100 Dolls. Reward [runaway ad for Cato]

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Title

100 Dolls. Reward [runaway ad for Cato]

Creator

Description

Two black men, named Leven and Cato, both aged approximately 23 years, ran away from slaveholder George Farmer on November 22, 1814. George Farmer offers a reward of $100 for their capture and describes the men's clothing and physical features in detail.

This notice was first issued on November 23, 1814, and continued to run in the paper at least until March of 1815.

George Farmer owned a large estate called Belle Vue, located across the Raritan river, opposite New Brunswick (in present-day Highland Park).

Date

1815-03-16

Language

English

Source

Original newspaper issue preserved by Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. Loose Newspaper Collection (Ac. 3193). Box 27, Folder 15.

Text (Transcript)

100 Dolls. Reward.

RANAWAY from the subscriber on the night of the 22d nst. two negro men, LEVEN and CATO, about 23 years of age—Leven is a stout fellow, quite black, about 5 feet 9 inches high a sour, cross looking fellow, stoops considerable in walking, speaks as though he had something in his mouth hot eating, and his accent is somewhat yankee, he having lived a number of years in the Lake country, in the town of Scipeo—had on when he left this, a new coating roundabout, drab coloured jacket, woolen shirt white, an old light coloured linsey trowsers, much patched with cloth of darker colour, very thick shoes, nearly new, and grey mixed stockings.

Cato is a light coloured fellow, with many scars about his face, among which is a natural mark on his right cheek, just below the eye, near 1 3-4 of an inch long, and about half or 3-4 of an inch wide, about 5 feet 5 or 6 inches high, pleasant looking and speaking fellow; had on when he went away a coattee of mixed linsey, and trowsers of the same, trowsers much patched with brown, shoes much worn, vest swansdown, black and white striped, patched with blue, a boy's castor hat, small in the brim, much worn.—Whoever takes up said negroes, and secures them in any gaol, or delivers them to the subscriber, shall be entitled to the above reward and reasonable charges, or fifty dollars for either of them.

GEORGE FARMER.

Belle Vue opposite New-Brunswick, November 23, 1814. 7-tf.

Place of publication

Page

1

Geolocation

Citation

Farmer, George, “100 Dolls. Reward [runaway ad for Cato],” Scarlet and Black Digital Archive, Rutgers University, accessed March 29, 2024, https://scarletandblack.rutgers.edu/archive/items/show/471.