It wasn't long before the slaves figured out why they were being shuffled back and forth between Philadelphia and Virginia by stagecoach and boat, but Hercules, Lear wrote Washington in 1791, was "mortified to the last degree to think that a suspicion could be entertained of his fidelity or attachment to you."
"So much did the poor fellow's feelings appear to be touched that it left no doubt of his sincerity."
But was he? Or was Hercules, in fact, setting the Washingtons up for his own flight?
Martha Washington showed her trust by allowing Hercules to stay, at least once, beyond the six months. But the president clearly never relaxed.
He signed the Fugitive Slave Act that Congress had overwhelmingly approved in 1793, which allowed slave owners to retrieve their runaways anywhere, even if captured in non-slavery states. Then, after Martha Washington's maid, Oney Judge, escaped while the family was eating dinner in Philadelphia on May 21, 1796, Washington went on high alert.
For extras including
a PBS feature on Hercules, recipes from his era or inspired by it, and the previously unpublished kitchen logs that George Washington kept, go to http://go.philly.com/hercules.
Tomorrow
George Washington celebrates his 65th birthday in Philadelphia - and Hercules makes his escape in Virginia.
Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2593 or claban@phillynews.com.
