NEVER CAUGHT : THE WASHINGTONS' RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF THEIR RUNAWAY SLAVE, ONA JUDGE
by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

In 1796 Ona Judge was living in Philadelphia as a young, black, slave woman owned by President George Washington and his wife, Martha. The Washingtons had moved from their home in Mount Vernon, in Virginia, to Philadelphia as it had become the nation's capital. They took nine slaves with them. Ona was the personal attendant to Martha. The North was quite different from the South when it came to slavery. In Philadelphia it was looked down upon and there was a large community of free blacks. For Ona, freedom was foremost in her mind and when she found out that the Washingtons would eventually be moving back to Virginia, Ona knew that she would not be returning with them. Once she made that decision, Ona slipped out of the house in Philadelphia and escaped.
George Washington was not willing to emancipate Ona and he was determined to find her and bring her back no matter what.
After reading Never Caught, my views about George Washington have changed somewhat. The man who I always thought so highly of as our first president of the United States has left a bad taste in my mouth, along with Martha. It's very disturbing to see how the two of them wanted to keep their slaves in bondage and used whatever means was necessary to pursue Ona Judge. She was their property and according to them, Ona had no right to leave.
The book is extremely well-written and quite detailed about the life of enslavement. Ona was one very brave, determined, and courageous woman. 
Highly recommended.