June 4, 1776

Three horses were stolen or strayed from the lot of Richard Yorke, a post rider in Philadelphia, in late May 1776. In this advertisement, Yorke described the appearance of the three horses, ranging from five to eight years old with different features including stars on their foreheads, white feet, and certain tail shapes. One horse, a dark bay, had a “small sore place bound the bigness of a dollar on the hind part of his back,” and he was slightly injured at the time that he left Yorke’s place. Yorke offered three pounds as a reward for the return of all three horses, “or in proportion for any of them.” Advertisements later in the summer suggest that he might have recovered two of the horses, but was still looking for the eight-year-old brown horse with “a few white hairs on his back.”

The Pennsylvania Evening Post
Printed by Benjamin Towne

Philadelphia, June 4, 1776.

THREE POUNDS Reward.

STOLEN or strayed, out of the subscriber’s lot the upper end of Market-street, on Eriday the 31st of May last, the three following HORSES, viz. a light brown horse, eight years old, about fourteen hands high, with both ears cropped, a bright star in his forehead, and shod all round, a few white hairs on his back, occasioned by the saddle, a short tail; he paces and trots. The other a bright bay horse, about fourteen hands and a half high, with a large blaze down his face, three white feet, a switch tail, shod all round, paces and trots, about five years old. Also a dark bay horse, about fourteen hands and a half high, six years old, has a star in his forehead, and trots, with a small sore place about the bigness of a dollar on the hind part of his back; and, when taken away, was a little lame.

Whoever takes up the said horses, and brings them to the subscriber in Market-street, shall have the above reward, or in proportion for any of them.

RICHARD YORKE, Post Rider.