He sent the dogs after escaped slaves
McHenry Husband was an important figure in Opelousas, La. during the 19th Century and is mentioned frequently in history texts of the area.
An entrepreneur, he is one of those who owned the Union Hotel in the city, which was seen as an important meeting spot for visitors and city leaders alike.
That was not Husband’s only commercial activity, though. He was also involved across the region in helping track down and capture slaves who had managed to escape from captivity.
Husband went beyond merely looking. He had a pack of “excellent hounds” that he had bought supposed trained in tracking escaped slaves.
In an advertisement in the Opelousas Courier on May 17, 1856, Husband announced his services.
“The undersigned (Husband) informs the public and his friends of this and neighboring parishes that, having purchased a pack of excellent hounds for runaway slaves, he is now ready to answer any call that may be made to him, one mile south of Opelousas or at the office of the Courier.”
Husband charged $25 if the escaped slave was captured, or $5 per day for hunting unsuccessfully, from the day the escapee left. As a bonus for slave holders, the charge was capped at $25, even if the slave was searched for on six days.
On the other hand, if the slave came back on his own after the dogs were released, Husband would still charge $25, saying that the return was a natural consequence of the dog hunt.
There was no indication on whether Husband’s venture was successful in the roughly five years before the Civil War began.
On to this week’s stories.
A Black man named William Henry was arrested in Gallatin County, Ky. on July 14, 1860 by Walter Brown, the county jailor, on suspicion of being an escaped slave.
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