In "An act concerning runaways," passed by the General Assembly in the session of October
1669–1670, Virginia's colonial government responds to the problem of indentured servants and slaves who had run away.
WHEREAS the act made the last assembly for
encouragement to apprehend runaways hath seemed to be too burthensome to the publique
by the greatnes of the summe there granted to the taker of them up, and alsoe
defitient in some things very necessary to the restraint of runawayes, upon
consideration whereof, it is enacted and ordered by the governour,
councell and burgesses of the grand assembly and the authority thereof, the
former act of October 1669, continue in its full force; but that the summe of one
thousand pounds of tobacco therein granted to the taker of them up shall be, and
hereby is reduced to two hundred pounds of tobacco, if the runaway be found above
tenn miles from his masters house, to be paid by the publique in the county where the
party dwells, (if it can be) for every servant of what quality soever; and that the
servant not being slave (who are also comprehended in this act) after the expiration
of his full tyme due
— page 278 —
to his master shall serve any person he shalbe
assigned to by the assembly or any commissioners from them the terme of ffower months
for every two hundred pounds of tobacco paid for them, the said assignee giveing
caution to the said commissioners to repay the tobacco to the publique; and the
commissioners receiving such caution to retorne it to the county courts, and the
county court to the assembly; and that the said runawayes may be the more easily
detected, It is further enacted that every master having a
servant that hath runaway twice shalbe and herby is enjoyned and commanded to keepe
his haire close cut, and that every such master fayling herein shalbe fined two
hundred pounds of tobacco for every time the said fugitive shall after the second
tyme be taken, the one halfe to the publique, the other halfe to the informer, And
for the better preventing such attempts, It is further enacted
that every constable into whose hands the said ffugative shall by any commissioners
warrant be first committed, shalbe, and herby is enjoyned by vertue of this act
(though omitted in the warrant) to whip them severely, and then to convey him to the
next constable (towards his masters home) who is to give him the like correction, and
soe every constable through whose precincts he passeth, to doe the like, And that
constables may be the more carefull in their office, It is further
enacted that every constable in whose custody the said runaway shall be
comitted shall give a receite to the constable or party hee receives him from, if the
said ffugative shall by negligence of any constable make an escape (to the end such
negligence might be discovered) and for his offence pay ffowre hundred pounds of
tobacco, halfe to the publique, halfe to the informer, and the fine in the former act
of one thousand pounds of tobacco to be reversed, And because such runawayes after
the expiration of their tyme, may by vertue of their masters certificate remove from
the place they dwelt in, and by such concealment defraud the publique of what hath
been disbursed for him, It is
— page 279 —
further enacted that every respective master owner of such
servants indebted to the publique, shall imediately after the tyme of such servant is
expired deliver him to the next justice who is to deliver him to the sheriffe to be
secured till the next county court there to be proceeded with as the law directs,
unles such servant can procure suffitient security to pay the penalty layd on him by
the act, And that every master giving a ertificate before such delivery of his
servant to the justice shall repay the publique whatsoever hath bin disbursed for the
recovery of his servant during the tyme he served him.
