In August of 1847, the Kentucky Raid began, forty slave owners arrived at the Battle Creek looking for fugitives. The raid was led by Eratus Hussey. The Underground Railroad stationmaster for Battle Creek and angry townspeople tried to drive the men out of town.

However, undeterred, the Kentuckians temporarily retreated to northern Indiana to regroup but then staged a full-scale raid in Cass County. They knew it was the site of a Quaker settlement where many had fled when they escaped enslavement. Catching the community unprepared, they surrounded the cabins and captured nearly all of the fugitives who had taken refuge in that section.

During the raid, two escapees were sleeping in the attic of a cabin and when the doors flew open to the cabin they heard the familiar voice of one of the slave owners. However, the runaways put up a fight. One of the runaways managed to escape through the roof of the cabin. He alerted Steven Bogue, the Quaker who owned the farm. Bogue drove into Cassopolis to get help.

Despite the fact that many of the fugitives had been captured, they managed to hold the slave catchers off until Stephen Bogue returned from Cassopolis with a group of 40 men. The slave catchers were charged with destruction of property and breaking and entering and they were all taken to jail, along with the fugitives they had captured. The trial lasted several weeks, but the verdict was finally given that colored men were not property in Michigan. After this incident, some of the fugitives moved on and settled in Battle Creek.

sources:

https://www.urscc.org/1847-kentucky-raid.html