader of a gang in the early 1800s that kidnapped slaves and free blacks and transported and sold them to plantation owners located further south. According to folklore, Cannon was a large, unruly woman with enormous strength and a ruthless streak.[1]
Cannon was the wife of local farmer Jesse Cannon and was widowed at some point in 1826 or before. She lived near the town of Reliance, Maryland, U.S., then called Johnson's Corners, on the border at the convergence of Caroline County and Dorchester County, Maryland, and Sussex County, Delaware. Cannon led a band of kidnappers which included her son-in-law Joe Johnson and included her husband before his death.
The U.S. Congress banned the importation of slaves in 1808. At that point, because of the restriction of supply, the value of slaves shot upwards, hitting $1,000 in the South and creating a strong incentive for kidnappers. Many free blacks lived in Cannon's neighborhood near the Maryland-Delaware border, and were convenient targets for her kidnapping forays.
A book written about Cannon sixty years after she was most active, ''The Entailed Hat, Or, Patty Cannon's Times'' of 1884, provides a passage explaining the political and economic situation which made Cannon's crimes possible. It also explains why whites failed to come to the aid of their free black neighbors. The war in this passage is the British-American War of 1812, which lasted until 1815. "Tories" was slang for the British, who tried to recruit slave blacks to their army by promising freedom. The Chesapeake Bay locations referenced are Tangier Island of Virginia, Cambridge, Maryland and Georgetown, Delaware.
Victim accounts printed in the abolitionist journal the African Observer state that captives were chained and hidden in the basement, the attic, and secret rooms in the house. Captives were taken in covered wagons to Cannon's Ferry (now Woodland Ferry). At the ferry, they would sometimes meet a schooner traveling down the Nanticoke River to the Chesapeake Bay and on to Georgia slave markets.
The gang's activities continued for many years. Local law enforcement officials were reluctant to halt the illegal operations, given the lack of concern that most people in authority felt for blacks in those days, and may have been afraid of the gang's reputation for violence. When Patty Cannon learned the police were coming, she would slip across state lines away from local police forces.
According to depositions from victims who fought their way back to the north, Joe Johnson kept the captives in leg irons. He also "severely whipped" captives who insisted they were free. His wife, Patty's daughter, was overheard saying that it "did[her] good to see him beat the boys."[2] ("" was a degrading reference to a black man of any age; Mrs. Johnson was not referring to male children.)
A 25-year-old free black woman named Lydia Smith testified that she was kept in Cannon's home before being moved to Johnson's tavern. There, she was held for five months until she was shipped south with a large lot people being sold into slavery.
The gang was finally caught in May 1822. Joe Johnson was sentenced to the pillory[3] and 39 lashes; records show the sentence was carried out.
Based on witness accounts and the discovery of bodies on Cannon property, Patty Cannon was charged with suspicion of murder in 1829, including one count of murder of a child. Witness Cyrus James stated he saw her take an injured "black child not yet dead out in her apron, and but that it never returned."
In early spring of 1829, a grand jury found three indictments for murder against her. She died in her cell on May 11, 1829. Sources differ on whether she was convicted and sentenced to hang before her death in the cell, and on whether she committed suicide or died of natural causes. ''The Entailed Hat'' attributes her death to self-administered poison.
★ Cannon's story was popularized (and, to an unknown extent, fictionalized) by a novel, ''The Entailed Hat, Or, Patty Cannon's Times'' by George Alfred Townsend, which was published in 1884. Hardback editions were published in at least 1890, 1912, 1955 and 1969. A paperback was issued in March of 2007.
★ There is an historical marker placed at the "Patty Cannon House." Research by a PBS history series proved the marker was placed on land Joe Johnson bought in 1821 for $150, and that Patty Cannon bought from him in 1826 — but that her actual home was several hundred yards away. Her house, built sometime in the 1700s, was torn down in 1948.
★ Cannon was the basis of the slave-stealing Patty Ridenour character in an sixth-season episode of titled "Sins of the Father" which originally aired in January, 1998.[4]
★ The Wicomico County public school system of Salisbury, Maryland has posted the text of a play based on ''The Entailed Hat''.[5]
★ Various modern collections of ghost stories or "haunted history" include information on Patty Cannon.
1. Shields, J. "The infamous Patty Cannon in history and legend." Dover, DE : Bibliotheca Literaria Press, 1990.
2. ''Cannon House'' PDF transcript of the Season 1, Episode 4 segment on History Detectives, broadcast by PBS. Accessed online August 29, 2007.
3. The Domestic Slave Trade of the United States Winfield Hazlitt Collins, 1904, pp. 90-92. Accessed August 29, 2007.
4. Homicide: Life On The Street, "Sins of the Father" episode details at the Internet Movie Database. Accessed August 29, 2007.
5. A Play Based On ''The Entailed Hat'', full script in .doc format. Accessed August 29, 2007.
★ Patty Cannon, website with photo of Patty Cannon House historical marker. Accessed August 29, 2007.
★ History Detectives: Cannon House website containing transcript, photo, and evidence used in Season 1, Episode 4 of History Detectives television show aired on PBS.
★ ''The Entailed Hat: Or, Patty Cannon's Times'', entire text of book at Project Gutenberg. Accessed August 29, 2007.
★ Selections from ''The Entailed Hat'' at McDaniel Accessed August 29, 2007.
Cannon was the wife of local farmer Jesse Cannon and was widowed at some point in 1826 or before. She lived near the town of Reliance, Maryland, U.S., then called Johnson's Corners, on the border at the convergence of Caroline County and Dorchester County, Maryland, and Sussex County, Delaware. Cannon led a band of kidnappers which included her son-in-law Joe Johnson and included her husband before his death.
| Contents |
| Political and economic context |
| Accounts of the crimes |
| Popular culture |
| References |
| External links |
Political and economic context
The U.S. Congress banned the importation of slaves in 1808. At that point, because of the restriction of supply, the value of slaves shot upwards, hitting $1,000 in the South and creating a strong incentive for kidnappers. Many free blacks lived in Cannon's neighborhood near the Maryland-Delaware border, and were convenient targets for her kidnapping forays.
A book written about Cannon sixty years after she was most active, ''The Entailed Hat, Or, Patty Cannon's Times'' of 1884, provides a passage explaining the political and economic situation which made Cannon's crimes possible. It also explains why whites failed to come to the aid of their free black neighbors. The war in this passage is the British-American War of 1812, which lasted until 1815. "Tories" was slang for the British, who tried to recruit slave blacks to their army by promising freedom. The Chesapeake Bay locations referenced are Tangier Island of Virginia, Cambridge, Maryland and Georgetown, Delaware.
Accounts of the crimes
Victim accounts printed in the abolitionist journal the African Observer state that captives were chained and hidden in the basement, the attic, and secret rooms in the house. Captives were taken in covered wagons to Cannon's Ferry (now Woodland Ferry). At the ferry, they would sometimes meet a schooner traveling down the Nanticoke River to the Chesapeake Bay and on to Georgia slave markets.
The gang's activities continued for many years. Local law enforcement officials were reluctant to halt the illegal operations, given the lack of concern that most people in authority felt for blacks in those days, and may have been afraid of the gang's reputation for violence. When Patty Cannon learned the police were coming, she would slip across state lines away from local police forces.
According to depositions from victims who fought their way back to the north, Joe Johnson kept the captives in leg irons. He also "severely whipped" captives who insisted they were free. His wife, Patty's daughter, was overheard saying that it "did
A 25-year-old free black woman named Lydia Smith testified that she was kept in Cannon's home before being moved to Johnson's tavern. There, she was held for five months until she was shipped south with a large lot people being sold into slavery.
The gang was finally caught in May 1822. Joe Johnson was sentenced to the pillory[3] and 39 lashes; records show the sentence was carried out.
Based on witness accounts and the discovery of bodies on Cannon property, Patty Cannon was charged with suspicion of murder in 1829, including one count of murder of a child. Witness Cyrus James stated he saw her take an injured "black child not yet dead out in her apron, and but that it never returned."
In early spring of 1829, a grand jury found three indictments for murder against her. She died in her cell on May 11, 1829. Sources differ on whether she was convicted and sentenced to hang before her death in the cell, and on whether she committed suicide or died of natural causes. ''The Entailed Hat'' attributes her death to self-administered poison.
Popular culture
★ Cannon's story was popularized (and, to an unknown extent, fictionalized) by a novel, ''The Entailed Hat, Or, Patty Cannon's Times'' by George Alfred Townsend, which was published in 1884. Hardback editions were published in at least 1890, 1912, 1955 and 1969. A paperback was issued in March of 2007.
★ There is an historical marker placed at the "Patty Cannon House." Research by a PBS history series proved the marker was placed on land Joe Johnson bought in 1821 for $150, and that Patty Cannon bought from him in 1826 — but that her actual home was several hundred yards away. Her house, built sometime in the 1700s, was torn down in 1948.
★ Cannon was the basis of the slave-stealing Patty Ridenour character in an sixth-season episode of titled "Sins of the Father" which originally aired in January, 1998.[4]
★ The Wicomico County public school system of Salisbury, Maryland has posted the text of a play based on ''The Entailed Hat''.[5]
★ Various modern collections of ghost stories or "haunted history" include information on Patty Cannon.
References
1. Shields, J. "The infamous Patty Cannon in history and legend." Dover, DE : Bibliotheca Literaria Press, 1990.
2. ''Cannon House'' PDF transcript of the Season 1, Episode 4 segment on History Detectives, broadcast by PBS. Accessed online August 29, 2007.
3. The Domestic Slave Trade of the United States Winfield Hazlitt Collins, 1904, pp. 90-92. Accessed August 29, 2007.
4. Homicide: Life On The Street, "Sins of the Father" episode details at the Internet Movie Database. Accessed August 29, 2007.
5. A Play Based On ''The Entailed Hat'', full script in .doc format. Accessed August 29, 2007.
External links
★ Patty Cannon, website with photo of Patty Cannon House historical marker. Accessed August 29, 2007.
★ History Detectives: Cannon House website containing transcript, photo, and evidence used in Season 1, Episode 4 of History Detectives television show aired on PBS.
★ ''The Entailed Hat: Or, Patty Cannon's Times'', entire text of book at Project Gutenberg. Accessed August 29, 2007.
★ Selections from ''The Entailed Hat'' at McDaniel Accessed August 29, 2007.
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