Gov. Quinn pardons 3 Illinois abolitionists

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- Governor Quinn granted clemency Wednesday to three abolitionists who were convicted during the 1800s for their anti-slavery efforts.

Dr. Richard Eells, an Underground Railroad conductor, was convicted in 1843 of harboring and secreting a runaway slave, and unlawfully preventing the lawful slave owner from recovering the slave. His case was eventually heard by the United Sates Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction.

Eells' home is recognized by the National Parks Service as one of the 42 most important Underground Railroad sites in the country.

Clemency was also granted for Julius and Samuel Willard who were convicted in 1942 of secreting and harboring a fugitive salve. Julius Willard was close friends with anti-slavery activist Elijah Lovejoy.

Dr. Samuel Willard, Julius's son, was partially paralyzed after contracting an illness while serving in the military. Unable to practice medicine, Samuel became a lifelong education advocate, working to establish the Springfield Public Library and libraries across the state, as well as becoming the superintendent of the Springfield Public School District.

"These early warriors for freedom put everything on the line to help their fellow man, and their civil disobedience paved the way for civil rights," Governor Quinn said. "Clearing their criminal records 171 years later shows how far we have come, but reminds us all that we should fight injustice wherever we find it."