NARRNATIVE OF SLAVE LIFE.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 14, 9 December 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

NARRNATIVE OF SLAVE LIFE.

Pursuant to advertisement, "William Ford, a man of cobr, ;uid ;ul escape 1 slave from the Southern States of Anu'rica, appt -a red on Tiii-sday evening, at the uM Court house, West M:iitland, and delivered a narrative of hi.-i s-lave life, detai'ing how he escaped from his bondage and became five. 'Die ro<.m, which only holds about sixly or seventy persons, was quite full, and Mr Ford made his appearance before tlr; audienej shortly alter eight o'clock. He began his st.iry by informing his audit nc thai lie was no orator, nor, according to the laws of the Southern Siates was lvi ni-in ;to a ! l intents and purp.lS S ho st'i'X-1 l)i-f.il-L! th-.'.-U SIS '' I^oud.-i lU ul diattcl.s '" only. The n-.irnitor then proceeded to give a detailed sketch of his life and history. He was born, lie s iys in Charles c. unity, Maryland, on the Potomac Kivcr, where tlie present fratricidal war in America is raging. Jlis mother, at the early age of twelve years belonged to a very rich old man, who had an idea that his children would overrun the country, to prevent which he determined to druwn them, but was afterwards persuaded to sell tlu>:.i by auction. A man named John Molly bought his niotlicr, u'.oiig with another girl named Susan. In ahout seven years his mother married, and lived with her husband for threj years. During those three 3'ears his motliei's master fell out " iih his wife, and {jot ri.l of her. Jli.s { irother stiil remained with John llollj-, and bore a child to him, which was none other than the speaker himself; in other words, Ford's mother's master was his father. After various changes, her master (ijud of consumption, and Fold's new master was a man whom he styles Partoi "Wilnier. Upon old Holly's death Ford's half-brother sold him, with the estate, for T.jO dollars, at a town called Troy ; but the bargain was afterwards cancelled, and Ford fe.l into the hands of a person named Henry Haves, being then at College, but who soon after came home and took possession of him. This man, Ford described as a good sort c)f a follow, who both •whipped, and fed his slaves well. The young collegian shortly afterwards removed to Alabama to practice medicine, and Ford again changed hands, being bought this time by .1 Miss Ilargraves, who engaged him as a coachman. After minute. y describing the kind of overseer he met with here, and the whip he used, and many other vicissitudes of slave life, the narrator went on to speak of that part of his servitude at which lie first entertained the idea of obtaining his freedom. When this happened, he belonged to a Mrs Hawkins. 17]) to this period Ford knew nothing of the free States whatever ; in fact had never heard of them ; when, by chance, as he was going an errand for his mistress one day, a lady nskeii him if be knew where Pennsylvania w;is:. lie replied, no, he did not; ami at the time thought no more of it. A few days after he had to go to Alexandria, aud it occurred

to him that he would try and find out where Pennsylvania. was. He accordingly asked a person whom he knew, and in whom he could place the gre2itest confidence. His friend told him that Pennsylvania was a free country, and all slaves that got within its borders were free men. •' From that moment,' 1 said Ford, " I determined to start for Pennsylvania in five months." The five months soon elapsed, but the great obstacle in the way of escaping was the want of money. This, Ford surmounted by " forging an ord r for a hundred dollars, and getting it cashed, pocketing the money himself. He waited till night, time, wlun he took the best horse there was in the stable, and by daybreak the next morning he found, himself some twenty-eight or thirtymiles from where lie had started. He then made for Baltimore, and thence he went to Fredericksburg, and narrowly escaped being taken by two policemen. From Fredericksburg, iv company with another man who had been with him all the way, he made for liockvale, which was reached in safety. After various attempts and several narrow escapes Foid and his companion reached Columbia, Massachusetts, and, lastly, Canada, when they became free men. By way of conclusion, Mr Ford said that he could say from the bottom of his heart that he sincerely believed that the best flag that flew was the English flag, to which glorious flag he owed his liberty, lie thanked his audience for their kind ttention, and retired, having spoken about an hour and a. half.