J[oh]n Aldridge ALS to Andrew Aldridge, January 26, 1856

Sunday night Jan 26. 56

Dear Andrew.

I left home on Monday last to thrash
my crop of wheat at Waverly & on Tuesday Mr. Beans who hired
Sam. came to see me stating to Mary that Sam had ran off on
Monday evening the 21st. He stated that he set Sam with another
man thrashing rye in his barn, he was in the barn yard making
a sled, Sam was constantly running to the house & leaving the other
man alone, he concluded to follow him & see what he was doing
& passing the wood pile took a brush with him & found Sam sitt
ing by the fire, ordered him to work & as he passed gave him one
lick with the brush & no more that evening he left, he had
previously said no man should whip him this year, if they did he
would go to Leesburg & be sold, early on Tuesday morning he presen
ted himself to the jailor who admitted him & wrote me by Wednes
days mail that Sam. said he would be sold before he would be
return to Beans'. He told me last year when he ran off from
Mead that he would rather be taken to Leesburg & sold than
that I should whip him or he remain with Mead.

I have not seen him yet & concluded it best to let him stay
in jail a few days & perhaps he would come too but you know
the Devil is in the whole of Matilda's breed & I expect we will
have to sell him, or perhaps loose him as soon as he can find
some one who will go with him to Penna. Mr. Bean's was recom
mended by Saml. Simpson & others as being a good home he had
hired to him, therefore the fault lies with Sam. Now suppose
when I go to see him tomorrow he says he will not go back & if
I make him he will return to jail what must be done but
to sell him & divide the money & let each one give his note for
their respective shares & pay interest yearly. we owe one
half of him & I am not disposed to run the risk of loosing
him entirely, it would be better for us in the event of Mr. Chew
& the others refusing to take their share to keep the money between
us. I will write to you in this letter from Leesburg tomorrow after
I see him. Sam will be 17 years old next July is well grown & as