was sentenced to die, and then spared...

The Maryland Gazette, April 8-15, 1729:

After about three months in jail, Stephen was sentenced to death—not for running away from his master, but for stealing a horse. As a substantial property owner, Charles Carroll of Annapolis had tremendous legal rights and considerable clout. But would he try to save his valuable slave from execution?

Governor and Council Commission Record, June 4, 1729:

Stephen’s life was spared by Governor Benedict Leonard Calvert—why and through whose efforts we do not know—freeing him from jail to return to life as his master’s enslaved property.

MSA SCM1007-81, Maryland State Archives

Governor and Council [Commission Record], 1728, p. 37. MSA SC 1080-1, Maryland State Archives