desire.  The person spoken of by you I have no doubt is Walton, a yellow man, who once belonged to my father, William Gatewood.  He was purchased by him from John Sibly, and by John Sibly of his brother Albert G. Sibly, and Albert G. Sibly became possessed of him by his marriage with Judge David White’s daughter, he being born Judge White’s slave.

The boy Walton at the time he belonged to John Sibly, married a slave of my father’s, a mulatto girl, and sometime afterwards solicited him to buy him; the old man after much importuning from Walton, consented to do so, and accordingly paid Sibly eight hundred and fifty dollars.  He did not buy him because he needed him, but from the fact that he had a wife there, and Walton on his part promising every thing that my father could desire.

It was not long, however, before Walton became indolent and neglectful of his duty; and in addition to this, he was guilty, as the old man thought, of worse offences.  He watched his conduct more strictly, and found he was guilty of disposing of articles from the farm for his own use, and pocketing the money.

     He actually caught him one day stealing wheat—­he had
     conveyed one sack full to a neighbor and whilst he was
     delivering the other my father caught him in the very act.

He confessed his guilt and promised to do better for the future—­and on his making promises of this kind my father was disposed to keep him still, not wishing to part him from his wife, for whom he professed to entertain the strongest affection.  When the Christmas Holidays came on, the old man, as is usual in this country, gave his negroes a week Holiday.  Walton, instead of regaling himself by going about visiting his colored friends, took up his line of march for her Britanic Majesty’s dominions.

     He was gone about two years I think, when I heard of him in
     Cincinnati; I repaired thither, with some few friends to aid
     me, and succeeded in securing him.

He was taken to Louisville, and on the next morning after our arrival there, he escaped, almost from before our face, while we were on the street before the Tavern.  He succeeded in eluding our pursuit, and again reached Canada in safety.

Nothing daunted he returned, after a lapse of some twelve or eighteen months, with the intention, as I have since learned, of conducting off his wife and eight or ten more slaves to Canada.

I got news of his whereabouts, and succeeded in recapturing him.  I took him to Louisville and together with his wife and child, (she going along with him at her owner’s request,) sold him.  He was taken from thence to New Orleans—­and from hence to Red River, Arkansas—­and the next news I had of him he was again wending his way to Canada, and I suppose now is at or near Detroit.

In relation to his character, it was