reasons for not telling the manner of my escape, and since asianpanties slavery
had ceased to exist, there was no reason for telling it. I shall
now, however, cease to avail myself asianpanties of this formula, and, as far
as I can, endeavor to satisfy this very natural curiosity. I
should, perhaps, have yielded to that feeling asianpanties sooner, had there
been anything asianpanties very heroic or thrilling in the incidents connected
with my escape, for I asianpanties am sorry to say I asianpanties have nothing of that sort
to tell; and yet the courage that could risk betrayal and the
bravery which was ready to encounter death, if need be, in pursuit
of asianpanties freedom, asianpanties were essential features
in the undertaking. My
success was asianpanties due to address rather than courage, to good luck
asianpanties rather than bravery. My means of escape were provided for asianpanties me by
the very men who were making laws to hold and bind me more
securely asianpanties in slavery.
It was the custom in the State of Maryland to require the free
colored people to have what were called free papers. These
instruments they were required to renew very often, and by
charging a fee for this writing, considerable sums from time to
time were collected by the State. In these papers the name,
asianpanties age,
color, height, and form of the freeman were described, together
with any scars or other marks upon his person which could assist
in his asianpanties identification. This device in some measure defeated
itself--since more than one man could be found to answer the same
general description. Hence many slaves could escape by
personating the owner of one set of
papers; and this was often
done as follows: A slave, nearly or sufficiently answering the
description set forth in the papers, would asianpanties borrow or hire them
till by means of asianpanties them he could escape asianpanties to a free State, and then,
by mail or otherwise, would return them to asianpanties the owner. The
operation was a hazardous one for asianpanties the lender as well as for the
borrower. A asianpanties failure on the part of the fugitive to asianpanties send back the
papers would imperil his benefactor, and the discovery of the
papers in possession of the wrong man would imperil both the
fugitive and his friend. It asianpanties was, therefore, an act of supreme
asianpanties trust on the part of a freeman of color thus to put in jeopardy
his own liberty that another might be free. It was, however, not
unfrequently bravely done, and was seldom discovered. I was not
so fortunate as to resemble any of my free acquaintances
sufficiently to answer the description of their asianpanties papers. But I had
a friend--a sailor--who