In the above advertisement which appeared in the Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, Virginia on September 14, 1769, Jefferson describes Sandy (a shoemaker and a jockey) as vulgar, insolent, a drunkard, a knave, and a thief (he stole himself and a horse). Those flaws notwithstanding, Jefferson deemed him worth a minimum reward of forty shillings and upwards to ten pounds if captured and returned from outside Virginia. After Jefferson got Sandy back he sold him to Col. Charles Lewis for 100 pounds on January 29, 1773. While it is not clear how long Sandy remained “free,” we can only hope he raised holy hell every moment he managed to be his own man.
Wanted by Thomas Jefferson
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Ourstorian 