This segment from Underground Railroad: The William Still Story shows how slaves who ran away from their masters and were re-captured suffered terrible punishments. A severe beating was the most common form of discipline, usually administered with a bull whip or a wooden paddle. The offender would be hung by the hands or staked to the ground and every slave on the plantation would be forced to watch the whipping to deter them from running away. Support materials include a lesson plan covering Travel on the Underground Railroad.
http://www.pbs.org/wned/underground-railroad