Bounty Hunters

Introduction:

During the time of the Underground Railroad, slave owners would put out ads and notices in newspapers to alert people that their slaves had run away. Usually, there would be a reward for whoever could find the slaves and bring them back to their owner.

William Burke Runaway Slave Notice:

William Burke put a notice in a newspaper informing everyone that one of his slaves ran away. He put a $150 reward on Henry May, the runaway slave. William Burke gives a description of Henry May so that people know what the slave looks like that they are looking for.

William Russell Runaway Slave Notice:

William Russell also put out a notice saying that five of his slaves have ran away. He offered $200 for anybody who could bring back the five of his slaves.

Both of these notices show that the masters of these runaway slaves value their slaves differently. William Burke values his slave more than William Russell values his slaves. For one slave, Burke was willing to give a reward of $150. For five slaves, Russell was only willing to give up $200 as a reward. There is a $50 difference, but a difference of four slaves. It also shows how much harder it was to operate the Underground Railroad while bounty hunters are trying to track down runaway slaves.