Irish immigrant Patty Cohen's detective agency, Wilmington Delaware. Hired young white men(Patty Boys)to chase down, beat, and return, run away slaves to their masters. Armed with "Patty Rollers" (original name for baseball bat) they concentrated around the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. While waiting they practiced striking what was originally called a niggerhead (baseball).

Eventually most counties in Virginia, North and South Carolina had official patty roller men, who were registered at the county court house,carried a badge, and were in charge of "niggerbeatin" in that county. Most were not paid, but were exempt from paying county property taxes.

After the Civil War ended, patty roller men enforced the "sundown" laws many rural towns had for blacks being out of town by. They gathered along the roads leading out of town and wore white sheets and hoods.