Catonsville Nine (1968)

Fri May 17, 1968

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The Catonsville Nine were a group of Catholic activists who, on this day in 1968, seized 378 draft files from a local draft board, dumped them in the parking lot, burned them with homemade napalm, and were promptly arrested by police.

They were found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967. The group was sentenced to a collective 18 years in jail and a fine of $22,000.

Several of the nine - Mary Moylan, Phil Berrigan, Dan Berrigan and George Mische - fled before their prison sentence, forcing the FBI to hunt them down.