Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Runaway from the subscriber two miles above Bladensburg, a Negro Man 1803


20 Dollars Reward,
_

Runaway from the subscriber two miles above
Bladensburg, a Negro Man about 37 years
 of age, five feet 7 ir 8 inches high, by the name of

Charles,

He is called by his comrades Charles North, had on, and took with him one old Fine Hat, a short Claret colored coat striped swandown waistcoat, country cloth overalls, Yarn stockings coarse negro shoes, coarse shirt, white do.[1]  The three left fingers on one of his hands crook in by a burn when young, he plays the fiddle _ Whoever takes up the said negro, brings him home or secures him in any jail so that I get him again, shall receive if 20 miles Ten Dollars, if 10 miles Five Dollars and if out of the District of Columbia, or the State of MAyrland, shall receive the above reward paid by me.[2]

                                                            JOHN WILSON of Henry.
               March 18, 1803.[3]



[1] The word ditto, abbreviated here as 'do', comes from the Tuscan language, where it is the past participle of the verb dire (to say), with the meaning of “said”, as in the locution “the said story”. from Wikipedia.

[2] One dollar in 2010 = $14.482; ten dollars =  $144.82; Five dollars = $72.42 http://mykindred.com/cloud/TX/Documents/dollar/index.php?cyear=2010

[3] Washington Federalist; Date: 03-18-1803; Issue: 445; Page: [2]; Location: Georgetown, District of Columbia.
Transcribed by John Peter Thompson April 9th, 2013.

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