While looking for something else in the Va Gazette Index on the Colonial
Williamsburg website, I stumbled upon a dozen entries dating from 1767 to
1773 indexed as "Beheading, as punishment for runaway slaves."  Here is one
example from Rind's Virginia Gazette of February 4, 1768, page 4, col 2.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Indian-Creek, Northumberland County,
                            Jan. 10. 1768
Run away from the subscriber, a Negro man named MANN,
about 5 feet 6 inches high; he has a slit in one of his ears,
gives very sensible answers, and is about 50 years old.
He is outlawed from his threatening to burn my houses.
  If any person will deliver me his head, severed from his
body, they shall receive 10L. current money: If taken alive
and delivered, 40s. besides what the law allows.
                                                             JOHN SMITH
N.B. He is supposed to be lurking about Col. Corbin's
       quarters, in King & Queen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found this startling for the mainland, and it raises all kinds of
questions.  Perhaps there is significance in the statement that MANN was an
outlaw. If so, what VA court had the power to declare someone an outlaw?
literally unprotected by the law.  Or was this something that a slaveholder
could legally initiate? Or was this just an aberrant threat?  Was this kind
of threat every carried out?

-- 
Jon Kukla
www.JonKukla.com <http://www.jonkukla.com/>

*The URL for this page of Rind's VA Gazette accessible via Colonial
Williamsburg library website is :
http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGImagePopup.cfm?ID=2147&Res=HI&CFID=27193533&CFTOKEN=11851976

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html