Harriet Powell arrived in Syracuse in September of 1839 with wealthy Mississippi plantation owner J. Davenport and his wife. Powell was evidently very fair-skinned, as she was referred to as "the white lady fugitive" and initially several visitors thought her a family member, only later discovering that she was in fact the Davenports' slave.
The Davenports and Powell stayed at a local hotel called The Syracuse House for some time. During a reception on October 8, the night before their departure, Harriet escaped with the help of Tom Leonard, then a waiter at the Syracuse House, and of Deputy County Clerk William M. Clarke (nephew of abolitionist Dr. John Clark) and local businessman John Owen. Although Leonard was subsequently arrested and questioned regarding Powell's escape, he gave no information regarding either Powell or his fellow conspirators.
From the guide to the Harriet Powell Collection, 1877, 1941, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)
