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Original Runaway Slave Poster

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Original Runaway Slave Poster
"WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS BY THE AUCTIONEER ONCE ALL BIDS HAVE BEEN PROCESSED TO DETERMINE THE WINNER FOR EACH LOT."
Original runaway slave poster, dated 25 March 1856 from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Poster reads in full: ''Absconded from Traveller's Rest Estate in Stafford county, three negro Men, Barnaby, Jim and Dilly…Billy left my farm on the 3d day of March, Jim on the 17th and Barnaby on the 24th. It is not believed that any of these men have any idea of escaping to a free State, but instead merely absconding where they can remain in the greatest safety with the least danger of being caught within any distance around the said estate, where they are most secure. Barnaby is a large man, about 50 years of age, is bald on the top of his head, had a full beard on when he left, is of a slick brown color, not a mulatto, nor a black; very broad shoulders, is a first-rate Blacksmith and Carpenter, speaks politely when addressed. Jim is about 35 or 40 years old, of about the same color of Barnaby, and tall, though small about the lower part of the body, and slender legs; smiles when spoken to with an averted glance. Billy is a…mulatto, very tall, broad shoulders, very bushy head and very large feet, and about 21 years of age. These men may be together, they are certainly merely lurking around with no idea of going to a free State. That is my belief, but they may in end making [sic] their way to a free state by the first chance. I will give forty dollars reward for Barnaby, thirty for Jim, and twenty-five for Billy…Robert A. Gray, Fredericksburg, Va.'' Incidentally, Robert Gray's estate, ''Eastwood,'' still stands in Fredericksburg and was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Poster has folding throughout, though expertly reinforced on verso. Fully intact poster, measuring 9'' x 12.75'', is in fair condition, typical of publicly displayed posters and broadsides from the time period. Very scarce.