October 28, 1762

The Pennsylvania Gazette

FIVE PISTOLES Reward.

RUN away from Cornwall Furnace, [1] in Lancaster County, on the 11th of October, a Servant Man, named Reynolds McDaniel:

Had on when he went away, a twilled Lincey Coat and Jacket, Irish Linen shirt, Check Trowsers, a Half worn Castor Hat, new Shoes, and dark Worsted Stockings.

Said Fellow was born in Ireland, speaks good English, is about 30 Years of Age, and is about five Feet eight Inches high, well set, wears his own Hair, which is of a sandy Colour, he is a fair spoken talkative Fellow, when in Drink, which he is very much addicted to. It is thought he will make towards the Jerseys, and it is probable may change both his Name and Clothes.

Whoever takes up and secures said Servant in any Goal in Pennsylvania, or any of the adjacent Provinces, [2] shall have the above Reward, paid by the Subscriber, or his Agent at said Furnace. NATHANIEL GILES.

1. Serving at a furnace was a hellish job, the forerunner of the lethal industrial jobs of the age to come and very similar to working in the bowels of a steamship 100 years later. Smiths employed slaves to perform the dangerous tasks of stoking the furnace and pouring molten ore as well as the laborious manning of the bellows since the dawn of Civilization.

2. Note that Pennsylvania was only known as a colony in the narrow administrative sense, but was rather a province of the British Empire. Our historic view of The Plantations, as they were actually called by servants and which were regarded as provinces by the landowning class, is based on the administrative view of English America as consisting of “colonial offices” under "His Majesty" the King. Out term magistrate [still used in Pennsylvania to describe some county judges] is based on this narrow, legalistic, systemic understanding shared by the framers of the American national identity. No wonder America became a land ruled by lawyers and judges.

A Partial Exhumation of the American Dream