e this object, she even went so far as to
purchase a girl for whom she fancied he had an affection. He himself,
however, had secretly resolved never to enter into such a connexion
while in slavery, knowing that marriage, in the true and honourable
sense of the term, could not exist among slaves. Notwithstanding the
multitude of petty offences for which a slave is severely punished, it
is singular that one crime--bigamy--is visited upon a white with
severity, while no slave has ever yet been tried for it. In fact, the
man is allowed to form connections with as many women, and the women
with as many men, as they please.

At St. Louis, William was employed as coachman to Mr. Price; but when
that gentleman subsequently took his family up the river to Cincinnati,
Sanford acted as appointed steward. While lying off this city, the
long-looked-for opportunity of escape presented itself; and on the 1st
of January, 1834--he being then almost twenty years of age--succeeded in
getting from the steamer to the wharf, and thence to the woods, where he
lay concealed until the shades of night had set in, when he again
commenced his journey northwards. While with Dr. Young, a nephew of that
gentleman, whose christian name was William, came into the family: the
slave was, therefore, denuded of the name of William, and thenceforth
called Sanford. This deprivation of his original name he had ever
regarded as an indignity, and having now gained his freedom he resumed
his original name; and as there was no one by whom he could be addressed
by it, he exultingly enjoyed the first-fruits of his freedom by calling
himself aloud by his old name "William!" After passing through a variety
of painful vicissitudes, on the eighth day he found himself destitute of
pecuniary means, and unable, from severe illness, to pursue his journey.
In that condition he was discovered by a venerable member of the Society
of Friends, who placed him in a covered waggon and took him to his own
house. There he remained about fifteen days, and by the kind treatment
of his host and hostess, who were what in America are called
"Thompsonians," he was restored to health, and supplied with the means
of pursuing his journey. The name of this, his first kind benefactor,
was "Wells Brown." As William had risen from the degradation of a slave
to the dignity of a man, it was expedient that he should follow the
customs of other men, and adopt a second name. His venerable friend,
the