Plenty of individuals, white and black, needed the reward cash they might obtain for turning him in, and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 (which was made even harsher in 1850) meant that if his master might find him, he may carry his "property" again South as a slave once more -- if the master did not kill him, that is. Throughout, Clinton was ready to lift as a lot cash as wanted, breaking some information for marketing campaign fundraising.