In 1769 he advertised in the Virginia Gazette seeking the return of a runaway slave. According to Cohen, “throughout his life, Jefferson hired slave catchers.”[325] In 1806, while he was President of the United States, Jefferson offered a bonus for a bounty hunter to return Joe, a mulatto slave.[326] Joe was apprehended and returned to Monticello. If one truly abhorred slavery, then doesn’t it seem reasonable that one might look the other way allowing a slave to escape to his or her freedom?
