,this book is put on-line as part of the
 ,,build-,a-,,book ,initiative  at the  
,celebration of ,women ,writers through 
the combined work of  ,laura ,le,vine1  
,margaret ,sylvia1 and ,mary ,mark      
,ockerbloom4                            
www4cs4cmu4edu_/mmbt_/women_/truth_/#ahe
j_/ahej4;html            ,the ,narrative
 of ,sojourner ,truth 7#ahej7  ,dictated
 by ,sojourner ,truth 7ca4#agig-ahhc72  
,edited by ,olive ,gilbert              
,,narrative ,,of ,,sojourner ,,truth    
,written by ,olive ,gilbert1 based on   
information  provided by ,sojourner     
,truth4    #ahej          ,,contents    
,,her ,,birth ,,and ,,parentage         
,,accommodations  ,,her ,,brothers ,,and
 ,,sisters  ,,her ,,religious           
,,instruction  ,,the ,,auction  ,,death 
,,of ,,mau-,,mau ,,bett  ,,last ,,days  
,,of ,,bomefree  ,,death ,,of ,,bomefree
  ,,commencement ,,of ,,isabella',s     
,,trials ,,in ,,life  ,,trials          
,,continued  ,,her ,,standing ,,with    
,,her ,,new ,,master ,,and ,,mistress   

,,isabella',s ,,marriage  ,,isabella    
,,as ,a ,,mother  ,,slaveholder',s      
,,promises  ,,her ,,escape  ,,illegal   
,,sale ,,of ,,her ,,son  ,,it ,,is      
,,often ,,darkest ,,just ,,before ,,dawn
  ,,death ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,eliza ,,fowler  
,,isabella',s ,,religious ,,experience  
,,new ,,trials  ,,finding ,a ,,brother  
,,and ,,sister  ,,gleanings  ,,the      
,,matthias ,,delusion  ,,fasting  ,,the 
,,cause ,,of ,,her ,,leaving ,,the      
,,city  ,,the ,,consequences ,,of       
,,refusing ,a ,,traveller ,a ,,night',s 
,,lodging  ,,some ,,of ,,her ,,views    
,,and ,,reasonings  ,,the ,,second      
,,advent ,,doctrines  ,,another         
,,camp-,,meeting  ,,last ,,interview    
,,with ,,her ,,master    ,,certificates 
,,of ,,character          ,,narrative   
,,of ,,sojourner ,,truth          ,,her 
,,birth ,,and ,,parentage4      ,,the   
subject of this biography1 ,,sojourner  
,,truth1 as she now calls  herself-but  
whose name1 originally1 was             
,isabella-was born1 as near as  she can 

now calculate1 between the years #agig  
and #ahjj4  ,she was the  daughter of   
,james and ,betsey1 slaves of one       
,colonel ,ardinburgh1 ,hurley1  ,ulster 
,county1 ,new ,york4    ,colonel        
,ardinburgh belonged to that class of   
people called ,low ,dutch4      ,of her 
first master1 she can give no account1  
as she must have been a  mere infant    
when he died2 and she1 with her parents 
and some ten or  twelve other fellow    
human chattels1 became the legal        
property of his  son1 ,charles          
,ardinburgh4  ,she distinctly remembers 
hearing her father  and mother say1 that
 their lot was a fortunate one1 as      
,master ,charles  was the best of the   
family1-being1 comparatively speaking1 a
 kind  master to his slaves4      ,james
 and ,betsey having1 by their           
faithfulness1 docility1 and  respectful 
behavior1 won his particular regard1    
received from him  particular           
favors-among which was a lot of land1   
lying back on the  slope of a mountain1 

where1 by improving the pleasant        
evenings and  ,sundays1 they managed to 
raise a little tobacco1 corn1 or flax2  
which  they exchanged for extras1 in the
 articles of food or clothing for       
themselves and children4  ,she has no   
remembrance that ,saturday  afternoon   
was ever added to their own time1 as it 
is by some masters in  the ,southern    
,states4          ,,accommodations4     
,among ,isabella's earliest             
recollections was the removal of her    
master1  ,charles ,ardinburgh1 into his 
new house1 which he had built for a     
hotel1  soon after the decease of his   
father4  ,a cellar1 under this hotel1   
was  assigned to his slaves1 as their   
sleeping apartment1-all the slaves he   
possessed1 of both sexes1 sleeping 7as  
is quite common in a state of  slavery7 
in the same room4  ,she carries in her  
mind1 to this day1 a  vivid picture of  
this dismal chamber2 its only lights    
consisting of a  few panes of glass1    
through which she thinks the sun never  

shone1 but  with thrice reflected rays2 
and the space between the loose boards  
of  the floor1 and the uneven earth     
below1 was often filled with mud and    
water1 the uncomfortable splashings of  
which were as annoying as its  noxious  
vapors must have been chilling and fatal
 to health4  ,she  shudders1 even now1  
as she goes back in memory1 and revisits
 this  cellar1 and sees its inmates1 of 
both sexes and all ages1 sleeping on    
those damp boards1 like the horse1 with 
a little straw and a blanket2  and she  
wonders not at the rheumatisms1 and     
fever-sores1 and palsies1  that         
distorted the limbs and racked the      
bodies of those fellow-slaves  in       
after-life4  ,still1 she does not       
attribute this cruelty-for cruelty  it  
certainly is1 to be so unmindful of the 
health and comfort of any  being1       
leaving entirely out of sight his more  
important part1 his  everlasting        
interests1-so much to any innate or     
constitutional cruelty  of the master1  

as to that gigantic inconsistency1 that 
inherited habit  among slaveholders1 of 
expecting a willing and intelligent     
obedience  from the slave1 because he is
 a ,,man-at the same time every thing   
belonging to the soul-harrowing system  
does its best to crush the last  vestige
 of a man within him2 and when it is    
crushed1 and often before1  he is denied
 the comforts of life1 on the plea that 
he knows neither  the want nor the use  
of them1 and because he is considered to
 be little  more or little less than a  
beast4          ,,her ,,brothers ,,and  
,,sisters4        ,isabella's father was
 very tall and straight1 when young1    
which gave  him the name of             
',bomefree'-low ,dutch for tree-at      
least1 this is  ,,sojourner's           
pronunciation of it-and by this name he 
usually went4  ,the  most familiar      
appellation of her mother was ',mau-mau 
,bett4'  ,she was  the mother of some   
ten or twelve children2 though          
,sojourner is far from  knowing the     

exact number of her brothers and        
sisters2 she being the  youngest1 save  
one1 and all older than herself having  
been sold before  her remembrance4  ,she
 was privileged to behold six of them   
while she  remained a slave4      ,of   
the two that immediately preceded her in
 age1 a boy of five years1  and a girl  
of three1 who were sold when she was an 
infant1 she heard  much2 and she wishes 
that all who would fain believe that    
slave parents  have not natural         
affection for their offspring could have
 listened as  she did1 while ,bomefree  
and ,mau-mau ,bett1-their dark cellar   
lighted by  a blazing pine-knot1-would  
sit for hours1 recalling and recounting 
every endearing1 as well as harrowing   
circumstance that taxed memory  could   
supply1 from the histories of those dear
 departed ones1 of whom  they had been  
robbed1 and for whom their hearts still 
bled4  ,among the  rest1 they would     
relate how the little boy1 on the last  
morning he was  with them1 arose with   

the birds1 kindled a fire1 calling for  
his  ,mau-mau to 'come1 for all was now 
ready for her'-little dreaming of the   
dreadful separation which was so near at
 hand1 but of which his parents  had an 
uncertain1 but all the more cruel       
foreboding4  ,there was snow on  the    
ground1 at the time of which we are     
speaking2 and a large  old-fashioned    
sleigh was seen to drive up to the door 
of the late ,col4  ,ardinburgh4  ,this  
event was noticed with childish pleasure
 by the  unsuspicious boy2 but when he  
was taken and put into the sleigh1 and  
saw his little sister actually shut and 
locked into the sleigh box1 his  eyes   
were at once opened to their intentions2
 and1 like a frightened  deer he sprang 
from the sleigh1 and running into the   
house1 concealed  himself under a bed4  
,but this availed him little4 ,he was   
re-conveyed  to the sleigh1 and         
separated for ever from those whom ,god 
had  constituted his natural guardians  
and protectors1 and who should have     

found him1 in return1 a stay and a staff
 to them in their declining  years4     
,but ,i make no comments on facts like  
these1 knowing that the  heart of every 
slave parent will make its own comments1
 involuntarily  and correctly1 as soon  
as each heart shall make the case its   
own4  ,those who are not parents will   
draw their conclusions from the         
promptings of humanity and              
philanthropy3-these1 enlightened by     
reason  and revelation1 are also        
unerring4          ,,her ,,religious    
,,instruction4        ,isabella and     
,peter1 her youngest brother1 remained1 
with their parents1  the legal property 
of ,charles ,ardinburgh till his        
decease1 which took  place when         
,isabella was near nine years old4      
,after this event1 she was often        
surprised to find her mother in tears2  
and when1 in her simplicity1 she        
inquired1 ',mau-mau1 what makes you     
cry8' she would answer1 ',oh1 my child1 
,i am thinking of your brothers  and    

sisters that have been sold away from   
me4'  ,and she would proceed  to detail 
many circumstances respecting them4     
,but ,isabella long since  concluded    
that it was the impending fate of her   
only remaining  children1 which her     
mother but too well understood1 even    
then1 that  called up those memories    
from the past1 and made them crucify her
 heart  afresh4      ,in the evening1   
when her mother's work was done1 she    
would sit down  under the sparkling     
vault of heaven1 and calling her        
children to her1  would talk to them of 
the only ,being that could effectually  
aid or  protect them4  ,her teachings   
were delivered in ,low ,dutch1 her only 
language1 and1 translated into ,english1
 ran nearly as follows3-      ',my      
children1 there is a ,god1 who hears and
 sees you4' ',a ,god1 mau-mau6  ,where  
does he live8' asked the children4  ',he
 lives in the sky1' she  replied2 'and  
when you are beaten1 or cruelly treated1
 or fall into any  trouble1 you must ask

 help of him1 and he will always hear   
and help  you4'  ,she taught them to    
kneel and say the ,lord's ,prayer4  ,she
  entreated them to refrain from lying  
and stealing1 and to strive to  obey    
their masters4      ,at times1 a groan  
would escape her1 and she would break   
out in the  language of the             
,psalmist-',oh ,lord1 how long8' ',oh   
,lord1 how long8' ,and  in reply to     
,isabella's question-',what ails you1   
mau-mau8' her only  answer was1 ',oh1 a 
good deal ails me'-',enough ails me4'   
,then again1  she would point them to   
the stars1 and say1 in her peculiar     
language1  ',those are the same stars1  
and that is the same moon1 that look    
down  upon your brothers and sisters1   
and which they see as they look up to   
them1 though they are ever so far away  
from us1 and each other4'      ,thus1 in
 her humble way1 did she endeavor to    
show them their ,heavenly  ,father1 as  
the only being who could protect them in
 their perilous  condition2 at the same 

time1 she would strengthen and brighten 
the  chain of family affection1 which   
she trusted extended itself             
sufficiently to connect the widely      
scattered members of her precious       
flock4  ,these instructions of the      
mother were treasured up and held       
sacred by ,isabella1 as our future      
narrative will show4          ,,the     
,,auction4      ,at length1 the         
never-to-be-forgotten day of the        
terrible auction  arrived1 when the     
'slaves1 horses1 and other cattle' of   
,charles  ,ardinburgh1 deceased1 were to
 be put under the hammer1 and again     
change  masters4  ,not only ,isabella   
and ,peter1 but their mother1 were now  
destined to the auction block1 and would
 have been struck off with the  rest to 
the highest bidder1 but for the         
following circumstance3 ,a  question    
arose among the heirs1 ',who shall be   
burdened with ,bomefree1  when we have  
sent away his faithful ,mau-mau ,bett8' 
,he was becoming  weak and infirm2 his  

limbs were painfully rheumatic and      
distorted-more  from exposure and       
hardship than from old age1 though he   
was several  years older than ,mau-mau  
,bett3 he was no longer considered of   
value1  but must soon be a burden and   
care to some one4  ,after some          
contention  on the point at issue1 none 
being willing to be burdened with him1  
it  was finally agreed1 as most         
expedient for the heirs1 that the price 
of  ,mau-mau ,bett should be sacrificed1
 and she receive her freedom1 on        
condition that she take care of and     
support her faithful ,james1-  faithful1
 not only to her as a husband1 but      
proverbially faithful as a  slave to    
those who would not willingly sacrifice 
a dollar for his  comfort1 now that he  
had commenced his descent into the dark 
vale of  decrepitude and suffering4     
,this important decision was received as
  joyful news indeed to our ancient     
couple1 who were the objects of it1  and
 who were trying to prepare their hearts

 for a severe struggle1 and  one        
altogether new to them1 as they had     
never before been separated2  for1      
though ignorant1 helpless1 crushed in   
spirit1 and weighed down  with hardship 
and cruel bereavement1 they were still  
human1 and their  human hearts beat     
within them with as true an affection as
 ever caused  a human heart to beat4    
,and their anticipated separation now1  
in the  decline of life1 after the last 
child had been torn from them1 must     
have been truly appalling4  ,another    
privilege was granted them-that of      
remaining occupants of the same dark1   
humid cellar ,i have before  described3 
otherwise1 they were to support         
themselves as they best  could4  ,and as
 her mother was still able to do        
considerable work1 and  her father a    
little1 they got on for some time very  
comfortably4  ,the  strangers who rented
 the house were humane people1 and very 
kind to  them2 they were not rich1 and  
owned  no slaves4  ,how long this state 

of  things continued1 we are unable to  
say1 as ,isabella had not then          
sufficiently cultivated her organ of    
time to calculate years1 or even  weeks 
or hours4  ,but she thinks her mother   
must have lived several  years after the
 death of ,master ,charles4  ,she       
remembers going to visit  her parents   
some three or four times before the     
death of her mother1  and a good deal of
 time seemed to her to intervene between
 each visit4      ,at length her        
mother's health began to decline-a      
fever-sore made its  ravages on one of  
her limbs1 and the palsy began to shake 
her frame2  still1 she and ,james       
tottered about1 picking up a little here
 and  there1 which1 added to the mites  
contributed by their kind neighbors1    
sufficed to sustain life1 and drive     
famine from the door4          ,,death  
,,of ,,mau-,,mau ,,bett4        ,one    
morning1 in early autumn1 7from the     
reason above mentioned1 we  cannot tell 
what year17 ,mau-mau ,bett told ,james  

she would make him a  loaf of rye-bread1
 and get ,mrs4 ,simmons1 their kind     
neighbor1 to bake  it for them1 as she  
would bake that forenoon4  ,james told  
her he had  engaged to rake after the   
cart for his neighbors that morning2 but
  before he commenced1 he would pole off
 some apples from a tree near1  which   
they were allowed to gather2 and if she 
could get some of them  baked with the  
bread1 it would give a nice relish for  
their dinner4  ,he  beat off the apples1
 and soon after1 saw ,mau-mau ,bett come
 out and  gather them up4      ,at the  
blowing of the horn for dinner1 he      
groped his way into his  cellar1        
anticipating his humble1 but warm and   
nourishing meal2 when1  lo6 instead of  
being cheered by the sight and odor of  
fresh-baked bread  and the savory       
apples1 his cellar seemed more cheerless
 than usual1 and  at first neither sight
 nor sound met eye or ear4  ,but1 on    
groping his  way through the room1 his  
staff1 which he used as a pioneer to go 

before1 and warn him of danger1 seemed  
to be impeded in its progress1  and a   
low1 gurgling1 choking sound proceeded  
from the object before  him1 giving him 
the first intimation of the truth as it 
was1 that  ,mau-mau ,bett1 his bosom    
companion1 the only remaining member of 
his  large family1 had fallen in a fit  
of the palsy1 and lay helpless and      
senseless on the earth6  ,who among us1 
located in pleasant homes1  surrounded  
with every comfort1 and so many kind and
 sympathizing  friends1 can picture to  
ourselves the dark and desolate state of
 poor  old ,james-penniless1 weak1 lame1
 and nearly blind1 as he was at the     
moment he found his companion was       
removed from him1 and he was left  alone
 in the world1 with no one to aid1      
comfort1 or console him8 for  she never 
revived again1 and lived only a few     
hours after being  discovered senseless 
by her poor bereaved ,james4            
,,last ,,days ,,of ,,bomefree4          
,isabella and ,peter were permitted to  

see the remains of their mother  laid in
 their last narrow dwelling1 and to make
 their bereaved father a  little visit1 
ere they returned to their servitude4   
,and most piteous  were the lamentations
 of the poor old man1 when1 at last1    
they also  were obliged to bid him      
,farewell6  ,juan ,fernandes1 on his    
desolate  island1 was not so pitiable an
 object as this poor lame man4  ,blind  
and  crippled1 he was too superannuated 
to think for a moment of taking care  of
 himself1 and he greatly feared no      
persons would interest themselves  in   
his behalf4 ',oh1' he would exclaim1 ',i
 had thought ,god would take me         
first1-,mau-mau was so much smarter than
 ,i1 and could get about and take  care 
of herself2-and ,i am so old1 and so    
helpless4  ,what is to become  of me8   
,i can't do anything any more-my        
children are all gone1 and here  ,i am  
left helpless and alone4'  ',and then1  
as ,i was taking leave of  him1' said   
his daughter1 in relating it1 'he raised

 his voice1 and  cried aloud like a     
child-,oh1 how he ,,did cry6  ,i ,,hear 
it now -and  remember it as well as if  
it were but yesterday-poor old man666   
,he  thought ,god had done it all-and my
 heart bled within me at the sight of   
his misery4  ,he begged me to get       
permission to come and see him          
sometimes1 which ,i readily and heartily
 promised him4'  ,but when all  had left
 him1 the ,ardinburghs1 having some     
feeling left for their  faithful and    
favorite slave1 'took turns about' in   
keeping him-  permitting him to stay a  
few weeks at one house1 and then a while
 at  another1 and so around4  ,if1 when 
he made a removal1 the place where he   
was going was not too far off1 he took  
up his line of march1 staff in  hand1   
and asked for no assistance4  ,if it was
 twelve or twenty miles1  they gave him 
a ride4  ,while he was living in this   
way1 ,isabella was  twice permitted to  
visit him4  ,another time she walked    
twelve miles1  and carried her infant in

 her arms to see him1 but when she      
reached  the place where she hoped to   
find him1 he had just left for a place  
some twenty miles distant1 and she never
 saw him more4  ,the last time  she did 
see him1 she found him seated on a rock1
 by the road side1  alone1 and far from 
any house4  ,he was then migrating from 
the house of  one ,ardinburgh to that of
 another1 several miles distant4  ,his  
hair was  white like wool-he was almost 
blind-and his gait was more a creep than
  a walk-but the weather was warm and   
pleasant1 and he did not dislike  the   
journey4  ,when ,isabella addressed him1
 he recognized her voice1 and  was      
exceeding glad to see her4  ,he was     
assisted to mount the wagon1 was        
carried back to the famous cellar of    
which we have spoken1 and there  they   
held their last earthly conversation4   
,he again1 as usual1  bewailed his      
loneliness1-spoke in tones of anguish of
 his many  children1 saying1 ,they are  
all taken away from me6  ,i have now not

  one to give me a cup of cold water-why
 should ,i live and not die8  ,isabella1
 whose heart yearned over her father1   
and who would have made  any sacrifice  
to have been able to be with1 and take  
care of him1 tried  to comfort1 by      
telling him that 'she had heard the     
white folks say1  that all the slaves in
 the ,state would be freed in ten years1
 and that  then she would come and take 
care of him4'  ',i would take just as   
good  care of you as ,mau-mau would1 if 
she was here'-continued ,isabel4  ',oh1 
my child1' replied he1 ',i cannot live  
that long4'  ',oh1 do1 daddy1 do  live1 
and ,i will take such good care of you1'
 was her rejoinder4  ,she  now says1    
',why1 ,i thought then1 in my ignorance1
 that he could live1 if  he would4  ,i  
just as much thought so1 as ,i ever     
thought any thing in my  life-and ,i    
insisted on his living3 but he shook his
 head1 and insisted  he could not4'     
,but before ,bomefree's good            
constitution would yield either to age1 

exposure1 or a strong desire to die1 the
 ,ardinburghs again tired of  him1 and  
offered freedom to two old              
slaves-,caesar1 brother of ,mau-mau     
,bett1 and his wife ,betsy-on condition 
that they should take care of  ,james4  
7,i was about to say1 'their            
brother-in-law'-but as slaves are       
neither husbands nor wives in law1 the  
idea of their being  brothers-in-law is 
truly ludicrous47  ,and although they   
were too old  and infirm to take care of
 themselves1 7,caesar having been       
afflicted  for a long time with         
fever-sores1 and his wife with the      
jaundice71 they  eagerly accepted the   
boon of freedom1 which had been the     
life-long  desire of their souls-though 
at a time when emancipation was to them 
little more than destitution1 and was a 
freedom more to be desired by  the      
master than the slave4  ,sojourner      
declares of the slaves in their         
ignorance1 that 'their thoughts are no  
longer than her finger4'                

,,death ,,of ,,bomefree4        ,a rude 
cabin1 in a lone wood1 far from any     
neighbors1 was granted to  our freed    
friends1 as the only assistance they    
were now to expect4  ,bomefree1 from    
this time1 found his poor needs hardly  
supplied1 as his  new providers were    
scarce able to administer to their own  
wants4  ,however1 the time drew near    
when things were to be decidedly worse  
rather than better2 for they had not    
been together long1 before ,betty  died1
 and shortly after1 ,caesar followed her
 to 'that bourne from  whence no        
traveller returns'-leaving poor ,james  
again desolate1 and  more helpless than 
ever before2 as1 this time1 there was no
 kind family  in the house1 and the     
,ardinburghs no longer invited him to   
their homes4  ,yet1 lone1 blind and     
helpless as he was1 ,james for a time   
lived on4  ,one day1 an aged colored    
woman1 named ,soan1 called at his       
shanty1 and  ,james besought her1 in the
 most moving manner1 even with tears1 to

  tarry awhile and wash and mend him up1
 so that he might once more be  decent  
and comfortable2 for he was suffering   
dreadfully with the filth  and vermin   
that had collected upon him4      ,soan 
was herself an emancipated slave1 old   
and weak1 with no one to  care for her2 
and she lacked the courage to undertake 
a job of such  seeming magnitude1       
fearing she might herself get sick1 and 
perish there  without assistance2 and   
with great reluctance1 and a heart      
swelling  with pity1 as she afterwards  
declared1 she felt obliged to leave him 
in  his wretchedness and filth4  ,and   
shortly after her visit1 this faithful  
slave1 this deserted wreck of humanity1 
was found on his miserable  pallet1     
frozen and stiff in death4  ,the kind   
angel had come at last1  and relieved   
him of the many miseries that his       
fellow-man had heaped  upon him4  ,yes1 
he had died1 chilled and starved1 with  
none to speak a  kindly word1 or do a   
kindly deed for him1 in that last dread 

of hour of  need6      ,the news of his 
death reached the ears of ,john         
,ardinburgh1 a grandson  of the old     
,colonel2 and he declared that          
',bomefree1 who had ever been a  kind   
and faithful slave1 should now have a   
good funeral4'  ,and now1  gentle       
reader1 what think you constituted a    
good funeral8  ,answer-some  black paint
 for the coffin1 and-a jug of ardent    
spirits6  ,what a  compensation for a   
life of toil1 of patient submission to  
repeated  robberies of the most         
aggravated kind1 and1 also1 far more    
than  murderous neglect66  ,mankind     
often vainly attempts to atone for      
unkindness or cruelty to the living1 by 
honoring the same after death2  but     
,john ,ardinburgh undoubtably meant his 
pot of paint and jug of  whisky should  
act as an opiate on his slaves1 rather  
than on his own  seared conscience4     
,,commencement ,,of ,,isabella',s       
,,trials ,,in ,,life4      ,having seen 
the sad end of her parents1 so far as it

 relates to this  earthly life1 we will 
return with ,isabella to that memorable 
auction  which threatened to separate   
her father and mother4  ,a slave auction
 is  a terrible affair to its victims1  
and its incidents and consequences  are 
graven on their hearts as with a pen of 
burning steel4      ,at this memorable  
time1 ,isabella was struck off1 for the 
sum of one  hundred dollars1 to one     
,john ,nealy1 of ,ulster ,county1 ,new  
,york2 and she  has an impression that  
in this sale she was connected with a   
lot of  sheep4  ,she was now nine years 
of age1 and her trials in life may be   
dated from this period4  ,she says1 with
 emphasis1 ',now the war begun4 '  ,she 
could only talk ,dutch-and the ,nealys  
could only talk ,english4  ,mr4  ,nealy 
could understand ,dutch1 but ,isabel and
 her mistress could neither  of them    
understand the language of the other-and
 this1 of itself1 was a  formidable     
obstacle in the way of a good           
understanding between them1  and for    

some time was a fruitful source of      
dissatisfaction to the  mistress1 and of
 punishment and suffering to ,isabella4 
,she says1 ',if  they sent me for a     
frying-pan1 not knowing what they meant1
 perhaps ,i  carried them pot-hooks and 
trammels4  ,then1 oh6 how angry mistress
  would be with me6'  ,then she suffered
 'terribly-terribly '1 with the  cold4  
,during the winter her feet were badly  
frozen1 for want of  proper covering4   
,they gave her a plenty to eat1 and also
 a plenty of  whippings4  ,one ,sunday  
morning1 in particular1 she was told to 
go to  the barn2 on going there1 she    
found her master with a bundle of rods1 
prepared in the embers1 and bound       
together with cords4   ,when he had     
tied her hands together before her1 he  
gave her the most cruel whipping  she   
was ever tortured with4  ,he whipped her
 till the flesh was deeply  lacerated1  
and the blood streamed from her         
wounds-and the scars remain  to the     
present day1 to testify to the fact4    

',and now1' she says1 'when  ,i hear 'em
 tell of whipping women on the bare     
flesh1 it makes my flesh  crawl1 and my 
very hair rise on my head6  ,oh6 my     
,god6' she continues1  'what a way is   
this of treating human beings8'  ,in    
those hours of her  extremity1 she did  
not forget the instructions of her      
mother1 to go to  ,god in all her       
trials1 and every affliction2 and she   
not only  remembered1 but obeyed3 going 
to him1 'and telling him all-and asking 
,him if ,he thought it was right1' and  
begging him to protect and shield  her  
from her persecutors4      ,she always  
asked with an unwavering faith that she 
should receive just  what she pleaded   
for1-',and now1' she says1 'though it   
seems curious1 ,i  do not remember ever 
asking for any thing but what ,i got it4
  ,and ,i  always received it as an     
answer to my prayers4  ,when ,i got     
beaten1 ,i  never knew it long enough to
 go beforehand to pray2 and ,i always   
thought that if ,i only had had time to 

pray to ,god for help1 ,i should  have  
escaped the beating4'  ,she had no idea 
,god had any knowledge of  her thoughts1
 save what she told him2 or heard her   
prayers1 unless they  were spoken       
audibly4  ,and consequently1 she could  
not pray unless she  had time and       
opportunity to go by herself1 where she 
could talk to ,god  without being       
overheard4            ,,trials          
,,continued4      ,when she had been at 
,mr4 ,nealy's several months1 she began 
to beg ,god  most earnestly to send her 
father to her1 and as soon as she       
commenced  to pray1 she began as        
confidently to look for his coming1 and1
 ere it  was long1 to her great joy1 he 
came4  ,she had no opportunity to speak 
to him of the troubles that weighed so  
heavily on her spirit1 while he         
remained2 but when he left1 she followed
 him to the gate1 and  unburdened her   
heart to him1 inquiring if he could not 
do something to  get her a new and      
better place4  ,in this way the slaves  

often assist  each other1 by            
ascertaining who are kind to their      
slaves1  comparatively2 and then using  
their influence to get such an one to   
hire or buy their friends2 and masters1 
often from policy1 as well as  from     
latent humanity1 allow those they are   
about to sell or let1 to  choose their  
own places1 if the persons they happen  
to select for  masters are considered   
safe pay4  ,he promised to do all he    
could1 and  they parted4  ,but1 every   
day1 as long as the snow lasted1 7for   
there  was snow on the ground at the    
time17 she returned to the spot where   
they separated1 and walking in the      
tracks her father had made in the  snow1
 repeated her prayer that ',god would   
help her father get her a new  and      
better place4'      ,a long time had not
 elapsed1 when a fisherman by the name  
of ,scriver  appeared at ,mr4 ,nealy's1 
and inquired of ,isabel 'if she would   
like to  go and live with him4'  ,she   
eagerly answered  ',yes1' and nothing   

doubting but he was sent in answer to   
her prayer2 and she soon started  off   
with him1 walking while he rode2 for he 
had bought her at the  suggestion of her
 father1 paying one hundred and five    
dollars for her4  ,he also lived in     
,ulster ,county1 but some five or six   
miles from ,mr4  ,nealy's4              
,scriver1 besides being a fisherman1    
kept a tavern for the  accommodation of 
people of his own class-for his was a   
rude1  uneducated family1 exceedingly   
profane in their language1 but1 on the  
whole1 an honest1 kind and well-disposed
 people4      ,they owned a large farm1 
but left it wholly unimproved2 attending
  mainly to their vocations of fishing  
and inn-keeping4  ,isabella  declares   
she can ill describe the kind of life   
she led with them4  ,it  was a wild1    
out-of-door kind of lief4  ,she was     
expected to carry fish1  to hoe corn1 to
 bring roots and herbs from the woods   
for beers1 go to  the ,strand for a     
gallon of molasses or liquor as the case

 might  require1 and 'browse around1' as
 she expresses it4  ,it was a life that 
suited her well for the time-being as   
devoid of hardship or terror as  it was 
of improvement2 a need which had not yet
 become a want4  ,instead  of improving 
at this place1 morally1 she retrograded1
 as their example  taught her to curse2 
and it was here that she took her first 
oath4  ,after living with them for about
 a year and a half1 she was sold to one 
,john ,j4 ,dumont1 for the sum of       
seventy pounds4  ,this was in #ahaj4    
,mr4  ,dumont lived in the same county  
as her former masters1 in the town of   
,new ,paltz1 and she remained with him  
till a short time previous to her       
emancipation by the ,state1 in #ahbh4   
,,her ,,standing ,,with ,,her ,,new     
,,master ,,and ,,mistress4      ,had    
,mrs4 ,dumont possessed that vein of    
kindness and consideration for  the     
slaves1 so perceptible in her husband's 
character1 ,isabella would  have been as
 comfortable here1 as one had best be1  

if one  must be a  slave4  ,mr4 ,dumont 
had been nursed in the very lap of      
slavery1 and  being naturally a man of  
kind feelings1 treated his slaves with  
all the  consideration he did his other 
animals1 and more1 perhaps4  ,but ,mrs4 
,dumont1 who had been born and educated 
in a non-slaveholding family1  and1 like
 many others1 used only to work-people1 
who1 under the most  stimulating of     
human motives1 were willing to put forth
 their every  energy1 could not have    
patience with the creeping gait1 the    
dull  understanding1 or see any cause   
for the listless manners and careless1  
slovenly habits of the poor down-trodden
 outcast-entirely forgetting  that every
 high and efficient motive had been     
removed far from him2 and  that1 had not
 his very intellect been crushed out of 
him1 the slave  would find little ground
 for aught but hopeless despondency4    
,from this  source arose a long series  
of trials in the life of our heroine1   
which  we must pass over in silence2    

some from motives of delicacy1 and      
others1 because the relation of them    
might inflict undeserved pain on  some  
now living1 whom ,isabel remembers only 
with esteem and love2  therefore1 the   
reader will not be surprised if our     
narrative appears  somewhat tame at this
 point1 and may rest assured that it is 
not for  want of facts1 as the most     
thrilling incidents of this portion of  
her  life are from various motives      
suppressed4      ,one comparatively     
trifling incident she wishes related1 as
 it made a  deep impression on her mind 
at the time-showing1 as she thinks1 how 
,god  shields the innocent1 and causes  
them to triumph over their enemies1  and
 also how she stood between master and  
mistress4  ,in her family1  ,mrs4       
,dumont employed two white girls1 one of
 whom1 named ,kate1 evinced  a          
disposition to 'lord it over' ,isabel1  
and1 in her emphatic language1  'to     
grind her down '4  ,her master often    
shielded her from the attacks  and      

accusations of others1 praising her for 
her readiness and ability  to work1 and 
these praises seemed to foster a spirit 
of hostility to  her1 in the minds of   
,mrs4 ,dumont and her white servant1 the
 latter of  whom took every opportunity 
to cry up her faults1 lessen her in the 
esteem of her master and increase       
against her the displeasure of her      
mistress1 which was already more than   
sufficient for ,isabel's comfort4  ,her 
master insisted that she could do as    
much work as half a dozen  common       
people1 and do it well1 too2 whilst her 
mistress insisted that  the      first  
was true1 only  because it ever came    
from her hand but half performed4 ,a    
good  deal of feeling arose from this   
difference of opinion1 which was        
getting to rather an uncomfortable      
height1 when1 all at once1 the  potatoes
 that ,isabel cooked for breakfast      
assumed a dingy1 dirty  look4 ,her      
mistress blamed her severely1 asking her
 master to  observe 'a fine specimen of 

,bell's work6'-adding1 'it is the  way  
all her work is done4' ,her master      
scolded also this time1 and  commanded  
her to be more careful in future4 ,kate 
joined with  zest in the censures1 and  
was very hard upon her4 ,isabella       
thought that she had done all she well  
could to have them nice2  and became    
quite distressed at their appearances1  
and wondered  what she should do to     
avoid them4 ,in this dilemma1 ,gertrude 
,dumont 7,mr4 ,d4's eldest child1 a     
good1 kind-hearted girl of ten  years1  
who pitied ,isabel sincerely71 when she 
heard them all  blame her so            
unsparingly1 came forward1 offering her 
sympathy  and assistance2 and when about
 to retire to bed1 on the night of      
,isabella's humiliation1 she advanced to
 ,isabel1 and told her1 if she  would   
wake her early next morning1 she would  
get up and  attend to her potatoes for  
her1 while she 7,isabella7 went to      
milking1 and they would see if they     
could not have them nice1  and not have 

',poppee1' her word for father1 and     
',matty1' her  word for mother1 and all 
of 'em1 scolding so terribly4           
,isabella gladly availed herself of this
 kindness1 which touched  her to the    
heart1 amid so much of an opposite      
spirit4 ,when  ,isabella had put the    
potatoes over to boil1 ,getty told her  
she  would herself tend the fire1 while 
,isabel milked4 ,she had not  long been 
seated by the fire1 in performance of   
her promise1  when ,kate entered1 and   
requested ,gertrude to go out of the    
room and do something for her1 which she
 refused1 still keeping  her place in   
the corner4 ,while there1 ,kate came    
sweeping about  the fire1 caught up a   
chip1 lifted some ashes with it1 and    
dashed  them into the kettle4 ,now the  
mystery was solved1 the plot            
discovered6 ,kate was working a little  
too fast at making her  mistress's words
 good1 at showing that ,mrs4 ,dumont and
 herself  were on the right side of the 
dispute1 and consequently at gaining    

power over ,isabella4 ,yes1 she was     
quite too fast1 inasmuch as  she had    
overlooked the little figure of justice1
 which sat in the  comer1 with scales   
nicely balanced1 waiting to give all    
their dues4    ,but the time had come   
when she was to be overlooked no        
longer4 ,it was ,getty's turn to speak  
now4 ',oh ,poppee6 oh  ,poppee6' said   
she1 ',kate has been putting ashes in   
among the  potatoes6 ,i saw her do it6  
,look at those that fell on the outside 
of the kettle6 ,you can now see what    
made the potatoes so dingy  every       
morning1 though ,bell washed them       
clean6' ,and she repeated  her story to 
every new comer1 till the fraud was made
 as  public as the censure of ,isabella 
had been4 ,her mistress looked  blank1  
and remained dumb-her master muttered   
something  which sounded very like an   
oath-and poor ,kate was so chop-fallen1 
she  looked like a convicted criminal1  
who would gladly  have hid herself1 7now
 that the baseness was out17 to conceal 

her  mortified pride and deep chagrin4  
,it was a fine triumph for ,isabella and
 her master1 and she  became more       
ambitious than ever to please him2 and  
he stimulated  her ambition by his      
commendation1 and by boasting of her  to
 his friends1 telling them that 'that   
wench' 7pointing to ,isabel7  'is better
 to me than a man-for she will do a good
 family's  washing in the night1 and be 
ready in the morning to go into the     
field1 where she will do as much at     
raking and binding as my best  hands4'  
,her ambition and desire to please were 
so great1 that she  often worked several
 nights in succession1 sleeping only    
short  snatches1 as she sat in her      
chair2 and some nights she would not    
allow herself to take any sleep1 save   
what she could get resting  herself     
against the wall1 fearing that if she   
sat down1 she would  sleep too long4    
,these extra exertions to please1 and   
the praises  consequent upon them1      
brought upon her head the envy of her   

fellow-slaves1 and they taunted her with
 being the 'white folks'  nigger4'  ,on 
the other hand1 she received the larger 
share of the  confidence of her master1 
and many small favors that were by  them
 unattainable4 ,i asked her if her      
master1 ,dumont1 ever  whipped her8 ,she
 answered1 ',oh yes1 he sometimes       
whipped  me soundly1 though never       
cruelly4 ,and the most severe whipping  
he ever give me was because ,i was cruel
 to a cat4' ,at this  time she looked   
upon her master as a ,god2 and believed 
that he  knew of and could see her at   
all times1 even as ,god himself4 ,and   
she used sometimes to confess her       
delinquencies1 from the conviction  that
 he already knew them1 and that she     
should fare  better if she confessed    
voluntarily3 and if any one talked to   
her  of the injustice of her being a    
slave1 she answered them with  contempt1
 and immediately told her master4 ,she  
then firmly  believed that slavery was  
right and honorable4 ,yet she now sees  

very clearly the false position they    
were all in1 both masters and  slaves2  
and she looks back1 with utter          
astonishment1 at the absurdity  of the  
claims so arrogantly set up by the      
masters1 over  beings designed by ,god  
to be as free as kings2 and at the      
perfect  stupidity of the slave1 in     
admitting for one moment the validity   
of these claims4    ,in obedience to her
 mother's instructions1 she had educated
  herself to such a sense of honesty1   
that1 when she had become a  mother1 she
 would sometimes whip her child when it 
cried to  her for bread1 rather than    
give it a piece secretly1 lest it should
  learn to take what was not its own6   
,and the writer of this knows1  from    
personal observation1 that the          
slaveholders of the ,south feel  it to  
be a religious duty to teach their      
slaves to be honest1 and  never to take 
what is not their own6 ,oh consistency1 
art thou not  a jewel8 ,yet ,isabella   
glories in the fact that she was        

faithful and  true to her master2 she   
says1 ',it made me true to my           
,god'-meaning1  that it helped to form  
in her a character that loved  truth1   
and hated a lie1 and had saved her from 
the bitter pains  and fears that are    
sure to follow in the wake of           
insincerity and  hypocrisy4    ,as she  
advanced in years1 an attachment sprung 
up between  herself and a slave named   
,robert4 ,but his master1 an ,englishman
  by the name of ,catlin1 anxious that  
no one's property but his  own should be
 enhanced by the increase of his slaves1
 forbade  ,robert's visits to ,isabella1
 and commanded him to take a wife  among
 his fellow-servants4 ,notwithstanding  
this interdiction1  ,robert1 following  
the bent of his inclinations1 continued 
his  visits to ,isabel1 though very     
stealthily1 and1 as he believed1 without
  exciting the suspicion of his master2 
but one ,saturday afternoon1  hearing   
that ,bell was ill1 he took the liberty 
to go and see  her4 ,the first          

intimation she had of his visit was the 
appearance  of her master1 inquiring 'if
 she had seen ,bob4' ,on her answering  
in the negative1 he said to her1 ',if   
you see him1 tell him to  take care of  
himself1 for the ,catlins are after     
him4' ,almost at that  instant1 ,bob    
made his appearance2 and the first      
people he met  were his old and his     
young masters4 ,they were terribly      
enraged  at finding him there1 and the  
eldest began cursing1 and calling  upon 
his son to ',knock down the d-d black   
rascal'2 at the  same time1 they both   
fell upon him like tigers1 beating him  
with  the heavy ends of their canes1    
bruising and mangling his head  and face
 in the most awful manner1 and causing  
the blood1 which  streamed from his     
wounds1 to cover him like a slaughtered 
beast1  constituting him a most shocking
 spectacle4 ,mr4 ,dumont interposed  at 
this point1 telling the ruffians they   
could no longer thus  spill human blood 
on his premises-he would have 'no       

niggers  killed there4' ,the ,catlins   
then took a rope they had taken with    
them for the purpose1 and tied ,bob's   
hands behind him in such  a manner1 that
 ,mr4 ,dumont insisted on loosening the 
cord1  declaring that no brute should be
 tied in that manner1 where he  was4    
,and as they led him away1 like the     
greatest of criminals1 the  more humane 
,dumont followed them to their homes1 as
 ,robert's  protector2 and when he      
returned1 he kindly went to ,bell1  as  
he called her1 telling her he did not   
think they would strike  him any more1  
as their wrath had greatly cooled before
 he left  them4 ,isabella had witnessed 
this scene from her window1 and  was    
greatly shocked at the murderous        
treatment of poor ,robert1  whom she    
truly loved1 and whose only crime1 in   
the eye of his  persecutors1 was his    
affection for her4 ,this beating1 and we
 know  not what after treatment1        
completely subdued the spirit of its    
victim1 for ,robert ventured no more to 

visit ,isabella1 but like an  obedient  
and faithful chattel1 took himself a    
wife from the house  of his master4     
,robert did not live many years after   
his last visit  to ,isabel1 but took his
 departure to that country1 where 'they 
neither marry nor are given in          
marriage1' and where the oppressor      
cannot molest4          ,,isabella',s   
,,marriage4      ,subsequently1         
,isabella was married to a fellow-slave1
 named  ,thomas1 who had previously had 
two wives1 one of whom1 if  not both1   
had been torn from him and sold far     
away4 ,and it is  more than probable1   
that he was not only allowed but        
encouraged  to take another at each     
successive sale4 ,i say it is probable1 
because the writer of this knows from   
personal observation1 that  such is the 
custom among slaveholders at the present
 day2 and  that in a twenty months'     
residence among them1 we never knew  any
 one to open the lip against the        
practice2 and when we  severely censured

 it1 the slaveholder had nothing to say2
 and the  slave pleaded that1 under     
existing circumstances1 he could do no  
better4    ,such an abominable state of 
things is silently tolerated1 to say    
the least1 by slaveholders-deny it who  
may4 ,and what is that  religion that   
sanctions1 even by its silence1 all that
 is embraced in  the ',peculiar         
,institution8 ' ,if there can be any    
thing more  diametrically opposed to the
 religion of ,jesus1 than the working of
  this  soul-killing system-which is as 
truly sanctioned by the religion  of    
,america as are her ministers and       
churches-we wish to be  shown where it  
can be found4    ,we have said1         
,isabella was married to ,thomas-she    
was1  after the fashion of slavery1 one 
of the slaves performing the  ceremony  
for them2 as no true minister of ,christ
 can perform1 as  in the presence of    
,god1 what he knows to be a mere farce1 
a mock  marriage1 unrecognised by any   
civil law1 and liable to be annulled    

any moment1 when the interest or caprice
 of the master  should dictate4    ,with
 what feelings must slaveholders expect 
us to listen to  their horror of        
amalgamation in prospect1 while they are
 well  aware that we know how calmly and
 quietly they contemplate  the present  
state of licentiousness their own wicked
 laws have  created1 not only as it     
regards the slave1 but as it regards the
 more  privileged portion of the        
population of the ,south8               
,slaveholders appear to me to take the  
same notice of the vices  of the slave1 
as one does of the vicious disposition  
of his horse4  ,they are often an       
inconvenience2 further than that1 they  
care  not to trouble themselves about   
the matter4          ,,isabella ,,as ,a 
,,mother4      ,in process of time1     
,isabella found herself the mother of   
five  children1 and she rejoiced in     
being permitted to be the instrument  of
 increasing the property of her         
oppressors6 ,think1 dear  reader1       

without a blush1 if you can1 for one    
moment1 of a mother  thus willingly1 and
 with pride1 laying her own children1   
the 'flesh  of her flesh1' on the altar 
of slavery-a sacrifice to the bloody    
,moloch6 ,but we must remember that     
beings capable of such  sacrifices are  
not mothers2 they are only 'things1'    
'chattels1' 'property4'    ,but since   
that time1 the subject of this narrative
 has made  some advances from a state of
 chattelism towards that of a  woman and
 a mother2 and she now looks back upon  
her  thoughts and feelings there1 in her
 state of ignorance and  degradation1   
as one does on the dark imagery of a    
fitful dream4 ,one  moment it seems but 
a frightful illusion2 again it appears a
 terrible  reality4 ,i would to ,god it 
were but a dreamy myth1 and not1 as  it 
now stands1 a horrid reality to some    
three millions of chattelized  human    
beings4    ,i have already alluded to   
her care not to teach her children  to  
steal1 by her example2 and she says1    

with groanings that cannot  be written1 
',the ,lord only knows how many times ,i
 let my  children go hungry1 rather than
 take secretly the bread ,i liked  not  
to ask for4' ,all parents who annul     
their preceptive teachings  by their    
daily practices would do well to profit 
by her example4    ,another proof of her
 master's kindness of heart is found in 
the following fact4 ,if her master came 
into the house and found  her infant    
crying1 7as she could not always attend 
to its wants and  the commands of her   
mistress at the same time17 he would    
turn  to his wife with a look of        
reproof1 and ask her why she did not    
see the child taken care of2 saying1    
most earnestly1 ',i will not  hear this 
crying2 ,i can't bear it1 and ,i will   
not hear any child cry  so4 ,here1      
,bell1 take care of this child1 if no   
more work is done  for a week4' ,and he 
would linger to see if his orders were  
obeyed1 and not countermanded4    ,when 
,isabella went to the field to work1 she

 used to put her  infant in a basket1   
tying a rope to each handle1 and        
suspending  the basket to a branch of a 
tree1 set another small child to swing  
it4 ,it was thus secure from reptiles   
and was easily administered to1  and    
even lulled to sleep1 by a child too    
young for other labors4  ,i was quite   
struck with the ingenuity of such a     
baby-tender1 as  ,i have sometimes been 
with the swinging hammock the native    
mother prepares for her sick            
infant-apparently so much easier  than  
aught we have in our more civilized     
homes2 easier for the  child1 because it
 gets the motion without the least jar2 
and easier  for the nurse1 because the  
hammock is strung so high as to         
supersede the necessity of stooping4    
,,slaveholder',s ,,promises4      ,after
 emancipation had been decreed by the   
,state1 some years  before the time     
fixed for its consummation1 ,isabella's 
master told  her if she would do well1  
and be faithful1 he would give her 'free

  papers1' one year before she was      
legally free by statute4 ,in the  year  
#ahbf1 she had a badly diseased hand1   
which greatly diminished  her           
usefulness2 but on the arrival of ,july 
#d1 #ahbg1 the time  specified for her  
receiving her 'free papers1' she claimed
 the  fulfilment of her master's        
promise2 but he refused granting it1 on 
account 7as he alleged7 of the loss he  
had sustained by her hand4  ,she plead  
that she had worked all the time1 and   
done many  things she was not wholly    
able to do1 although she knew she had   
been less useful than formerly2 but her 
master remained inflexible4  ,her very  
faithfulness probably operated against  
her now1  and he found it less easy than
 he thought to give up the profits  of  
his faithful ,bell1 who had so long done
 him efficient service4    ,but         
,isabella inwardly determined that she  
would remain quietly  with him only     
until she had spun his wool-about one   
hundred pounds-and then she would leave 

him1 taking the rest  of the time to    
herself4 ',ah6' she says1 with emphasis 
that cannot  be written1 'the           
slaveholders are ,,terrible for         
promising to give  you this or that1 or 
such and such a privilege1 if you will  
do thus  and so2 and when the time of   
fulfilment comes1 and one claims  the   
promise1 they1 forsooth1 recollect      
nothing of the kind3 and  you are1 like 
as not1 taunted with being a ,,liar2 or1
 at best1 the  slave is accused of not  
having performed his part or condition  
of  the contract4' ',oh6' said she1 ',i 
have felt as if ,i could not live       
through the operation sometimes4 ,just  
think of us6 so eager for our           
pleasures1 and just foolish enough to   
keep feeding and feeding  ourselves up  
with the idea that we should get what   
had been thus  fairly promised2 and when
 we think it is almost in our hands1    
find  ourselves flatly denied6 ,just    
think6 how could we bear it8 ,why1      
there was ,charles ,brodhead promised   

his slave ,ned1 that when  harvesting   
was over1 he might go and see his wife1 
who lived  some twenty or thirty miles  
off4 ,so ,ned worked early and late1    
and as soon as the harvest was all in1  
he claimed the promised  boon4 ,his     
master said1 he had merely told him he  
'would see if  he could go1 when the    
harvest was over2 but now he saw that   
he could not go4' ,but ,ned1 who still  
claimed a positive promise1  on which he
 had fully depended1 went on cleaning   
his shoes4 ,his  master asked him if he 
intended going1 and on his replying     
'yes1'  took up a sled-stick that lay   
near him1 and gave him such a blow  on  
the head as broke his skull1 killing him
 dead on the spot4 ,the  poor colored   
people all felt struck down by the      
blow4' ,ah6 and  well they might4 ,yet  
it was but one of a long series of      
bloody1  and other most effectual blows1
 struck against their liberty and  their
 lives4 99 ,but to return from our      
digression4    ,the subject of this     

narrative was to have been free ,july   
#d1  #ahbg1 but she continued with her  
master till the wool was spun1  and the 
heaviest of the 'fall's work' closed up1
 when she concluded  to take her freedom
 into her own hands1 and seek her       
fortune in some other place4      ,note3
  99,yet no official notice was taken of
 his more than brutal murder4           
,,her ,,escape4      ,the question in   
her mind1 and one not easily solved1 now
 was1  ',how can ,i get away8' ,so1 as  
was her usual custom1 she 'told  ,god   
she was afraid to go in the night1 and  
in the day every body  would see her4'  
,at length1 the thought came to her that
 she  could leave just before the day   
dawned1 and get out of the  neighborhood
 where she was known before the people  
were  much astir4 ',yes1' said she1     
fervently1 'that's a good thought6      
,thank you1 ,god1 for that thought6'    
,so1 receiving it as coming  direct from
 ,god1 she acted upon it1 and one fine  
morning1 a little  before day-break1 she

 might have been seen stepping          
stealthily  away from the rear of       
,master ,dumont's house1 her infant on  
one  arm and her wardrobe on the other2 
the bulk and weight of  which1 probably1
 she never found so convenient as on the
 present  occasion1 a cotton            
handkerchief containing both her clothes
  and her provisions4    ,as she gained 
the summit of a high hill1 a            
considerable distance  from her         
master's1 the sun offended her by coming
 forth  in all his pristine splendor4   
,she thought it never was so light      
before2 indeed1 she thought it much too 
light4 ,she stopped to  look about her1 
and ascertain if her pursuers were yet  
in sight4  ,no one appeared1 and1 for   
the first time1 the question came up    
for settlement1 ',where1 and to whom1   
shall ,i go8' ,in all her  thoughts of  
getting away1 she had not once asked    
herself whither  she should direct her  
steps4 ,she sat down1 fed her infant1   
and  again turning her thoughts to ,god1

 her only help1 she prayed  him to      
direct her to some safe asylum4 ,and    
soon it occurred  to her1 that there was
 a man living somewhere in the direction
  she had been pursuing1 by the name of 
,levi ,rowe1 whom she  had known1 and   
who1 she thought1 would be likely to    
befriend  her4 ,she accordingly pursued 
her way to his house1 where she  found  
him ready to entertain and assist her1  
though he was then  on his death-bed4   
,he bade her partake of the             
hospitalities of his  house1 said he    
knew of two good places where she might 
get in1  and requested his wife to show 
her where they were to be found4  ,as   
soon as she came in sight of the first  
house1 she recollected  having seen it  
and its inhabitants before1 and         
instantly exclaimed1  ',that's the place
 for me2 ,i shall stop there4' ,she went
 there1 and  found the good people of   
the house1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,van ,wagener1
  absent1 but was kindly received and   
hospitably entertained  by their        

excellent mother1 till the return of her
 children4  ,when they arrived1 she made
 her case known to them4 ,they  listened
 to her story1 assuring her they never  
turned the needy  away1 and willingly   
gave her employment4    ,she had not    
been there long before her old master1  
,dumont1  appeared1 as she had          
anticipated2 for when she took ,french  
leave  of him1 she resolved not to go   
too far from him1 and not put him  to as
 much trouble in looking her up-for the 
latter he was sure  to do-as ,tom and   
,jack had done when they ran away from  
him1 a short time before4 ,this was very
 considerate in her1 to say  the least1 
and a proof that 'like begets like4' ,he
 had often  considered her feelings1    
though not always1 and she was equally  
considerate4    ,when her master saw    
her1 he said1 ',well1 ,bell1 so you've  
run  away from me4' ',no1 ,i did not run
 away2 ,i walked away by  day-light1 and
 all because you had promised me a year 
of my  time4' ,his reply was1 ',you must

 go back with me4' ,her decisive  answer
 was1 ',no1 ,i won't go back with you4' 
,he said1 ',well1  ,i shall take the    
child4' ,this also was as stoutly       
negatived4    ,mr4 ,isaac ,s4 ,van      
,wagener then interposed1 saying1 he had
  never been in the practice of buying  
and selling slaves2 he did not  believe 
in slavery2 but1 rather than have       
,isabella taken back by  force1 he would
 buy her services for the balance of the
 year-for  which her master charged     
twenty dollars1 and five in addition for
  the child4 ,the sum was paid1 and her 
master ,dumont departed2  but not till  
he had heard ,mr4 ,van ,wagener tell her
 not to call  him master-adding1 'there 
is but one master2 and he who is your   
master is my master4' ,isabella inquired
 what she should call him8  ,he         
answered1 'call me ,isaac ,van ,wagener1
 and my wife is ,maria  ,van ,wagener4' 
,isabella could not understand this1 and
 thought  it a mighty change1 as it most
 truly was from a master whose word  was

 law1 to simple ,isaac ,s4 ,van         
,wagener1 who was master to no  one4    
,with these noble people1 who1 though   
they could not be  the masters of       
slaves1 were undoubtedly a portion of   
,god's  nobility1 she resided one year1 
and from them she derived the  name of  
,van ,wagener2 he being her last master 
in the eye of the  law1 and a slave's   
surname is ever the same as his master2 
that is1  if he is allowed to have any  
other name than ,tom1 ,jack1 or         
,guffin4 ,slaves have sometimes been    
severely punished for adding  their     
master's name to their own4 ,but when   
they have no  particular title to it1 it
 is no particular offence4              
,,illegal ,,sale ,,of ,,her ,,son4      
,a little previous to ,isabel's leaving 
her old master1 he had sold  her child1 
a boy of five years1 to a ,dr4 ,gedney1 
who took him  with him as far as ,new   
,york city1 on his way to ,england2 but 
finding the boy too small for his       
service1 he sent him back to his        

brother1 ,solomon ,gedney4 ,this man    
disposed of him to his  sister's        
husband1 a wealthy planter1 by the name 
of ,fowler1 who  took him to his own    
home in ,alabama4    ,this illegal and  
fraudulent transaction had been         
perpetrated  some months before         
,isabella knew of it1 as she was now    
living  at ,mr4 ,van ,wagener's4 ,the   
law expressly prohibited the sale of    
any slave out of the ,state1-and all    
minors were to be free at  twenty-one   
years of age2 and ,mr4 ,dumont had sold 
,peter with  the express understanding1 
that he was soon to return to the ,state
  of ,new ,york1 and be emancipated at  
the specified time4    ,when ,isabel    
heard that her son had been sold ,south1
 she  immediately started on foot and   
alone1 to find the man who had  thus    
dared1 in the face of all law1 human and
 divine1 to sell her  child out of the  
,state2 and if possible1 to bring him to
 account  for the deed4    ,arriving at 
,new ,paltz1 she went directly to her   

former mistress1  ,dumont1 complaining  
bitterly of the removal of her son4     
,her mistress heard her through1 and    
then replied-',ugh6 a fine  fuss to make
 about a little nigger6 ,why1 haven't   
you as many of  'em left as you can see 
to1 and take care of8 ,a pity 'tis1 the 
niggers  are not all in ,guinea66       
,making such a halloo-balloo about the  
neighborhood2 and all for a paltry      
nigger666' ,isabella heard her  through1
 and after a moment's hesitation1       
answered1 in tones of  deep             
determination-',i'll have my child      
again4' ',have your child  again6'      
repeated her mistress-her tones big with
 contempt1 and  scorning the absurd idea
 of her getting him4 ',how can you get  
him8 ,and what have you to support him  
with1 if you could8  ,have you any      
money8' ',no1' answered ,bell1 ',i have 
no  money1 but ,god has enough1 or      
what's better6 ,and ,i'll have my  child
 again4' ,these words were pronounced in
 the most slow1  solemn1 and determined 

measure and manner4 ,and in speaking  of
 it1 she says1 ',oh my ,god6 ,i know'd  
,i'd have him agin4 ,i was  sure ,god   
would help me to get him4 ,why1 ,i felt 
so tall within-,i  felt as if the power 
of a nation was with me6'    ,the       
impressions made by ,isabella on her    
auditors1 when  moved by lofty or deep  
feeling1 can never be transmitted to    
paper1 7to use the words of another17   
till by some ,daguerrian act1  we are   
enabled to transfer the look1 the       
gesture1 the tones of  voice1 in        
connection with the quaint1 yet fit     
expressions used1  and the              
spirit-stirring animation that1 at such 
a time1 pervades all  she says4         
,after leaving her mistress1 she called 
on ,mrs4 ,gedney1 mother  of him who had
 sold her boy2 who1 after listening to  
her lamentations1  her grief being      
mingled with indignation at the sale of 
her son1 and her declaration that she   
would have him again-said1  ',dear me6  
,what a disturbance to make about your  

child6  ,what1 is your child1 better    
than my child8 ,my child is gone out    
there1 and yours is gone to live with   
her1 to have enough of  every thing1 and
 be treated like a gentleman6' ,and here
 she  laughed at ,isabel's absurd fears1
 as she would represent them to  be4    
',yes1' said ,isabel1 'your child has   
gone there1 but she is  married1 and my 
boy has gone as a slave1 and he is too  
little to go  so far from his mother4   
,oh1 ,i must have my child4' ,and here  
the  continued laugh of ,mrs4 ,g4 seemed
 to ,isabel1 in this time of  anguish   
and distress1 almost demoniacal4 ,and   
well it was for ,mrs4  ,gedney1 that1 at
 that time1 she could not even dream of 
the  awful fate awaiting her own beloved
 daughter1 at the hands of  him whom she
 had chosen as worthy the wealth of her 
love  and confidence1 and in whose      
society her young heart had  calculated 
on a happiness1 purer and more elevated 
than was ever  conferred by a kingly    
crown4 ,but1 alas6 she was doomed to    

disappointment1 as we shall relate by   
and by4 ,at this point1  ,isabella      
earnestly begged of ,god that he would  
show to those  about her that ,he was   
her helper2 and she adds1 in narrating1 
',and ,he did2 or1 if ,he did not show  
them1 he did me4'        ,,it ,,is      
,,often ,,darkest ,,just ,,before       
,,dawn4      ,this homely proverb was   
illustrated in the case of our sufferer2
  for1 at the period at which we have   
arrived in our narrative1 to  her the   
darkness seemed palpable1 and the waters
 of affliction  covered her soul2 yet   
light was about to break in upon her4   
,soon after the scenes related in our   
last chapter1 which had  harrowed up her
 very soul to agony1 she met a man1 7we 
would  like to tell you who1 dear       
reader1 but it would be doing him no    
kindness1 even at the present day1 to do
 so17 who evidently  sympathized with   
her1 and counselled her to go to the    
,quakers1  telling her they were already
 feeling very indignant at the          

fraudulent  sale of her son1 and        
assuring her that they would readily    
assist her1 and direct her what to do4  
,he pointed out to her two  houses1     
where lived some of those people1 who   
formerly1 more  than any other sect1    
perhaps1 lived out the principles of the
  gospel of ,christ4 ,she wended her way
 to their dwellings1 was  listened to1  
unknown as she personally was to them1  
with patience1  and soon gained their   
sympathies and active co-operation4     
,they gave her lodgings for the night2  
and it is very amusing  to hear her tell
 of the 'nice1 high1 clean1 white1      
beautiful bed'  assigned her to sleep   
in1 which contrasted so strangely with  
her  former pallets1 that she sat down  
and contemplated it1 perfectly  absorbed
 in wonder that such a bed should have  
been appropriated  to one like herself4 
,for some time she thought that she     
would lie down beneath it1 on her usual 
bedstead1 the floor4 ',i  did1 indeed1' 
says she1 laughing heartily at her      

former self4 ,however1  she finally     
concluded to make use of the bed1 for   
fear that  not to do so might injure the
 feelings of her good hostess4 ,in the  
morning1 the ,quaker saw that she was   
taken and set down near  ,kingston1 with
 directions to go to the ,court ,house1 
and enter  complaint to the ,grand      
,jury4    ,by a little inquiry1 she     
found which was the building she        
sought1 went into the door1 and taking  
the first man she saw of  imposing      
appearance for the grand jury1 she      
commenced her  complaint4 ,but he very  
civilly informed her there was no ,grand
  ,jury there2 she must go up stairs4   
,when she had with some  difficulty     
ascended the flight through the crowd   
that filled them1  she again turned to  
the 'grandest ' looking man she could   
select1  telling him she had come to    
enter a complaint to the ,grand ,jury4  
,for his own amusement1 he inquired what
 her complaint was2  but1 when he saw it
 was a serious matter1 he said to her1  

',this  is no place to enter a          
complaint-go in there1' pointing in a   
particular direction4    ,she then went 
in1 where she found the ,grand ,jurors  
indeed  sitting1 and again commenced to 
relate her injuries4 ,after holding     
some conversation among themselves1 one 
of them rose1 and  bidding her follow   
him1 led the way to a side office1 where
 he  heard her story1 and asked her 'if 
she could swear that the child  she     
spoke of was her son8' ',yes1' she      
answered1 ',i swear it's my  son4'      
',stop1 stop6' said the lawyer1 'you    
must swear by this  book'-giving her a  
book1 which she thinks must have been   
the  ,bible4 ,she took it1 and putting  
it to her lips1 began again to swear  it
 was her child4 ,the clerks1 unable to  
preserve their gravity any  longer1     
burst into an uproarious laugh2 and one 
of them inquired  of lawyer ,chip of    
what use it could be to make her swear4 
',it  will answer the law1' replied the 
officer4 ,he then made her  comprehend  

just what he wished her to do1 and she  
took a  lawful oath1 as far as the      
outward ceremony could make it one4     
,all can judge how far she understood   
its spirit and meaning4    ,he now gave 
her a writ1 directing her to take it to 
the  constable at ,new ,paltz1 and have 
him serve it on ,solomon  ,gedney4 ,she 
obeyed1 walking1 or rather trotting1 in 
her haste1  some eight or nine miles4   
,but while the constable1 through       
mistake1 served the writ on  a brother  
of the real culprit1 ,solomon ,gedney   
slipped into a  boat1 and was nearly    
across the ,north ,river1 on whose banks
  they were standing1 before the dull   
,dutch constable was aware  of his      
mistake4 ,solomon ,gedney1 meanwhile1   
consulted a lawyer1  who advised him to 
go to ,alabama and bring back the boy1  
otherwise it might cost him fourteen    
years' imprisonment1 and  a thousand    
dollars in cash4 ,by this time1 it is   
hoped he began to  feel that selling    
slaves unlawfully was not so good a     

business as  he had wished to find it4  
,he secreted himself till due           
preparations  could be made1 and soon   
set sail for ,alabama4 ,steamboats and  
railroads had not then annihilated      
distance to the extent they  now have1  
and although he left in the fall of the 
year1 spring  came ere he returned1     
bringing the boy with him-but holding   
on to him as his property4 ,it had ever 
been ,isabella's prayer1 not  only that 
her son might be returned1 but that he  
should be  delivered from bondage1 and  
into her own hands1 lest he should  be  
punished out of mere spite to her1 who  
was so greatly annoying  and irritating 
to her oppressors2 and if her suit was  
gained1  her very triumph would add     
vastly to their irritation4    ,she     
again sought advice of ,esquire ,chip1  
whose counsel was1  that the aforesaid  
constable serve the before-mentioned    
writ  upon the right person4 ,this being
 done1 soon brought ,solomon  ,gedney up
 to ,kingston1 where he gave bonds for  

his appearance  at court1 in the sum of 
#fjj4    ,esquire ,chip next informed   
his client1 that her case must  now lie 
over till the next session of the court1
 some months in  the future4 ',the law  
must take its course1' said he4         
',what6 wait another court6 wait        
months8' said the persevering  mother4  
',why1 long before that time1 he can go 
clear off1  and take my child with      
him-no one knows where4 ,i cannot  wait2
 ,i must have him now1 whilst he is to  
be had4' ',well1' said  the lawyer1 very
 coolly1 'if he puts the boy out of the 
way1 he  must pay the #fjj-one half of  
which will be yours'2 supposing1        
perhaps1 that #cjj would pay for a 'heap
 of children1' in  the eye of a slave   
who never1 in all her life1 called a    
dollar her  own4 ,but in this instance1 
he was mistaken in his reckoning4 ,she  
assured him1 that she had not been      
seeking money1 neither  would money     
satisfy her2 it was her son1 and her son
 alone she  wanted1 and her son she must

 have4 ,neither could she wait  court1  
not she4 ,the lawyer used his every     
argument to convince  her1 that she     
ought to be very thankful for what they 
had done  for her2 that it was a great  
deal1 and it was but reasonable that she
  should now wait patiently the time of 
the court4    ,yet she never felt1 for a
 moment1 like being influenced by  these
 suggestions4 ,she felt confident she   
was to receive a full and  literal      
answer to her prayer1 the burden of     
which had been-',o  ,lord1 give my son  
into my hands1 and that speedily6 ,let  
not the  spoilers have him any longer4' 
,notwithstanding1 she very distinctly   
saw that those who had thus far helped  
her on so kindly  were wearied of her1  
and she feared ,god was wearied also4   
,she had  a short time previous learned 
that ,jesus was a ,saviour1 and an      
intercessor2 and she thought that if    
,jesus could but be induced to  plead   
for her in the present trial1 ,god would
 listen to him1 though he  were wearied 

of her importunities4 ,to him1 of       
course1 she applied4  ,as she was       
walking about1 scarcely knowing whither 
she went1  asking within herself1 ',who 
will show me any good1 and lend a       
helping hand in this matter1' she was   
accosted by a perfect  stranger1 and one
 whose name she has never learned1 in   
the  following terms3 ',halloo1 there2  
how do you get along with your  boy8 do 
they give him up to you8' ,she told him 
all1 adding that  now every body was    
tired1 and she had none to help her4 ,he
 said1  ',look here6 ,i'll tell you what
 you'd better do4 ,do you see that      
stone house yonder8' pointing in a      
particular direction4 ',well1  lawyer   
,demain lives there1 and do you go to   
him1 and lay your  case before him2 ,i  
think he'll help you4 ,stick to him4    
,don't give him  peace till he does4 ,i 
feel sure if you press him1 he'll do it 
for you4'  ,she needed no further       
urging1 but trotted off at her peculiar 
gait in  the direction of his house1 as 

fast as possible1-and she was not       
encumbered with stockings1 shoes1 or any
 other heavy article of  dress4 ,when   
she had told him her story1 in her      
impassioned  manner1 he looked at her a 
few moments1 as if to ascertain if he   
were contemplating a new variety of the 
genus homo1 and then  told her1 if she  
would give him five dollars1 he would   
get her son  for her1 in twenty-four    
hours4 ',why1' she replied1 ',i have no 
money1 and never had a dollar in my     
life6' ,said he1 ',if you will go  to   
those ,quakers in ,poppletown1 who      
carried you to court1 they  will help   
you to five dollars in cash1 ,i have no 
doubt2 and you shall  have your son in  
twenty-four hours1 from the time you    
bring me  that sum4' ,she performed the 
journey to ,poppletown1 a distance  of  
some ten miles1 very expeditiously2     
collected considerable  more than the   
sum specified by the barrister2 then1   
shutting the  money tightly in her hand1
 she trotted back1 and paid the lawyer a

  larger fee than he had demanded4 ,when
 inquired of by people  what she had    
done with the overplus1 she answered1   
',oh1 ,i got it  for lawyer ,demain1 and
 ,i gave it to him4 ' ,they assured her 
she was  a fool to do so2 that she      
should have kept all over five dollars1 
and  purchased herself shoes with it4   
',oh1 ,i do not want money or  clothes  
now1 ,i only want my son2 and if five   
dollars will get him1  more will surely 
get him4 ' ,and if the lawyer had       
returned it to her1  she avers she would
 not have accepted it4 ,she was         
perfectly willing  he should have every 
coin she could raise1 if he would but   
restore  her lost son to her4 ,moreover1
 the five dollars he required were for  
the remuneration of him who should go   
after her son and his  master1 and not  
for his own services4    ,the lawyer now
 renewed his promise1 that she should   
have  her son in twenty-four hours4 ,but
 ,isabella1 having no idea of this      
space of time1 went several times in a  

day1 to ascertain if her son  had come4 
,once1 when the servant opened the door 
and saw  her1 she said1 in a tone       
expressive of much surprise1 ',why1 this
  woman's come again6' ,she then        
wondered if she went too  often4 ,when  
the lawyer appeared1 he told her the    
twenty-four  hours would not expire till
 the next morning2 if she would call    
then1 she would see her son4 ,the next  
morning saw ,isabel at the  lawyer's    
door1 while he was yet in his bed4 ,he  
now assured her  it was morning till    
noon2 and that before noon her son would
  be there1 for he had sent the famous  
',matty ,styles' after him1  who would  
not fail to have the boy and his master 
on hand in  due season1 either dead or  
alive2 of that he was sure4 ,telling her
  she need not come again2 he would     
himself inform her of their  arrival4   
,after dinner1 he appeared at ,mr4      
,rutzer's1 7a place the lawyer  had     
procured for her1 while she awaited the 
arrival of her boy17  assuring her1 her 

son had come2 but that he stoutly denied
 having  any mother1 or any relatives in
 that place2 and said1 'she must go     
over and identify him4' ,she went to the
 office1 but at sight of  her the boy   
cried aloud1 and regarded her as some   
terrible being1  who was about to take  
him away from a kind and loving friend4 
,he knelt1 even1 and begged them1 with  
tears1 not to take him  away from his   
dear master1 who had brought him from   
the  dreadful ,south1 and been so kind  
to him4    ,when he was questioned      
relative to the bad scar on his         
forehead1 he said1 ',fowler's horse hove
 him4' ,and of the one  on his cheek1   
',that was done by running against the  
carriage4'  ,in answering these         
questions1 he looked imploringly at his 
master1  as much as to say1 ',if they   
are falsehoods1 you bade me say  them2  
may they be satisfactory to you1 at     
least4'    ,the justice1 noting his     
appearance1 bade him forget his master  
and attend only to him4 ,but the boy    

persisted in denying his  mother1 and   
clinging to his master1 saying his      
mother did not live  in such a place as 
that4 ,however1 they allowed the mother 
to  identify her son2 and ,esquire      
,demain pleaded that he claimed  the boy
 for her1 on the ground that he had been
 sold out of the  ,state1 contrary to   
the laws in such cases made and         
provided-spoke of  the penalties annexed
 to said crime1 and of the sum of  money
 the delinquent was to pay1 in case any 
one chose to  prosecute him for the     
offence he had committed4 ,isabella1 who
  was sitting in a corner1 scarcely     
daring to breathe1 thought within       
herself1 ',if ,i can but get the boy1   
the #bjj may remain for  whoever else   
chooses to prosecute-,i have done enough
 to  make myself enemies already'-and   
she trembled at the thought  of the     
formidable enemies she had probably     
arrayed against  herself-helpless and   
despised as she was4 ,when the pleading 
was at an end1 ,isabella understood the 

,judge to declare1 as the  sentence of  
the ,court1 that the 'boy be delivered  
into the hands  of the mother-having no 
other master1 no other controller1 no   
other conductor1 but his mother4' ,this 
sentence was obeyed2 he  was delivered  
into her hands1 the boy meanwhile       
begging1 most  piteously1 not to be     
taken from his dear master1 saying she  
was  not his mother1 and that his mother
 did not live in such a place  as that4 
,and it was some time before lawyer     
,demain1 the clerks1  and ,isabella1    
could collectively succeed in calming   
the child's  fears1 and in convincing   
him that ,isabella was not some terrible
  monster1 as he had for the last       
months1 probably1 been trained to       
believe2 and who1 in taking him away    
from his master1 was  taking him from   
all good1 and consigning him to all     
evil4    ,when at last kind words and   
bon-bons had quieted his fears1  and he 
could listen to their explanations1 he  
said to ,isabella-  ',well1 you do look 

like my mother used to'2 and she was    
soon  able to make him comprehend some  
of the obligations he was  under1 and   
the relation he stood in1 both to       
herself and his  master4 ,she commenced 
as soon as practicable to examine the   
boy1 and found1 to her utter            
astonishment1 that from the crown  of   
his head to the sole of his foot1 the   
callosities and indurations  on his     
entire body were most frightful to      
behold4 ,his back she  described as     
being like her fingers1 as she laid them
 side by side4    ',heavens6 what is all
 this8 ' said ,isabel4 ,he answered1    
',it is  where ,fowler whipped1 kicked1 
and beat me4' ,she exclaimed1  ',oh1    
,lord ,jesus1 look6 see my poor child6  
,oh ,lord1 render  unto them double for 
all this6 ,oh my ,god6 ,pete1 how did   
you  bear it8'    ',oh1 this is nothing1
 mammy-if you should see ,phillis1 ,i   
guess you'd scare6 ,she had a little    
baby1 and ,fowler cut her till  the milk
 as well as blood ran down her body4    

,you would scare  to see ,phillis1      
mammy4'    ,when ,isabella inquired1    
',what did ,miss ,eliza 99 say1 ,pete1  
when you were treated so badly8' he     
replied1 ',oh1 mammy1 she  said she     
wished ,i was with ,bell4 ,sometimes ,i 
crawled under the  stoop1 mammy1 the    
blood running all about me1 and my back 
would stick to the boards2 and sometimes
 ,miss ,eliza would  come and grease my 
sores1 when all were abed and asleep4'  
,note3  99,meaning ,mrs4 ,eliza ,fowler4
        ,,death ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,eliza     
,,fowler4      ,as soon as possible she 
procured a place for ,peter1 as tender  
of  locks1 at a place called            
,wahkendall1 near ,greenkills4 ,after he
  was thus disposed of1 she visited her 
sister ,sophia1 who resided  at         
,newberg1 and spent the winter in       
several different families  where she   
was acquainted4 ,she remained some time 
in the family  of a ,mr4 ,latin1 who was
 a relative of ,solomon ,gedney2 and    
the latter1 when he found ,isabel with  

his cousin1 used all his  influence to  
persuade him she was a great            
mischief-maker and a  very troublesome  
person1-that she had put him to some    
hundreds  of dollars expense1 by        
fabricating lies about him1 and         
especially his sister and her family1   
concerning her boy1 when the  latter was
 living so like a gentleman with them2  
and1 for his part1  he would not advise 
his friends to harbor or encourage her4 
,however1 his cousins1 the ,latins1     
could not see with the eyes of  his     
feelings1 and consequently his words    
fell powerless on them1  and they       
retained her in their service as long as
 they had aught  for her to do4    ,she 
then went to visit her former master1   
,dumont4 ,she had  scarcely arrived     
there1 when ,mr4 ,fred4 ,waring entered1
 and  seeing ,isabel1 pleasantly        
accosted her1 and asked her 'what she   
was driving at now-a-days4' ,on her     
answering 'nothing particular1'  he     
requested her to go over to his place1  

and assist his folks1  as some of them  
were sick1 and they needed an extra     
hand4 ,she  very gladly assented4 ,when 
,mr4 ,w4 retired1 her master wanted  to 
know why she wished to help people1 that
 called her the  'worst of devils1' as  
,mr4 ,waring had done in the            
courthouse-for he was  the uncle of     
,solomon ,gedney1 and attended the trial
  we have described-and declared 'that  
she was a fool to2 he  wouldn't do it4' 
',oh1' she told him1 'she would not mind
 that1  but was very glad to have people
 forget their anger towards her4'  ,she 
went over1 but too happy to feel that   
their resentment was  passed1 and       
commenced her work with a light heart   
and a strong  will4 ,she had not worked 
long in this frame of mind1 before a    
young daughter of ,mr4 ,waring rushed   
into the rooms exclaiming1  with        
uplifted hands-',heavens and earth1     
,isabella6 ,fowler's  murdered ,cousin  
,eliza6' ',ho1' said ,isabel1 'that's   
nothing-he  liked to have killed my     

child2 nothing saved him but ,god4'     
,meaning1 that she was not at all       
surprised at it1 for a man whose  heart 
was sufficiently hardened to treat a    
mere child as hers had  been treated1   
was1 in her opinion1 more fiend than    
human1 and  prepared for the commission 
of any crime that his passions might    
prompt him to4 ,the child further       
informed her that a letter had  arrived 
by mail bringing the news4              
,immediately after this announcement1   
,solomon ,gedney and  his mother came   
in1 going direct to ,mrs4 ,waring's     
room1 where  she soon heard tones as of 
some one reading4 ,she thought          
something said to her inwardly1 ',go up 
stairs and hear4' ,at first  she        
hesitated1 but it seemed to press her   
the more-',go up and  hear6' ,she went  
up1 unusual as it is for slaves to leave
 their work  and enter unbidden their   
mistress's room1 for the sole purpose of
  seeing or hearing what may be seen or 
heard there4 ,but on this  occasion1    

,isabella says1 she walked in at the    
door1 shut it1 placed  her back against 
it1 and listened4 ,she saw them and     
heard them  read-',he knocked her down  
with his fist1 jumped on her with  his  
knees1 broke her collar-bone1 and tore  
out her wind-pipe6  ,he then attempted  
his escape1 but was pursued and         
arrested1 and  put in an iron bank for  
safe-keeping6' ,and the friends were    
requested to go down and take away the  
poor innocent children  who had thus    
been made in one short day more than    
orphans4    ,if this narrative should   
ever meet the eye of those innocent     
sufferers for another's guilt1 let them 
not be too deeply affected  by the      
relation2 but1 placing their confidence 
in ,him who sees  the end from the      
beginning1 and controls the results1    
rest secure  in the faith1 that1        
although they may physically suffer for 
the sins  of others1 if they remain but 
true to themselves1 their highest and   
more enduring interests can never suffer

 from such a cause4 ,this  relation     
should be suppressed for their sakes1   
were it not even  now so often denied1  
that slavery is fast undermining all    
true  regard for human life4 ,we know   
this one instance is not a              
demonstration to the contrary2 but1     
adding this to the lists of  tragedies  
that weekly come up to us through the   
,southern mails1  may we not admit them 
as proofs irrefragable8 ,the newspapers 
confirmed this account of the terrible  
affair4    ,when ,isabella had heard the
 letter1 all being too much absorbed  in
 their own feelings to take note of her1
 she returned to  her work1 her heart   
swelling with conflicting emotions4 ,she
 was  awed at the dreadful deed2 she    
mourned the fate of the loved  ,eliza1  
who had in such an undeserved and       
barbarous manner  been put away from her
 labors and watchings as a tender       
mother2  and1 'last though not least1'  
in the development of her character  and
 spirit1 her heart bled for the         

afflicted relatives2 even those of  them
 who 'laughed at her calamity1 and      
mocked when her fear  came4' ,her       
thoughts dwelt long and intently on the 
subject1 and  the wonderful chain of    
events that had conspired to bring her  
that day to that house1 to listen to    
that piece of intelligence-to that      
house1 where she never was before or    
afterwards in her  life1 and invited    
there by people who had so lately been  
hotly  incensed against her4 ,it all    
seemed very remarkable to her1 and  she 
viewed it as flowing from a special     
providence of ,god4 ,she  thought she   
saw clearly1 that their unnatural       
bereavement was a  blow dealt in        
retributive justice2 but she found it   
not in her heart  to exult or rejoice   
over them4 ,she felt as if ,god had more
 than  answered her petition1 when she  
ejaculated1 in her anguish of  mind1    
',oh1 ,lord1 render unto them double6'  
,she said1 ',i dared  not find fault    
with ,god1 exactly2 but the language of 

my heart  was1 ',oh1 my ,god6 that's too
 much-,i did not mean quite so  much1   
,god6' ,it was a terrible blow to the   
friends of the deceased2  and her       
selfish mother 7who1 said ,isabella1    
made such a  'to-do about her boy1 not  
from affection1 but to have her own     
will and way'7 went deranged1 and       
walking to and fro in her  delirium1    
called aloud for her poor murdered      
daughter-',eliza6  ,eliza6 '    ,the    
derangement of ,mrs4 ,g4 was a matter of
 hearsay1 as  ,isabella saw her not     
after the trial2 but she has no reason  
to doubt  the truth of what she heard4  
,isabel could never learn the subsequent
  fate of ,fowler1 but heard1 in the    
spring of '#di1 that his  children had  
been seen in ,kingston-one of whom was  
spoken  of as a fine1 interesting girl1 
albeit a halo of sadness fell like a    
veil  about her4        ,,isabella',s   
,,religious ,,experience4      ,we will 
now turn from the outward and temporal  
to the inward  and spiritual life of our

 subject4 ,it is ever both interesting  
and  instructive to trace the exercises 
of a human mind1 through the  trials and
 mysteries of life2 and especially a    
naturally powerful  mind1 left as hers  
was almost entirely to its own workings1
 and  the chance influences it met on   
its way2 and especially to note  its    
reception of that divine 'light1 that   
lighteth every man that  cometh into the
 world4'    ,we see1 as knowledge dawns 
upon it1 truth and error  strangely     
commingled2 here1 a bright spot         
illuminated by truth-and  there1 one    
darkened and distorted by error2 and the
 state of  such a soul may be compared  
to a landscape at early dawn1 where  the
 sun is seen superbly gilding some      
objects1 and causing others  to send    
forth their lengthened1 distorted1 and  
sometimes hideous  shadows4    ,her     
mother1 as we have already said1 talked 
to her of ,god4  ,from these            
conversations1 her incipient mind drew  
the conclusion1  that ,god was 'a great 

man'2 greatly superior to other men  in 
power2 and being located 'high in the   
sky1' could see all that  transpired on 
the earth4 ,she believed he not only    
saw1 but noted  down all her actions in 
a great book1 even as her master kept a 
record of whatever he wished not to     
forget4 ,but she had no idea  that ,god 
knew a thought of hers till she had     
uttered it aloud4    ,as we have before 
mentioned1 she had ever been mindful of 
her mother's injunctions1 spreading out 
in detail all her troubles  before ,god1
 imploring and firmly trusting him to   
send her  deliverance from them4 ,whilst
 yet a child1 she listened to a story   
of a wounded soldier1 left alone in the 
trail of a flying army1  helpless and   
starving1 who hardened the very ground  
about him  with kneeling in his         
supplications to ,god for relief1 until 
it  arrived4 ,from this narrative1 she  
was deeply impressed with the  idea1    
that if she also were to present her    
petitions under the open  canopy of     

heaven1 speaking very loud1 she should  
the more  readily be heard2             
consequently1 she sought a fitting spot 
for this1  her rural sanctuary4 ,the    
place she selected1 in which to offer up
  her daily orisons1 was a small island 
in a small stream1 covered  with large  
willow shrubbery1 beneath which the     
sheep had made  their pleasant winding  
paths2 and sheltering themselves from   
the  scorching rays of a noon-tide sun1 
luxuriated in the cool shadows  of the  
graceful willows1 as they listened to   
the tiny falls of the  silver waters4   
,it was a lonely spot1 and chosen by her
 for its  beauty1 its retirement1 and   
because she thought that there1 in the  
noise of those waters1 she could speak  
louder to ,god1 without  being overheard
 by any who might pass that way4 ,when  
she had  made choice of her sanctum1 at 
a point of the island where the  stream 
met1 after having been separated1 she   
improved it by  pulling away the        
branches of the shrubs from the centre1 

and  weaving them together for a wall on
 the outside1 forming a  circular arched
 alcove1 made entirely of the graceful  
willow4 ,to  this place she resorted    
daily1 and in pressing times much more  
frequently4    ,at this time1 her       
prayers1 or1 more appropriately1 'talks 
with  ,god1' were perfectly original and
 unique1 and would be well  worth       
preserving1 were it possible to give the
 tones and manner  with the words2 but  
no adequate idea of them can be written 
while the tones and manner remain       
inexpressible4    ,she would sometimes  
repeat1 ',our ,father in heaven1' in her
  ,low ,dutch1 as taught her by her     
mother2 after that1 all was from  the   
suggestions of her own rude mind4 ,she  
related to ,god1 in  minute detail1 all 
her troubles and sufferings1 inquiring1 
as she  proceeded1 ',do you think that's
 right1 ,god8' and closed by  begging to
 be delivered from the evil1 whatever it
 might be4    ,she talked to ,god as    
familiarly as if he had been a creature 

like herself2 and a thousand times more 
so1 than if she had been  in the        
presence of some earthly potentate4 ,she
 demanded1 with  little expenditure of  
reverence or fear1 a supply of all her  
more  pressing wants1 and at times her  
demands approached very near  to        
commands4 ,she felt as if ,god was under
 obligation to her1  much more than she 
was to him4 ,he seemed to her benighted 
vision in some manner bound to do her   
bidding4    ,her heart recoils now1 with
 very dread1 when she recalls  those    
shocking1 almost blasphemous            
conversations with great  ,jehovah4 ,and
 well for herself did she deem it1 that1
 unlike earthly  potentates1 his        
infinite character combined the tender  
father  with the omniscient and         
omnipotent ,creator of the universe4    
,she at first commenced promising ,god1 
that if he would help  her out of all   
her difficulties1 she would pay him by  
being very  good2 and this goodness she 
intended as a remuneration to ,god4     

,she could think of no benefit that was 
to accrue to herself or her             
fellow-creatures1 from her leading a    
life of purity and generous             
self-sacrifice for the good of others2  
as far as any but ,god was  concerned1  
she saw nothing in it but heart-trying  
penance1 sustained  by the sternest     
exertion2 and this she soon found much  
more easily promised than performed4    
,days wore away-new trials came-,god's  
aid was invoked1  and the same promises 
repeated2 and every successive night    
found her part of the contract          
unfulfilled4 ,she now began to  excuse  
herself1 by telling ,god she could not  
be good in her  present circumstances2  
but if he would give her a new place1   
and  a good master and mistress1 she    
could and would be good2 and  she       
expressly stipulated1 that she would be 
good one day to show  ,god how good she 
would be all of the time1 when he should
  surround her with the right           
influences1 and she should be delivered 

from the temptations that then so sorely
 beset her4 ,but1 alas6  when night     
came1 and she became conscious that she 
had yielded  to all her temptations1 and
 entirely failed of keeping her word    
with ,god1 having prayed and promised   
one hour1 and fallen into  the sins of  
anger and profanity the next1 the       
mortifying reflection  weighed on her   
mind1 and blunted her enjoyment4 ,still1
 she did  not lay it deeply to heart1   
but continued to repeat her demands  for
 aid1 and her promises of pay1 with full
 purpose of heart1 at  each particular  
time1 that that day she would not fail  
to keep her  plighted word4    ,thus    
perished the inward spark1 like a flame 
just igniting1  when one waits to see   
whether it will burn on or die out1 till
 the  long desired change came1 and she 
found herself in a new place1  with a   
good mistress1 and one who never        
instigated an otherwise  kind master to 
be unkind to her2 in short1 a place     
where she had  literally nothing to     

complain of1 and where1 for a time1 she 
was  more happy than she could well     
express4 ',oh1 every thing there  was so
 pleasant1 and kind1 and good1 and all  
so comfortable2  enough of every thing2 
indeed1 it was beautiful6' she          
exclaimed4    ,here1 at ,mr4 ,van       
,wagener's1-as the reader will readily  
perceive she must have been1-she was so 
happy and satisfied1  that ,god was     
entirely forgotten4 ,why should her     
thoughts turn  to him1 who was only     
known to her as a help in trouble8 ,she 
had  no trouble now2 her every prayer   
had been answered in every  minute      
particular4 ,she had been delivered from
 her persecutors  and temptations1 her  
youngest child had been given her1 and  
the  others she knew she had no means of
 sustaining if she had them  with her1  
and was content to leave them behind4   
,their father1  who was much older than 
,isabel1 and who preferred serving his  
time out in slavery1 to the trouble and 
dangers of the course she  pursued1     

remained with and could keep an eye on  
them-though it is  comparatively little 
that they can do for each other  while  
they remain in slavery2 and this little 
the slave1 like persons  in every other 
situation of life1 is not always        
disposed to perform4  ,there are slaves1
 who1 copying the selfishness of their  
superiors  in power1 in their conduct   
towards their fellows who may be  thrown
 upon their mercy1 by infirmity or      
illness1 allow them to  suffer for want 
of that kindness and care which it is   
fully in their  power to render them4   
,the slaves in this country have ever   
been allowed to celebrate  the          
principal1 if not some of the lesser    
festivals observed by  the ,catholics   
and ,church of ,england2-many of them   
not being  required to do the least     
service for several days1 and at        
,christmas  they have almost universally
 an entire week to themselves1 except1  
perhaps1 the attending to a few duties1 
which are absolutely  required for the  

comfort of the families they belong to4 
,if much  service is desired1 they are  
hired to do it1 and paid for it as if   
they  were free4 ,the more sober portion
 of them spend these holidays  in       
earning a little money4 ,most of them   
visit and attend parties  and balls1 and
 not a few of them spend it in the      
lowest dissipation4  ,this respite from 
toil is granted them by all             
religionists1 of  whatever persuasion1  
and probably originated from the fact   
that  many of the first slaveholders    
were members of the ,church of          
,england4    ,frederick ,douglass1 who  
has devoted his great heart and  noble  
talents entirely to the furtherance of  
the cause of his  down-trodden race1 has
 said-',from what ,i know of the effect 
of their holidays upon the slave1 ,i    
believe them to be among the  most      
effective means1 in the hands of the    
slaveholder1 in keeping  down the spirit
 of insurrection4 ,were the slaveholders
 at once to  abandon this practice1 ,i  

have not the slightest doubt it would   
lead to an immediate insurrection among 
the slaves4 ,these holidays  serve as   
conductors1 or safety-valves1 to carry  
off the rebellious  spirit of enslaved  
humanity4 ,but for these1 the slave     
would  be forced up to the wildest      
desperation2 and woe betide the         
slaveholder1 the day he ventures to     
remove or hinder the operation  of those
 conductors6 ,i warn him that1 in such  
an event1 a  spirit will go forth in    
their midst1 more to be dreaded than the
  most appalling earthquake4'    ,when  
,isabella had been at ,mr4 ,van         
,wagener's a few months1  she saw in    
prospect one of the festivals           
approaching4 ,she knows  it by none but 
the ,dutch name1 ,pingster1 as she calls
 it-but  ,i think it must have been     
,whitsuntide1 in ,english4 ,she says she
  'looked back into ,egypt1' and every  
thing looked 'so pleasant  there1' as   
she saw retrospectively all her former  
companions  enjoying their freedom for  

at least a little space1 as well as     
their  wonted convivialities1 and in her
 heart she longed to be with  them4     
,with this picture before her mind's    
eye1 she contrasted the  quiet1 peaceful
 life she was living with the excellent 
people of  ,wahkendall1 and it seemed so
 dull and void of incident1 that the    
very contrast served but to heighten her
 desire to return1 that1 at  least1 she 
might enjoy with them1 once more1 the   
coming festivities4  ,these feelings had
 occupied a secret corner of her breast 
for  some time1 when1 one morning1 she  
told ,mrs4 ,van ,wagener that  her old  
master ,dumont would come that day1 and 
that she  should go home with him on his
 return4 ,they expressed some  surprise1
 and asked her where she obtained her   
information4 ,she  replied1 that no one 
had told her1 but she felt that he would
  come4    ,it seemed to have been one  
of those 'events that cast their        
shadows before'2 for1 before night1 ,mr4
 ,dumont made his appearance4  ,she     

informed him of her intention to        
accompany him  home4 ,he answered1 with 
a smile1 ',i shall not take you back    
again2 you ran away from me4' ,thinking 
his manner contradicted  his words1 she 
did not feel repulsed1 but made herself 
and  child ready2 and when her former   
master had seated himself in  the open  
dearborn1 she walked towards it1        
intending to place  herself and child in
 the rear1 and go with him4 ,but1 ere   
she  reached the vehicle1 she says that 
,god revealed himself to her1  with all 
the suddenness of a flash of lightning1 
showing her1 'in  the twinkling of an   
eye1 that he was all over'-that he      
pervaded  the universe-'and that there  
was no place where ,god was  not4' ,she 
became instantly conscious of her great 
sin in forgetting  her almighty ,friend 
and 'ever-present help in time of       
trouble4' ,all her unfulfilled promises 
arose before her1 like a  vexed sea     
whose waves run mountains high2 and her 
soul1 which  seemed but one mass of     

lies1 shrunk back aghast from the 'awful
  look' of him whom she had formerly    
talked to1 as if he had been  a being   
like herself2 and she would now fain    
have hid herself in  the bowels of the  
earth1 to have escaped his dread        
presence4 ,but  she plainly saw there   
was no place1 not even in hell1 where he
  was not2 and where could she flee8    
,another such 'a look1' as she          
expressed it1 and she felt that she must
 be extinguished forever1  even as one1 
with the breath of his mouth1 'blows out
 a lamp1'  so that no spark remains4    
,a dire dread of annihilation now seized
 her1 and she waited  to see if1 by     
'another look1' she was to be stricken  
from  existence1-swallowed  up1 even as 
the fire licketh up the oil with  which 
it comes in contact4    ,when at last   
the second look came not1 and her       
attention was  once more called to      
outward things1 she observed her master 
had  left1 and exclaiming aloud1 ',oh1  
,god1 ,i did not know you were  so big1'

 walked into the house1 and made an     
effort to resume her  work4 ,but the    
workings of the inward man were too     
absorbing  to admit of much attention to
 her avocations4 ,she desired to  talk  
to ,god1 but her vileness utterly       
forbade it1 and she was not  able to    
prefer a petition4 ',what6' said she1   
'shall ,i lie again to  ,god8 ,i have   
told him nothing but lies2 and shall ,i 
speak again1  and tell another lie to   
,god8' ,she could not2 and now she began
  to wish for some one to speak to ,god 
for her4 ,then a space  seemed opening  
between her and ,god1 and she felt that 
if some  one1 who was worthy in the     
sight of heaven1 would but plead  for   
her in their own name1 and not let ,god 
know it came from  her1 who was so      
unworthy1 ,god might grant it4 ,at      
length a  friend appeared to stand      
between herself and an insulted ,deity2 
and she felt as sensibly refreshed as   
when1 on a hot day1 an  umbrella had    
been interposed between her scorching   

head and  a burning sun4 ,but who was   
this friend8 became the next inquiry4   
,was it ,deencia1 who had so often      
befriended her8 ,she  looked at her1    
with her new power of sight-and1 lo6    
she1 too1  seemed all 'bruises and      
putrifying sores1' like herself4 ,no1 it
 was  some one very different from      
,deencia4    ',who are you8' she        
exclaimed1 as the vision brightened into
  a form distinct1 beaming with the     
beauty of holiness1 and radiant  with   
love4 ,she then said1 audibly addressing
 the mysterious visitant-',i    know    
you1 and ,i don't know you4' ,meaning1  
',you  seem perfectly familiar2 ,i feel 
that you not only love me1 but that  you
 always have loved me-yet ,i know you   
not-,i cannot call  you by name4' ,when 
she said1 ',i know you1' the subject of 
the  vision remained distinct and quiet4
 ,when she said1 ',i don't  know you1'  
it moved restlessly about1 like agitated
 waters4 ,so  while she repeated1       
without intermission1 ',i know you1 ,i  

know  you1' that the vision might       
remain-',who are you8' was the  cry of  
her heart1 and her whole soul was in one
 deep prayer that  this heavenly        
personage might be revealed to her1 and 
remain  with her4 ,at length1 after     
bending both soul and body with the     
intensity of this desire1 till breath   
and strength seemed failing1  and she   
could maintain her position no          
longer1 an answer came to her1 saying   
distinctly1 ',it is ,jesus4'  ',yes1'   
she responded1 'it is ,jesus4'          
,previous to these exercises of mind1   
she heard ,jesus mentioned in  reading  
or speaking1 but had received from what 
she heard no impression  that he was any
 other than an eminent man1 like a      
,washington or a  ,lafayette4  ,now he  
appeared to her delighted mental vision 
as so mild1  so good1 and so every way  
lovely1 and he loved her so much6  ,and1
 how  strange that he had always loved  
her1 and she had never known it6  ,and  
how great a blessing he conferred1 in   

that he should stand between her  and   
,god6 ,and ,god was no longer a terror  
and a dread to her4    ,she stopped not 
to argue the point1 even in her own     
mind1 whether he  had reconciled her to 
,god1 or ,god to herself1 7though she   
thinks the  former now17 being but      
too happy that ,god was no longer to her
 as a consuming fire1 and ,jesus  was   
'altogether lovely4'  ,her heart was now
 full of joy and gladness1  as it had   
been of terror1 and at one time of      
despair4  ,in the light of  her great   
happiness1 the world was clad in new    
beauty1 the very air  sparkled as with  
diamonds1 and was redolent of heaven4   
,she  contemplated the unapproachable   
barriers that existed between herself   
and the great of this world1 as the     
world calls greatness1 and made         
surprising comparisons between them1 and
 the union existing between  herself and
 ,jesus-,jesus1 the transcendently      
lovely as well as great and  powerful2  
for so he appeared to her1 though he    

seemed but human2 and  she watched for  
his bodily appearance1 feeling that she 
should know  him1 if she saw him2 and   
when he came1 she would go and dwell    
with him1  as with a dear friend4    ,it
 was not given to her to see that he    
loved any other2 and she thought  if    
others came to know and love him1 as she
 did1 she should be thrust  aside and   
forgotten1 being herself but a poor     
ignorant slave1 with  little to         
recommend her to his notice4  ,and when 
she heard him spoken  off1 she said     
mentally-',what6 others know ,jesus6  ,i
 thought no one knew  ,jesus but me6'   
and she felt a sort of jealousy1 lest   
she should be  robbed of her newly found
 treasure4    ,she conceived1 one day1  
as she listened to reading1 that she    
heard an  intimation that ,jesus was    
married1 and hastily inquired if ,jesus 
had a  wife4  ',what6' said the reader1 
',god have a wife8'  ',is ,jesus ,god8 '
  inquired ,isabella4  ',yes1 to be sure
 he is1' was the answer returned4  ,from

 this time1 her conceptions of ,jesus   
became more elevated and  spiritual2 and
 she sometimes spoke of him as ,god1 in 
accordance with  the teaching she had   
received4    ,but when she was simply   
told1 that the ,christian world was much
 divided  on the subject of ,christ's   
nature-some believing him to be coequal 
with  the ,father-to be ,god in and of  
himself1 'very ,god1 of very            
,god2'-some1  that he is the            
'well-beloved1' 'only begotten ,son of  
,god2'-and others1  that he is1 or was1 
rather1 but a mere man-she said1 ',of   
that ,i only  know as ,i saw4  ,i did   
not see him to be ,god2 else1 how could 
he stand  between me and ,god8  ,i saw  
him as a friend1 standing between me and
  ,god1 through whom1 love flowed as    
from a fountain4'  ,now1 so far from    
expressing her views of ,christ's       
character and office in accordance  with
 any system of theology extant1 she says
 she believes ,jesus is the  same spirit
 that was in our first parents1 ,adam   

and ,eve1 in the  beginning1 when they  
came from the hand of their ,creator4   
,when they  sinned through disobedience1
 this pure spirit forsook them1 and fled
 to  heaven2 that there it remained1    
until it returned again in the person   
of ,jesus2 and that1 previous to a      
personal union with him1 man is but a   
brute1 possessing only the spirit of an 
animal4    ,she avers that1 in her      
darkest hours1 she had no fear of any   
worse hell  than the one she then       
carried in her bosom2 though it had ever
 been  pictured to her in its deepest   
colors1 and threatened her as a reward  
for all her misdemeanors4  ,her vileness
 and ,god's holiness and  all-pervading 
presence1 which filled immensity1 and   
threatened her with  constant           
annihilation1 composed the burden of her
 vision of terror4  ,her faith in prayer
 is equal to her faith in the love of   
,jesus4 ,her  language is1 ',let others 
say what they will of the efficacy of   
prayer1  ,i believe in it1 and ,i shall 

pray4  ,thank ,god6  ,yes1 ,i shall     
always  pray1' she exclaims1 putting her
 hands together with the greatest       
enthusiasm4    ,for some time subsequent
 to the happy change we  have spoken    
off1 ,isabella's prayers partook largely
 of their former  character2 and while1 
in deep affliction1 she labored for the 
recovery  of her son1 she prayed with   
constancy and fervor2 and the following 
may  be taken as a specimen3-',oh1      
,god1 you know how much ,i am           
distressed1 for ,i have told you again  
and  again4  ,now1 ,god1 help me get my 
son4  ,if you were in trouble1 as ,i am1
  and ,i could help you1 as you can me1 
think ,i would n't do it8  ,yes1  ,god1 
you know ,i would do it4'  ',oh1 ,god1  
you know ,i have no money1 but you can  
make the people do for  me1 and you must
 make the people do for me4  ,i will    
never give you  peace till you do1      
,god4'  ',oh1 ,god1 make the people hear
 me-don't let them turn me off1 without 
hearing and helping me4'  ,and she has  

not a particle of doubt1 that ,god heard
 her1 and especially  disposed the      
hearts of thoughtless clerks1 eminent   
lawyers1 and grave  judges and          
others-between whom and herself there   
seemed to her almost  an infinite       
remove-to listen to her suit with       
patient and respectful  attention1      
backing it up with all needed aid4  ,the
 sense of her  nothingness in the eyes  
of those with whom she contended for her
  rights1 sometimes fell on her like a  
heavy weight1 which nothing but  her    
unwavering confidence in an arm which   
she believed to be stronger  than all   
others combined could have raised from  
her sinking spirit4  ',oh6 how little   
did ,i feel1' she repeated1 with a      
powerful emphasis4  ',neither would you 
wonder1 if you could have seen me1 in my
 ignorance  and destitution1 trotting   
about the streets1 meanly clad1         
bare-headed1  and bare-footed6  ,oh1    
,god only could have made such people   
hear me2 and  he did it in answer to my 

prayers4'  ,and this perfect trust1     
based on  the rock of ,deity1 was a     
soul-protecting fortress1 which1 raising
 her  above the battlements of fear1 and
 shielding her from the machinations  of
 the enemy1 impelled her onward in the  
struggle1 till the foe was  vanquished1 
and the victory gained4    ,we have now 
seen ,isabella1 her youngest daughter1  
and her only son1 in  possession of1 at 
least1 their nominal freedom4  ,it has  
been said that  the freedom of the most 
free of the colored people of this      
country is  but nominal2 but stinted and
 limited as it is1 at best1 it is an    
immense remove from chattel slavery4    
,this fact is disputed1 ,i know2  but ,i
 have no confidence in the honesty of   
such questionings4  ,if they  are made  
in sincerity1 ,i honor not the judgment 
that thus decides4    ,her husband1     
quite advanced in age1 and infirm of    
health1 was  emancipated1 with the      
balance of the adult slaves of the      
,state1  according to law1 the following

 summer1 ,july #d1 #ahbh4    ,for a few 
years after this event1 he was able to  
earn a scanty living1  and when he      
failed to do that1 he was dependent on  
the 'world's cold  charity1' and died in
 a poorhouse4  ,isabella had herself and
 two  children to provide for2 her wages
 were trifling1 for at that time the    
wages of females were at a small advance
 from nothing2 and she  doubtless had to
 learn the first elements of economy-for
 what slaves1  that were never allowed  
to make any stipulations or calculations
 for  themselves1 ever possessed an     
adequate idea of the true value of time1
  or1 in fact1 of any material thing in 
the universe8  ,to such1 'prudent       
using' is meanness-and 'saving' is a    
word to be sneered at4  ,of course1  it 
was not in her power to make to herself 
a home1 around whose sacred             
hearth-stone she could collect her      
family1 as they gradually emerged  from 
their prison-house of bondage2 a home1  
where she could cultivate  their        

affection1 administer to  their wants1  
and instil into the opening minds of her
 children those  principles of virtue1  
and that love of purity1 truth and      
benevolence1  which must for ever form  
the foundation of a life of usefulness  
and  happiness4  ,no-all this was far   
beyond her power or means1 in more      
senses than one2 and it should be taken 
into the account1 whenever a  comparison
 is instituted between the progress made
 by her children in  virtue and         
goodness1 and the progress of those who 
have been nurtured  in the genial warmth
 of a sunny home1 where good influences 
cluster1  and bad ones are carefully    
excluded-where 'line upon line1 and     
precept  upon precept1' are daily       
brought to their quotidian tasks-and    
where1 in  short1 every appliance is    
brought in requisition1 that            
self-denying  parents can bring to bear 
on one of the dearest objects of a      
parent's  life1 the promotion of the    
welfare of their children4  ,but ,god   

forbid  that this suggestion should be  
wrested from its original intent1 and   
made to shield any one from merited     
rebuke6  ,isabella's children are  now  
of an age to know good from evil1 and   
may easily inform themselves  on any    
point where they may yet be in doubt2   
and if they now suffer  themselves to be
 drawn by temptation into the paths of  
the destroyer1  or forget what is due to
 the mother who has done and suffered so
 much  for them1 and who1 now that she  
is descending into the vale of years1   
and feels her health and strength       
declining1 will turn her expecting  eyes
 to them for aid and comfort1 just as   
instinctively as the child  turns its   
confiding eye to its fond parent1 when  
it seeks for succor or  sympathy-7for it
 is now their turn to do the work1 and  
bear the burdens  of life1 so all must  
bear them in turn1 as the wheel of life 
rolls on7-  if1 ,i say1 they forget     
this1 their duty and their happiness1   
and pursue  an opposite course of sin   

and folly1 they must lose the respect of
 the  wise and good1 and find1 when too 
late1 that 'the way of the  transgressor
 is hard4'        ,,new ,,trials4       
,the reader will pardon this passing    
homily1 while we return to our          
narrative4    ,we were saying that the  
day-dreams of ,isabella and her         
husband-the plan  they drew of what they
 would do1 and the comforts they thought
 to have1  when they should obtain their
 freedom1 and a little home of their    
own-  had all turned to 'thin air1' by  
the postponement of their freedom to  so
 late a day4  ,these delusive hopes were
 never to be realized1 and a  new set of
 trials was gradually to open before    
her4  ,these were the  heart-wasting    
trials of watching over her children1   
scattered1 and  imminently exposed to   
the temptations of the adversary1 with  
few1 if  any1 fixed principles to       
sustain them4    ',oh1' she says1 'how  
little did ,i know myself of the best   
way to  instruct and counsel them6  ,yet

 ,i did the best ,i then knew1 when with
  them4  ,i took them to the religious  
meetings2 ,i talked to1 and prayed  for 
and with them2 when they did wrong1 ,i  
scolded at and whipped them4'           
,isabella and her son had been free     
about a year1 when they went to  reside 
in the city of ,new ,york2 a place which
 she would doubtless have  avoided1     
could she have foreseen what was there  
in store for her2 for  this view into   
the future would have taught her what   
she only learned  by bitter experience1 
that the baneful influences going up    
from such a  city were not the best     
helps to education1 commenced as the    
education  of her children had been4    
,her son ,peter was1 at the time of     
which we are speaking1 just at that  age
 when no lad should be subjected to the 
temptations of such a place1            
unprotected as he was1 save by the      
feeble arm of a mother1 herself a       
servant there4  ,he was growing up to be
 a tall1 well-formed1 active  lad1 of   

quick perceptions1 mild and cheerful in 
his disposition1 with  much that was    
open1 generous and winning about him1   
but with little  power to withstand     
temptation1 and a ready ingenuity to    
provide himself  with ways and means to 
carry out his plans1 and conceal from   
his mother  and her friends1 all such as
 he knew would not meet their           
approbation4  ,as will be readily       
believed1 he was soon drawn into a      
circle of  associates who did not       
improve either his habits or his morals4
    ,two years passed before ,isabella  
knew what character ,peter was          
establishing for himself among his low  
and worthless comrades-passing  under   
the assumed name of ,peter ,williams2   
and she began to feel a  parent's pride 
in the promising appearance of her only 
son4  ,but1 alas6  this pride and       
pleasure were shortly dissipated1 as    
distressing facts  relative to him came 
one by one to her astonished ear4  ,a   
friend of  ,isabella's1 a lady1 who was 

much pleased with the good humor1       
ingenuity1 and open confessions of      
,peter1 when driven into a corner1  and 
who1 she said1 'was so smart1 he ought  
to have an education1 if any  one       
ought1'-paid ten dollars1 as tuition    
fee1 for him to attend a  navigation    
school4  ,but ,peter1 little inclined to
 spend his leisure  hours in study1 when
 he might be enjoying himself in the    
dance1 or  otherwise1 with his boon     
companions1 went regularly and made some
  plausible excuses to the teacher1 who 
received them as genuine1 along  with   
the ten dollars of ,mrs -1 and while his
 mother and her friend  believed him    
improving at school1 he was1 to their   
latent sorrow1  improving in a very     
different place or places1 and on       
entirely opposite  principles4  ,they   
also procured him an excellent place as 
a coachman4  ,but1 wanting money1 he    
sold his livery1 and other things       
belonging to  his master2 who1 having   
conceived a kind regard for him1        

considered his  youth1 and prevented the
 law from falling1 with all its rigor1  
upon his  head4  ,still he continued to 
abuse his privileges1 and to involve    
himself in repeated difficulties1 from  
which his mother as often  extricated   
him4   ,at each time1 she talked much1  
and reasoned and  remonstrated with him2
 and he would1 with such perfect        
frankness1 lay  open his whole soul to  
her1 telling her he had never intended  
doing  harm1-how he had been led along1 
little by little1 till1 before he was   
aware1 he found himself in trouble-how  
he had tried to be good-and how1  when  
he would have been so1 'evil was present
 with him1'-indeed he knew  not how it  
was4    ,his mother1 beginning to feel  
that the city was no place for him1     
urged  his going to sea1 and would have 
shipped him on board a man-of-war2 but  
,peter was not disposed to consent to   
that proposition1 while the city  and   
its pleasures were accessible to him4   
,isabella now became a prey  to         

distressing fears1 dreading lest the    
next day or hour come fraught  with the 
report of some dreadful crime1 committed
 or abetted by her  son4  ,she thanks   
the ,lord for sparing her that giant    
sorrow1 as all his  wrong doings never  
ranked higher1 in the eye of the law1   
than  misdemeanors4  ,but as she could  
see no improvement in ,peter1 as a last 
resort1 she resolved to leave him1 for a
 time1 unassisted1 to bear the  penalty 
of his conduct1 and see what effect that
 would have on him4  ,in  the trial     
hour1 she remained firm in her          
resolution4  ,peter again fell  into the
 hands of the police1 and sent for his  
mother1 as usual2 but  she went not to  
his relief4  ,in his extremity1 he sent 
for ,peter  ,williams1 a respectable    
colored barber1 whose name he had been  
wearing1 and who sometimes helped young 
culprits out of their troubles1  and    
sent them from city dangers1 by shipping
 them on board of whaling  vessels4     
,the curiosity of this man was awakened 

by the culprit's bearing his own  name4 
,he went to the ,tombs and inquired into
 his case1 but could not  believe what  
,peter told him respecting his mother   
and family4  ,yet he  redeemed him1 and 
,peter promised to leave ,new ,york in a
 vessel that was  to sail in the course 
of a week4  ,he went to see his mother1 
and  informed her of what had happened  
to him4  ,she listened incredulously1   
as to an idle tale4  ,he asked her to go
 with him and see for herself4  ,she    
went1 giving no credence to his story   
till she found herself in the  presence 
of ,mr4 ,williams1 and heard him saying 
to her1 ',i am very glad  ,i have       
assisted your son2 he stood in great    
need of sympathy and  assistance2 but ,i
 could not think he had such a mother   
here1 although  he assured me he had4'  
,isabella's great trouble now was1 a    
fear lest her son should deceive  his   
benefactor1 and be missing when the     
vessel sailed2 but he begged  her       
earnestly to trust him1 for he said he  

had resolved to do better1  and meant to
 abide by the resolve4  ,isabella's     
heart gave her no peace  till the time  
of sailing1 when ,peter sent ,mr4       
,williams and another  messenger whom   
she knew1 to tell her he had sailed4    
,but for a month  afterwards1 she looked
 to see him emerging from some by-place 
in the  city1 and appearing before her2 
so afraid was she that he was still     
unfaithful1 and doing wrong4  ,but he   
did not appear1 and at length she       
believed him really gone4  ,he left in  
the summer of #ahci1 and his  friends   
heard nothing further from him till his 
mother received the  following letter1  
dated ',october #ag #ahdj'2-        ,,my
 ,,dear ,,and ,,beloved ,,mother3    ',i
 take this opportunity to write to you  
and inform you that ,i am well1  and in 
hopes for to find you the same4  ,i am  
got on board the same  unlucky ship     
,done1 of ,nantucket4  ,i am sorry for  
to say1 that ,i have  been punished once
 severely1 by shoving my head in the    

fire for other  folks4  ,we have had bad
 luck1 but in hopes to have better4  ,we
 have  about #bcj on board1 but in      
hopes1 if do n't kave good luck1 that my
  parents will receive me with thanks4  
,i would like to know how my  sisters   
are4  ,does my cousins live in ,new     
,york yet8  ,have you got my  letter8   
,if not1 inquire to ,mr4 ,pierce        
,whiting's4  ,i wish you would  write me
 an answer as soon as possible4  ,i am  
your only son1 that is so  far from your
 home1 in the wide briny ocean4  ,i have
 seen more of the  world than ever ,i   
expected1 and if ,i ever should return  
home safe1 ,i  will tell you all my     
troubles and hardships4  ,mother1 ,i    
hope you do not  forget me1 your dear   
and only son4  ,i should like to know   
how ,sophia1  and ,betsey1 and ,hannah1 
come on4  ,i hope you all will forgive  
me for  all that ,i have done4  ',your  
son1 ,,peter ,,van ,,wagener4'          
,another letter reads as follows1 dated 
',march #bb1 #ahda'3-      ',,my ,,dear 

,,mother3    ',i take this opportunity  
to write to you1 and inform you that ,i 
have  been well and in good health4  ,i 
have wrote you a letter before1 but     
have received no answer from you1 and   
was very anxious to see you4  ,i  hope  
to see you in a short time4  ,i have had
 very hard luck1 but are in  hopes to   
have better in time to come4  ,i should 
like if my sisters are  well1 and all   
the people round the neighborhood4 ,i   
expect to be home in  twenty-two months 
or thereabouts4  ,i have seen ,samuel   
,laterett4  ,beware6  ,there has        
happened very bad news to tell you1 that
 ,peter  ,jackson is dead4  ,he died    
within two days' sail of ,otaheite1 one 
of the  ,society ,islands4  ,the ,peter 
,jackson that used to live at           
,laterett's2 he  died on board the ship 
,done1 of ,nantucket1 ,captain ,miller1 
in the  latitude #ae #ec1 and longitude 
#adh #cj ,w4  ,i have no more to say at 
present1 but write as soon as possible4 
',your only son1  ',,peter ,,van        

,,wagener4'          ,another1          
containing the last intelligence she has
 had from her son1  reads as follows1   
and was dated ',sept4  #ai1 #ahda'3-    
',,dear ,,mother3    ',i take the       
opportunity to write to you and inform  
you that ,i am well  and in good health1
 and in hopes to find you in the same4  
,this is the  fifth letter that ,i have 
wrote to you1 and have received no      
answer1 and  it makes me very uneasy4   
,so pray write as quick as you can1 and 
tell  me how all the people is about the
 neighborhood4  ,we are out from home   
twenty-three months1 and in hope to be  
home in fifteen months4  ,i have  not   
much to say2 but tell me if you have    
been up home since ,i left or  not4  ,i 
want to know what sort of a time is at  
home4  ,we had very bad  luck when we   
first came out1 but since we have had   
very good2 so ,i am  in hopes to do well
 yet2 but if ,i do n't do well1 you need
 not expect  me home these five years4  
,so write as quick as you can1 won't    

you8  ,so  now ,i am going to put an end
 to my writing1 at present4             
,notice-when  this you see1 remember me1
 and place me in your mind4    ,get me  
to my home1 that's in the far distant   
west1  ,to the scenes of my childhood1  
that ,i like the best2  ,there the tall 
cedars grow1 and the bright waters flow1
  ,where my parents will greet me1 white
 man1 let me go6  ,let me go to the spot
 where the cateract plays1  ,where oft  
,i have sported in my boyish days2  ,and
 there is my poor mother1 whose heart   
ever flows1  ,at the sight of her poor  
child1 to her let me go1 let me go6     
',your only son1  ',,peter ,,van        
,,wagener4'        ,since the date of   
the last letter1 ,isabella has heard no 
tidings from  her long-absent son1      
though ardently does her mother's heart 
long for  such tidings1 as her thoughts 
follow him around the world1 in his     
perilous vocation1 saying within        
herself-',he is good now1 ,i have no    
doubt2 ,i feel sure that he has         

persevered1 and kept the resolve he made
  before he left home2-he seemed so     
different before he went1 so  determined
 to do better4'  ,his letters are       
inserted here for  preservation1 in case
 they prove the last she ever hears from
 him in  this world4        ,,finding ,a
 ,,brother ,,and ,,sister4      ,when   
,isabella had obtained the freedom of   
her son1 she remained in  ,kingston1    
where she had been drawn by the judicial
 process1 about a  year1 during which   
time she became a member of the         
,methodist ,church  there3 and when she 
went to ,new ,york1 she took a letter   
missive from  that church to the        
,methodist ,church in ,john street4     
,afterwards1 she withdrew her connection
 with that church1 and joined  ,zion's  
,church in ,church street1 composed     
entirely of colored people4  ,with the  
latter church she remained until she    
went to reside with ,mr4  ,pierson1     
after which1 she was gradually drawn    
into the 'kingdom' set up  by the       

prophet ,matthias1 in the name of ,god  
the ,father2 for he said the  spirit of 
,god the ,father dwelt in him4    ,while
 ,isabella was in ,new ,york1 her sister
 ,sophia came from ,newburg to  reside  
in the former place4  ,isabel had been  
favored with occasional  interviews with
 this sister1 although at one time she  
lost sight of her  for the space of     
seventeen years-almost the entire period
 of her being  at ,mr4 ,dumont's-and    
when she appeared before her again1     
handsomely  dressed1 she did not        
recognize her1 till informed who she    
was4  ,sophia  informed her that her    
brother ,michael-a brother she had never
 seen-was  in the city2 and when she    
introduced him to ,isabella1 he informed
 her  that their sister ,nancy had been 
living in the city1 and had deceased a  
few months before4  ,he described her   
features1 her dress1 her manner1  and   
said she had for some time been a member
 in ,zion's ,church1 naming  the class  
she belonged to4 ,isabella almost       

instantly recognized her as  a sister in
 the church1 with whom she had knelt at 
the altar1 and with  whom she had       
exchanged the speaking pressure of the  
hand1 in  recognition of their spiritual
 sisterhood2 little thinking1 at the    
time1 that they were also children of   
the same earthly parents-even  ,bomefree
 and ,mau-mau ,bett4 ,as inquiries and  
answers rapidly passed1 and  the        
conviction deepened that this was their 
sister1 the very sister  they had heard 
so much of1 but had never seen1 7for she
 was the  self-same sister that had been
 locked in the great old fashioned      
sleigh-box1 when she was taken away1    
never to behold her mother's face  again
 this side the spirit-land1 and         
,michael1 the narrator1 was the  brother
 who had shared her fate17 ,isabella    
thought1 ',d-h6 here she was2  we met2  
and was ,i not1 at the time1 struck with
 the peculiar feeling of  her hand-the  
bony hardness so just like mine8 and yet
 ,i could not know  she was my sister2  

and now ,i see she looked so like my    
mother4'  ,and  ,isabella wept1 and not 
alone2 ,sophia wept1 and the strong man1
  ,michael1 mingled his tears with      
theirs4  ',oh ,lord1' inquired          
,isabella1  'what is this slavery1 that 
it can do such dreadful things8  what   
evil  can it not do8'  ,well may she    
ask1 for surely the evils it can and    
does  do1 daily and hourly1 can never be
 summed up1 till we can see them as     
they are recorded by him who writes no  
errors1 and reckons without  mistake4   
,this account1 which now varies so      
widely in the estimate of  different    
minds1 will be viewed alike by all4     
,think you1 dear reader1 when that day  
comes1 the most 'rapid  abolitionist'   
will say-',behold1 ,i saw all this while
 on the earth8'  ,will he not rather    
say1 ',oh1 who has conceived the breadth
 and depth of  this moral malaria1 this 
putrescent plague-spot8'  ,perhaps the  
pioneers  in the slave's cause will be  
as much surprised as any to find that   

with  all their looking1 there remained 
so much unseen4        ,,gleanings4     
,there are some hard things that crossed
 ,isabella's life while in  slavery1    
that she has no desire to publish1 for  
various reasons4  ,first1 because the   
parties from whose hands she suffered   
them have  rendered up their account to 
a higher tribunal1 and their innocent   
friends alone are living1 to have their 
feelings injured by the  recital2       
secondly1 because they are not all for  
the public ear1 from  their very nature2
 thirdly1 and not least1 because1 she   
says1 were she  to tell all that        
happened to her as a slave-all that she 
knows is  ',god's truth'-it would seem  
to others1 especially the uninitiated1  
so  unaccountable1 so unreasonable1 and 
what is usually called so  unnatural1   
7though it may be questioned whether    
people do not always  act naturally17   
they would not easily believe it4 ',why1
 no6' she says1  'they'd call me a liar6
 they would1 indeed6 and ,i do not wish 

to say  anything to destroy my own      
character for veracity1 though what ,i  
say is  strictly true4'  ,some things   
have been omitted through forgetfulness1
  which not having been mentioned in    
their places1 can only be briefly       
spoken of here2-such as1 that her father
 ,bomefree had had two wives  before he 
took ,mau mau ,bett2 one of whom1 if not
 both1 were torn from  him by the iron  
hand of the ruthless trafficker in human
 flesh2-that  her husband1 ,thomas1     
after one of his wives had been sold    
away from  him1 ran away to ,new ,york  
,city1 where he remained a year or two1 
before  he was discovered and taken back
 to the prison-house of slavery2-that   
her master ,dumont1 when he promised    
,isabella one year of her time1  before 
the ,state should make her free1 made   
the same promise to her  husband1 and in
 addition to freedom1 they were promised
 a log cabin for  a home of their own2  
all of which1 with the                  
one-thousand-and-one  day-dreams        

resulting therefrom1 went into the      
repository of unfulfilled  promises and 
unrealized hopes2-that she had often    
heard her father  repeat a thrilling    
story of a little slave-child1 which1   
because it  annoyed the family with its 
cries1 was caught up by a white man1 who
  dashed its brains out against the     
wall4  ,an ,indian 7for ,indians were   
plenty in that region then7 passed along
 as the bereaved mother washed  the     
bloody corpse of her murdered child1 and
 learning the cause of its  death1 said1
 with characteristic vehemence1 ',if ,i 
had been here1 ,i  would have put my    
tomahawk in his head6' meaning the      
murderer's4    ,of the cruelty of one   
,hasbrouck4-,he had a sick slave-woman1 
who was  lingering with a slow          
consumption1 whom he made to spin1      
regardless of  her weakness and         
suffering2 and this woman had a child1  
that was unable  to walk or talk1 at the
 age of five years1 neither could it cry
 like  other children1 but made a       

constant1 piteous moaning sound4  ,this 
exhibition of helplessness and          
imbecility1 instead of exciting the     
master's pity1 stung his cupidity1 and  
so enraged him1 that he would  kick the 
poor thing about like a foot-ball4      
,isabella's informant had seen this     
brute of a man1 when the child was      
curled up under a chair1 innocently     
amusing itself with a few sticks1  drag 
it hence1 that he might have the        
pleasure of tormenting it4  ,she  had   
see him1 with one blow of his foot1 send
 it rolling quite across  the room1 and 
down the steps at the door4  ,oh1 how   
she wished it might  instantly die6     
',but1' she said1 'it seemed as tough as
 a moccasin4'  ,though it did die at    
last1 and made glad the heart of its    
friends2 and  its persecutor1 no doubt1 
rejoiced with them1 but from very       
different  motives4  ,but the day of his
 retribution was not far off-for he     
sickened1 and his reason fled4  ,it was 
fearful to hear his old slave  soon tell

 how1 in the day of his calamity1 she   
treated him4    ,she was very strong1   
and was therefore selected to support   
her master1  as he sat up in bed1 by    
putting her arms around1 while she stood
 behind  him4  ,it was then that she    
did her best to wreak her vengeance on  
him4  ,she would clutch his  feeble     
frame in her iron grasp1 as in a vice2  
and1 when her mistress  did not see1    
would give him a squeeze1 a shake1 and  
lifting him up1 set  him down again1 as 
hard as possible4  ,if his breathing    
betrayed too  tight a grasp1 and her    
mistress said1 ',be careful1 don't hurt 
him1  ,soan6' her every-ready answer    
was1 ',oh no1 ,missus1 no1' in her most 
pleasant tone-and then1 as soon as      
,missus's eyes and ears were engaged    
away1 another grasp-another             
shake-another bounce4  ,she was afraid  
the  disease alone would let him        
recover1-an event she dreaded more than 
to  do wrong herself4  ,isabella asked  
her1 if she were not afraid his  spirit 

would haunt her4  ',oh1 no1' says ,soan2
 'he was so wicked1 the  devil will     
never let him out of hell long enough   
for that4'    ,many slaveholders boast  
of the love of their slaves4  ,how would
 it  freeze the blood of some of them to
 know what kind of love rankles in  the 
bosoms of slaves for them6  ,witness the
 attempt to poison ,mrs4  ,calhoun1 and 
hundreds of similar cases4  ,most       
'surprising ' to every  body1 because   
committed by slaves supposed to be so   
grateful for their  chains4    ,these   
reflections bring to mind a discussion  
on this point1 between the  writer and a
 slaveholding friend in ,kentucky1 on   
,christmas morning1  #ahdf4  ,we had    
asserted1 that until mankind were far in
 advance of what  they are now1         
irresponsible power over our            
fellow-beings would be1 as  it is1      
abused4  ,our friend declared it was his
 conviction1 that the  cruelties of     
slavery existed chiefly in imagination1 
and that no person  in ,d- ,county1     

where we then were1 but would be above  
ill-treating a  helpless slave4  ,we    
answered1 that if his belief was        
well-founded1 the  people in ,kentucky  
were greatly in advance of the people of
 ,new  ,england-for we would not dare   
say as much as that of any              
school-district there1 letting alone    
counties4  ,no1 we would not  answer for
 our own conduct even on so delicate a  
point4    ,the next evening1 he very    
magnanimously overthrew his own position
 and  established ours1 by informing us 
that1 on the morning previous1 and as   
near as we could learn1 at the very hour
 in which we were earnestly  discussing 
the probabilities of the case1 a young  
woman of fine  appearance1 and high     
standing in society1 the pride of her   
husband1 and  the mother of an infant   
daughter1 only a few miles from us1 ay1 
in ,d-  ,county1 too1 was actually      
beating in the skull of a slave-woman   
called  ,tabby2 and not content with    
that1 had her tied up and whipped1 after

  her skull was broken1 and she died    
hanging to the bedstead1 to which  she  
had been fastened4  ,when informed that 
,tabby was  dead1 she answered1 ',i am  
glad of it1 for she has worried my life 
out  of me4'  ,but ,tabby's highest good
 was probably not the end proposed by   
,mrs4 ,m-1 for no one supposed she meant
 to kill her4  ,tabby was  considered   
quite lacking in good sense1 and no     
doubt belonged to that  class at the    
,south1 that are silly enough to 'die of
 moderate  correction4'      ,a mob     
collected around the house for an hour  
or two1 in that manner  expressing a    
momentary indignation4  ,but was she    
treated as a  murderess8  ,not at all6  
,she was allowed to take boat 7for her  
residence was near the beautiful ,ohio7 
that evening1 to spend a few  months    
with her absent friends1 after which she
 returned and remained  with her        
husband1 no one to 'molest or make her  
afraid4'      ,had she been left to the 
punishment of an outraged conscience    

from  right motives1 ,i would have      
'rejoiced with exceeding joy'4  ,but to 
see  the life of one woman1 and she a   
murderess1 put in the balance against   
the lives of three millions of innocent 
slaves1 and to contrast her  punishment 
with what ,i felt would be the          
punishment of one who was  merely       
suspected of being an equal friend of   
all mankind1 regardless of  color or    
condition1 caused my blood to stir      
within me1 and my heart to  sicken at   
the thought4  ,the husband of ,mrs4 ,m- 
was absent from home1 at  the time      
alluded to2 and when he arrived1 some   
weeks afterwards1  bringing beautiful   
presents to his cherished companion1 he 
beheld his  once happy home deserted1   
,tabby murdered and buried in the       
garden1 and  the wife of his bosom1 and 
the mother of his child1 the doer of a  
dreadful deed1 a murderess6      ,when  
,isabella went to ,new ,york ,city1 she 
went in company with a ,miss  ,grear1   
who introduced her to the family of ,mr4

 ,james ,latourette1 a  wealthy         
merchant1 and a ,methodist in religion2 
but who1 the latter part  of his life1  
felt that he had outgrown ordinances1   
and advocated free  meetings1 holding   
them at his own dwelling-house for      
several years  previous to his death4   
,she worked for them1 and they          
generously gave  her a home while she   
labored for others1 and in their        
kindness made her  as one of their own4 
,at that time1 the 'moral reform'       
movement was awakening the attention  of
 the benevolent in that city4  ,many    
women1 among whom were ,mrs4            
,latourette and ,miss ,grear1 became    
deeply interested in making an  attempt 
to reform their fallen sisters1 even the
 most degraded of them2  and in this    
enterprise of labor and danger1 they    
enlisted ,isabella and  others1 who for 
a time put forth their most zealous     
efforts1 and  performed the work of     
missionaries with much apparent success4
  ,isabella accompanied those ladies to 

the most wretched abodes of vice  and   
misery1 and sometimes she went where    
they dared not follow4  ,they  even     
succeeded in establishing               
prayer-meetings in several places1 where
  such a thing might least have been    
expected4      ,but these meetings soon 
became the most noisy1 shouting1        
ranting1 and  boisterous of gatherings2 
where they became delirious with        
excitement1  and then exhausted from    
over-action4  ,such meetings ,isabel had
 not much  sympathy with1 at best4  ,but
 one evening she attended one of them1  
where the members of it1 in a fit of    
ecstasy1 jumped upon her cloak in  such 
a manner as to drag her to the floor-and
 then1 thinking she had  fallen in a    
spiritual trance1 they increased their  
glorifications on  her account1-jumping1
 shouting1 stamping1 and clapping of    
hands2  rejoicing so much over her      
spirit1 and so entirely overlooking her 
body1 that she suffered much1 both from 
fear and bruises2 and ever  after       

refused to attend any more such         
meetings1 doubting much whether  ,god   
had any thing to do with such worship4  
,,the ,,matthias ,,delusion4      ,we   
now come to an eventful period in the   
life of ,isabella1 as  identified with  
one of the most extraordinary religious 
delusions of  modern times2 but the     
limits prescribed for the present work  
forbid a  minute narration of all the   
occurrences that transpired in relation 
to  it4      ,after she had joined the  
,african ,church in ,church street1 and 
during  her membership there1 she       
frequently attended ,mr4 ,latourette's  
meetings1 at one of which1 ,mr4 ,smith  
invited her to go to a  prayer-meeting1 
or to instruct the girls at the         
,magdalene ,asylum1  ,bowery ,hill1 then
 under the protection of ,mr4 ,pierson1 
and some other  persons1 chiefly        
respectable females4  ,to reach the     
,asylum1 ,isabella  called on ,katy1    
,mr4 ,pierson's colored servant1 of whom
 she had some  knowledge4  ,mr4 ,pierson

 saw her there1 conversed with her1     
asked her if  she had been baptized1 and
 was answered1 characteristically1 'by  
the  ,holy ,ghost4'  ,after this1       
,isabella saw ,katy several times1 and  
occasionally ,mr4 ,pierson1 who engaged 
her to keep his house while ,katy  went 
to ,virginia to see her children4  ,this
 engagement was considered  an answer to
 a prayer by ,mr4 ,pierson1 who had both
 fasted and prayed on  the subject1     
while ,katy and ,isabella appeared to   
see in it the hand of  ,god4      ,mr4  
,pierson was characterized by a strong  
devotional spirit1 which  finally became
 highly fanatical4  ,he assumed the     
title of ,prophet1  asserting that ,god 
had called him in an omnibus1 in these  
words3-',thou  are ,elijah1 the         
,tishbite4  ,gather unto me all the     
members of ,israel at  the foot of      
,mount ,carmel'2 which he understood as 
meaning the gathering  of his friends at
 ,bowery ,hill4  ,not long afterward1 he
 became  acquainted with the notorious  

,matthias1 whose career was as          
extraordinary as it was brief4  ,robert 
,matthews1 or ,matthias 7as he was      
usually called71 was of ,scotch         
extraction1 but a native of ,washington 
,county1 ,new ,york1 and at that time   
about forty-seven years of age4  ,he    
was religiously brought up1 among the   
,anti-,burghers1 a sect of              
,presbyterians2 the clergyman1 the ,rev4
 ,mr4 ,bevridge1 visiting the  family   
after the manner of the church1 and     
being pleased with ,robert1  put his    
hand on his head1 when a boy1 and       
pronounced a blessing1 and  this        
blessing1 with his natural qualities1   
determined his character2  for he ever  
after thought he should be a            
distinguished man4  ,matthias  was      
brought up a farmer till nearly eighteen
 years of age1 but  acquired indirectly 
the art of a carpenter1 without any     
regular  apprenticeship1 and showed     
considerable mechanical skill4  ,he     
obtained  property from his uncle1      

,robert ,thompson1 and then he went into
  business as a store-keeper1 was       
considered respectable1 and became a    
member of the ,scotch ,presbyterian     
,church4  ,he married in #ahac1 and     
continued in business in ,cambridge4    
,in #ahaf1 he ruined himself by a       
building speculation1 and the           
derangement of the currency which denied
  bank facilities1 and soon after he    
came to ,new ,york with his family1  and
 worked at his trade4  ,he afterwards   
removed to ,albany1 and became a  hearer
 at the ,dutch ,reformed ,church1 then  
under ,dr4 ,ludlow's charge4  ,he was   
frequently much excited on religious    
subjects4      ,in #ahbi1 he was well   
known1 if not for street preaching1 for 
loud  discussions and pavement          
exhortations1 but he did not make set   
sermons4  ,in the beginning of #ahcj1 he
 was only considered zealous2 but in the
  same year he prophesied the           
destruction of the ,albanians and their 
capital1 and while preparing to shave1  

with the ,bible before him1 he  suddenly
 put down the soap and exclaimed1 ',i   
have found it6  ,i have  found a text   
which proves that no man who shaves his 
beard can be a  true ,christian2' and   
shortly afterwards1 without shaving1 he 
went to  the ,mission ,house to deliver 
an address which he had promised1 and in
  this address1 he proclaimed his new   
character1 pronounced vengeance on  the 
land1 and that the law of ,god was the  
only rule of government1 and  that he   
was commanded to take possession of the 
world in the name of  the ,king of      
kings4  ,his harangue was cut short by  
the trustees putting  out the lights4   
,about this time1 ,matthias laid by his 
implements of  industry1 and in ,june1  
he advised his wife to fly with him from
 the  destruction which awaited them in 
the city2 and on her refusal1 partly  on
 account of ,matthias calling himself a 
,jew1 whom she was unwilling to  retain 
as a husband1 he left her1 taking some  
of the children to his  sister in       

,argyle1 forty miles from ,albany4  ,at 
,argyle he entered the  church and      
interrupted the minister1 declaring the 
congregation in  darkness1 and warning  
them to repentance4  ,he was1 of course1
 taken out  of the church1 and as he was
 advertised in the ,albany papers1 he   
was  sent back to his family4  ,his     
beard had now obtained a respectable    
length1 and thus he attracted attention1
 and easily obtained an  audience in the
 streets4  ,for this he was sometimes   
arrested1 once by  mistake for ,adam    
,paine1 who collected the crowd1 and    
then left ,matthias  with it on the     
approach of the officers4  ,he          
repeatedly urged his wife  to accompany 
him on a mission to convert the world1  
declaring that food  could be obtained  
from the roots of the forest1 if not    
administered  otherwise4  ,at this time 
he assumed the name of ,matthias1 called
  himself a ,jew1 and set out on a      
mission1 taking a western course1 and   
visiting a brother at ,rochester1 a     

skillful mechanic1 since dead4  ,leaving
 his brother1 he proceeded on his       
mission over the ,northern  ,states1    
occasionally returning to ,albany4      
,after visiting ,washington1 and passing
 through ,pennsylvania1 he came to  ,new
 ,york4  ,his appearance at that time   
was mean1 but grotesque1 and his        
sentiments were but little known4       
,on ,may the #eth1 #ahcb1 he first      
called on ,mr4 ,pierson1 in ,fourth     
street1  in his absence4  ,isabella was 
alone in the house1 in which she had    
lived since the previous autumn4  ,on   
opening the door1 she1 for the  first   
time1 beheld ,matthias1 and her early   
impression of seeing ,jesus  in the     
flesh rushed to her mind4  ,she heard   
his inquiry1 and invited  him into the  
parlor2 and being naturally curious1 and
 much excited1 and  possessing a good   
deal of tact1 she drew him into         
conversation1 stated  her own opinions1 
and heard his replies and explanations4 
,her faith  was at first staggered by   

his declaring himself a ,jew2 but on    
this  point she was relieved by his     
saying1 ',do you not remember how ,jesus
  prayed8' and repeated part of the     
,lord's ,prayer1 in proof that the      
,father's kingdom was to come1 and not  
the ,son's4  ,she then understood  him  
to be a converted ,jew1 and in the      
conclusion she says she 'felt as  if    
,god had sent him to set up the         
kingdom4'  ,thus ,matthias at once      
secured the good will of ,isabella1 and 
we may supposed obtained from  her some 
information in relation to ,mr4         
,pierson1 especially that ,mrs4         
,pierson declared there was no true     
church1 and approved of ,mr4  ,pierson's
 preaching4  ,matthias left the house1  
promising to return on  ,saturday       
evening4  ,mr4 ,p4 at this time had not 
seen ,matthias4      ,isabella1 desirous
 of hearing the expected conversation   
between  ,matthias and ,mr4 ,pierson on 
,saturday1 hurried her work1 got it     
finished1 and was permitted to be       

present4  ,indeed1 the sameness of      
belief made her familiar with her       
employer1 while her attention to her    
work1 and characteristic faithfulness1  
increased his confidence4  ,this        
intimacy1 the result of holding the same
 faith1 and the principle  afterwards   
adopted of having but one table1 and all
 things in common1  made her at once the
 domestic and the equal1 and the        
depositary of very  curious1 if not     
valuable information4  ,to this object1 
even her color  assisted4  ,persons who 
have traveled in the ,south know the    
manner in  which the colored people1 and
 especially slaves1 are treated2 they   
are  scarcely regarded as being present4
  ,this trait in our ,american          
character has been frequently noticed by
 foreign travelers4  ,one  ,english lady
 remarks that she discovered1 in course 
of conversation  with a ,southern       
married gentleman1 that a colored girl  
slept in his  bedroom1 in which also was
 his wife2 and when he saw that it      

occasioned  some surprise1 he remarked1 
',what would he do if he wanted a glass 
of  water in the night8'  ,other        
travelers have remarked that the        
presence  of colored people never seemed
 to interrupt a conversation of any kind
  for one moment4  ,isabella1 then1 was 
present at the first interview  between 
,matthias and ,pierson4  ,at this       
interview1 ,mr4 ,pierson asked          
,matthias if he had a family1 to which  
he replied in the affirmative2 he  asked
 him about his beard1 and he gave a     
scriptural reason1 asserting  also that 
the ,jews did not shave1 and that ,adam 
had a beard4  ,mr4  ,pierson detailed to
 ,matthias his experience1 and ,matthias
 gave his1 and  they mutually discovered
 that they held the same sentiments1    
both  admitting the direct influence of 
the ,spirit1 and the transmission of    
spirits from one body to another4       
,matthias admitted the call of ,mr4     
,pierson1 in the omnibus in ,wall       
street1 which1 on this occasion1 he     

gave in these words3-',thou art ,elijah 
the ,tishbite1 and thou shalt go  before
 me in the spirit and power of ,elias1  
to prepare my way before  me4'  ,and    
,mr4 ,pierson admitted ,matthias' call1 
who completed his  declaration on the   
#bjth of ,june1 in ,argyle1 which1 by a 
curious  coincidence1 was the very day  
on which ,pierson had received his call 
in  the omnibus4  ,such singular        
coincidences have a powerful effect on  
excited minds4  ,from that discovery1   
,pierson and ,matthias rejoiced in  each
 other1 and became kindred              
spirits-,matthias1 however1 claiming to 
be the ,father1 or to possess the spirit
 of the ,father-he was ,god upon  the   
earth1 because the spirit of ,god dwelt 
in him2 while ,pierson then  understood 
that his mission was like that of ,john 
the ,baptist1 which  the name ,elias    
meant4  ,this conference ended with an  
invitation to  supper1 and ,matthias and
 ,pierson washing each other's feet4    
,mr4  ,pierson preached on the following

 ,sunday1 but after which1 he declined  
in favor of ,matthias1 and some of the  
party believed that the 'kingdom  had   
then come4'      ,as a specimen of      
,matthias' preaching and sentiments1 the
 following is  said to be reliable3     
',the spirit that built the ,tower of   
,babel is now in the world-it is the    
spirit of the devil4  ,the spirit of man
 never goes upon the clouds2 all  who   
think so are ,babylonians4  ,the only   
heaven is on earth4  ,all who  are      
ignorant of truth are ,ninevites4  ,the 
,jews did not crucify ,christ-  it was  
the ,gentiles4  ,every ,jew has his     
guardian angel attending him in  this   
world4  ,god don't speak through        
preachers2 he speaks through me1  his   
prophet4      '  ,john the ,baptist1    
7addressing ,mr4 ,pierson71  read the   
tenth  chapter of ,revelations4 ,after  
the reading of the chapter1 the prophet 
resumed speaking1 as follows3-          
',ours is the mustard-seed kingdom which
 is to spread all over the  earth4  ,our

 creed is truth1 and no man can find    
truth unless he obeys  ,john the        
,baptist1 and comes clean into the      
church4      ',all real men will be     
saved2 all mock men will be damned4     
,when a  person has the ,holy ,ghost1   
then he is a man1 and not till then4    
,they  who teach women are of the       
wicked4  ,the communion is all nonsense2
 so  is prayer4  ,eating a nip of bread 
and drinking a little wine won't do  any
 good4  ,all who admit members into     
their church1 and suffer them to  hold  
their lands and houses1 their sentence  
is1 ,depart1 ye wicked1 ,i  know you    
not4  ,all females who lecture their    
husbands1 their sentence  is the same4  
,the sons of truth are to enjoy all the 
good things of  this world1 and must use
 their means to bring it about4  ,every 
thing  that has the smell of woman will 
be destroyed4  ,woman is the capsheaf   
of the abomination of desolation-full of
 all deviltry4  ,in a short  time1 the  
world will take fire and dissolve2 it is

 combustible  already4  ,all women1 not 
obedient1 had better become so as soon  
as  possible1 and let the wicked spirit 
depart1 and become temples of  truth4   
,praying is all mocking4  ,when you see 
any one wring the neck of  a fowl1      
instead of cutting off its head1 he has 
not got the ,holy ,ghost4  7,cutting    
gives the least pain47      ',all who   
eat swine's flesh are of the devil2 and 
just as certain as he  eats it1 he will 
tell a lie in less than half an hour4   
,if you eat a  piece of pork1 it will go
 crooked through you1 and the ,holy     
,ghost will  not stay in you1 but one or
 the other must leave the house pretty  
soon4  ,the pork will be as crooked in  
you as ram's horns1 and as great a      
nuisance as the hogs in the street4     
',the cholera is not the right word2 it 
is choler1 which means ,god's  wrath4   
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob are now in 
this world2 they did not  go up in the  
clouds1 as some believe-why should they 
go there8  ,they  don't want to go there

 to box the compass from one place to   
another4  ,the ,christians now-a-days   
are for setting up the ,son's kingdom4  
,it is  not his2 it is the ,father's    
kingdom4  ,it puts me in mind of a man  
in  the country1 who took his son in    
business1 and had his sign made1        
,hitchcock  ,son2 but the son wanted it 
,hitchcock  ,father-and that  is the way
 with your ,christians4  ,they talk of  
the ,son's kingdom  first1 and not the  
,father's kingdom4'      ,matthias and  
his disciples at this time did not      
believe in a  resurrection of the body1 
but that the spirits of the former      
saints  would enter the bodies of the   
present generation1 and thus begin      
heaven  on earth1 of which he and ,mr4  
,pierson were the first fruits4         
,matthias made the residence of ,mr4    
,pierson his own2 but the latter1  being
 apprehensive of popular violence in his
 house1 if ,matthias  remained there1   
proposed a monthly allowance to him1 and
 advised him to  occupy another         

dwelling4  ,matthias accordingly took a 
house in ,clarkson  street1 and then    
sent for his family at ,albany1 but they
 declined  coming to the city4          
,however1 his brother ,george complied  
with a  similar offer1 bringing his     
family with him1 where they found very  
comfortable quarters4  ,isabella was    
employed to do the housework4  ,in      
,may1 #ahcc1 ,matthias left his house1  
and placed the furniture1 part of  which
 was ,isabella's1 elsewhere1 living     
himself at the hotel corner of          
,marketfield and ,west streets4         
,isabella found employment at ,mr4      
,whiting's1 ,canal street1 and did the  
washing for ,matthias by ,mrs4          
,whiting's permission4      ,of the     
subsequent removal of ,matthias to the  
farm and residence of ,mr4  ,b4 ,folger1
 at ,sing ,sing1 where he was joined by 
,mr4 ,pierson1 and others  laboring     
under a similar religious delusion-the  
sudden1 melancholy and  somewhat        
suspicious death of ,mr4 ,pierson1 and  

the arrest of ,matthias on  the charge  
of his murder1 ending in a verdict of   
not guilty-the  criminal connection that
 subsisted between ,matthias1 ,mrs4     
,folger1 and  other members of the      
',kingdom1' as 'match-spirits'-the final
 dispersion  of this deluded company1   
and the voluntary exilement of ,matthias
 in the  far ,west1 after his release-c4
 c41 we do not deem it useful or        
necessary to give any particulars4      
,those who are curious to know what     
there transpired are referred to a work 
published in ,new ,york in #ahce1       
entitled ',fanaticism2 its ,sources and 
,influence2 illustrated by the  simple  
,narrative of ,isabella1 in the case of 
,matthias1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,b4  ,folger1 
,mr4 ,pierson1 ,mr4 ,mills1 ,catharine1 
,isabella1 c4 c4 ,by ,g4  ,vale1 #hd    
,roosevelt street4'  ,suffice it to say1
 that while ,isabella was  a member of  
the household at ,sing ,sing1 doing much
 laborious service in  the spirit of    
religious disinterestedness1 and        

gradually getting her  vision purged and
 her mind cured of its illusions1 she   
happily escaped  the contamination that 
surrounded her1-assiduously endeavoring 
to  discharge all her duties in a       
becoming manner4            ,,fasting4  
,when ,isabella resided with ,mr4       
,pierson1 he was in the habit of fasting
  every ,friday2 not eating or drinking 
anything from ,thursday evening to  six 
o'clock on ,friday evening4      ,then1 
again1 he would fast two nights and     
three days1 neither eating  nor         
drinking2 refusing himself even a cup of
 cold water till the third  day at      
night1 when he took supper again1 as    
usual4      ,isabella asked him why he  
fasted4  ,he answered1 that fasting gave
 him  great light in the things of ,god2
 which answer gave birth to the         
following train of thought in the mind  
of his auditor3-',well1 if  fasting will
 give light inwardly and spiritually1 ,i
 need it as much as  any body1-and ,i'll
 fast too4  ,if ,mr4 ,pierson needs to  

fast two nights  and three days1 then   
,i1 who need light more than he does1   
ought to fast  more1 and ,i will fast   
three nights and three days4'      ,this
 resolution she carried out to the      
letter1 putting not so much as a  drop  
of water in her mouth for three whole   
days and nights4  ,the fourth  morning1 
as she arose to her feet1 not having the
 power to stand1 she  fell to the floor2
 but recovering herself sufficiently1   
she made her  way to the pantry1 and    
feeling herself quite voracious1 and    
fearing  that she might now offend ,god 
by her voracity1 compelled herself to   
breakfast on dry bread and water-eating 
a large six-penny loaf before  she felt 
at all stayed or satisfied4  ,she says  
she did get light1 but  it was all in   
her body and none in her mind-and this  
lightness of body  lasted a long time4  
,oh6 she was so light1 and felt so well1
 she could  'skim around like a gull4'  
,,the ,,cause ,,of ,,her ,,leaving ,,the
 ,,city4      ,the first years spent by 

,isabella in the city1 she accumulated  
more  than enough to satisfy all her    
wants1 and she placed all the overplus  
in the ,savings' ,bank4  ,afterwards1   
while living with ,mr4 ,pierson1 he     
prevailed on her to take it all thence1 
and invest it in a common fund  which he
 was about establishing1 as a fund to be
 drawn from by all the  faithful2 the   
faithful1 of course1 were the handful   
that should  subscribe to his peculiar  
creed4  ,this fund1 commenced by ,mr4   
,pierson1  afterwards became part and   
parcel of the kingdom of which ,matthias
  assumed to be head2 and at the        
breaking up of the kingdom1 her little  
property was merged in the general      
ruin-or went to enrich those who        
profited by the loss of others1 if any  
such there were4  ,mr4 ,pierson  and    
others had so assured her1 that the fund
 would supply all her  wants1 at all    
times1 and in all emergencies1 and to   
the end of life1  that she became       
perfectly careless on the subject-asking

 for no  interest when she drew her     
money from the bank1 and taking no      
account  of the sum she placed in the   
fund4  ,she recovered a few articles of 
the  furniture from the wreck of the    
kingdom1 and received a small sum of    
money from ,mr4 ,b4 ,folger1 as the     
price of ,mrs4 ,folger's attempt to     
convict her of murder4  ,with this to   
start upon1 she commenced anew her      
labors1 in the hope of yet being able to
 accumulate a sufficiency to  make a    
little home for herself1 in her         
advancing age4  ,with this  stimulus    
before her1 she toiled hard1 working    
early and late1 doing a  great deal for 
a little money1 and turning her hand to 
almost anything  that promised good pay4
  ,still1 she did not prosper1 and      
somehow1 could  not contrive to lay by a
 single dollar for a 'rainy day4'       
,when this had been the state of her    
affairs some time1 she suddenly  paused1
 and taking a retrospective view of what
 had passed1 inquired  within herself1  

why it was that1 for all her unwearied  
labors1 she had  nothing to show2 why it
 was that others1 with much less care   
and labor1  could hoard up treasures for
 themselves and children8  ,she became  
more  and more convinced1 as she        
reasoned1 that every thing she had      
undertaken in the city of ,new ,york had
 finally proved a failure2 and  where   
her hopes had been raised the highest1  
there she felt the failure  had been the
 greatest1 and the disappointment most  
severe4      ,after turning it in her   
mind for some time1 she came to the     
conclusion1  that she had been taking   
part in a great drama1 which was1 in    
itself1  but one great system of robbery
 and wrong4  ',yes1' she said1 'the rich
  rob the poor1 and the poor rob one    
another4'  ,true1 she had not  received 
labor from others1 and stinted their    
pay1 as she felt had been  practised    
against her2 but she had taken their    
work from them1 which  was their only   
means to get money1 and was the same to 

them in the end4  ,for instance-a       
gentleman where she lived would give her
 a dollar to  hire a poor man to clear  
the new-fallen snow from the steps and  
side-walks4  ,she would arise early1 and
 perform the labor herself1  putting the
 money into her own pocket4  ,a poor man
 would come along1  saying she ought to 
have let him have the job2 he was poor1 
and needed  the pay for his family4     
,she would harden her heart against him1
 and  answer-',i am poor too1 and ,i    
need it for mine4'  ,but1 in her        
retrospection1 she thought of all the   
misery she might have been adding  to1  
in her selfish grasping1 and it troubled
 her conscience sorely2 and  this       
insensibility to the claims of human    
brotherhood1 and the wants of  the      
destitute and wretched poor1 she now    
saw1 as she never had done  before1 to  
be unfeeling1 selfish and wicked4       
,these reflections and  convictions gave
 rise to a sudden revulsion of feeling  
in the heart of  ,isabella1 and she     

began to look upon money and property   
with great  indifference1 if not        
contempt-being at that time unable1     
probably1 to  discern any difference    
between a miserly grasping at and       
hoarding of  money and means1 and a true
 use of the good things of this life for
  one's own comfort1 and the relief of  
such as she might be enabled to         
befriend and assist4  ,one thing she was
 sure of-that the precepts1 ',do  unto  
others as ye would that others should do
 unto you1' ',love your  neighbor as    
yourself1' and so forth1 were maxims    
that had been but  little thought of by 
herself1 or practised by those about    
her4      ,her next decision was1 that  
she must leave the city2 it was no place
  for her2 yea1 she felt called in      
spirit to leave it1 and to travel east  
and lecture4  ,she had never been       
further east than the city1 neither  had
 she any friends there of whom she had  
particular reason to expect  any thing2 
yet to her it was plain that her mission

 lay in the east1  and that she would   
find friends there4  ,she determined on 
leaving2 but  these determinations and  
convictions she kept close locked in her
 own  breast1 knowing that if her       
children and friends were aware of it1  
they  would make such an ado about it as
 would render it very unpleasant1 if    
not distressing to all parties4  ,having
 made what preparations for  leaving she
 deemed necessary1-which was1 to put up 
a few articles of  clothing in a        
pillow-case1 all else being deemed an   
unnecessary  incumbrance1-about an hour 
before she left1 she informed ,mrs4     
,whiting1  the woman of the house where 
she was stopping1 that her name was no  
longer ,isabella1 but ,,sojourner2 and  
that she was going east4  ,and to  her  
inquiry1 ',what are you going east for8'
 her answer was1 ',the ,spirit  calls me
 there1 and ,i must go4'      ,she left 
the city on the morning of the #ast of  
,june1 #ahdc1 crossing  over to         
,brooklyn1 ,l4,i42 and taking the rising

 sun for her only compass  and guide1   
she 'remembered ,lot's wife1' and hoping
 to avoid her fate1  she resolved not to
 look back till she felt sure the wicked
 city from  which she was fleeing was   
left too far behind to be visible in the
  distance2 and when she first ventured 
to look back1 she could just  discern   
the blue cloud of smoke that hung over  
it1 and she thanked the  ,lord that she 
was thus far removed from what seemed to
 her a second  ,sodom4      ,she was now
 fairly started on her pilgrimage2 her  
bundle in one hand1  and a little basket
 of provisions in the other1 and two    
,york shillings  in her purse-her heart 
strong in the faith that her true work  
lay  before her1 and that the ,lord was 
her director2 and she doubted not he    
would provide for and protect her1 and  
that it would be very censurable  in her
 to burden herself with any thing more  
than a moderate supply for  her then    
present needs4  ,her mission was not    
merely to travel east1 but  to          

'lecture1' as she designated it2        
'testifying of the hope that was in     
her'-exhorting the people to embrace    
,jesus1 and refrain from sin1 the       
nature and origin of which she explained
 to them in accordance with her  own    
most curious and original views4        
,through her life1 and all its          
chequered changes1 she has ever clung   
fast to her first permanent  impressions
 on religious subjects4      ,wherever  
night overtook her1 there she sought for
 lodgings-free1 if she  might-if not1   
she paid2 at a tavern1 if she chanced to
 be at one-if  not1 at a private        
dwelling2 with the rich1 if they would  
receive her-if  not1 with the poor4     
,but she soon discovered that the       
largest houses were nearly always  full2
 if not quite full1 company was soon    
expected2 and that it was  much easier  
to find an unoccupied corner in a small 
house than in a  large one2 and if a    
person possessed but a miserable roof   
over his  head1 you might be sure of a  

welcome to part of it4      ,but this1  
she had penetration enough to see1 was  
quite as much the  effect of a want of  
sympathy as of benevolence2 and this was
 also very  apparent in her religious   
conversations with people who were      
strangers  to her4  ,she said1 'she     
never could find out that the rich had  
any  religion4  ,if ,i had been rich and
 accomplished1 ,i could2 for the rich   
could always find religion in the rich1 
and ,i could find it among the  poor4'  
,at first1 she attended such meetings as
 she heard of1 in the vicinity  of her  
travels1 and spoke to the people as she 
found them assembled4  ,afterwards1 she 
advertised meetings of her own1 and held
 forth to large  audiences1 having1 as  
she said1 'a good time4'      ,when she 
became weary of travelling1 and wished a
 place to stop a while  and rest        
herself1 she said some opening for her  
was always near at  hand2 and the first 
time she needed rest1 a man accosted her
 as she was  walking1 inquiring if she  

was looking for work4  ,she told him    
that was  not the object of her travels1
 but that she would willingly work a few
  days1 if any one wanted4  ,he         
requested her to go to his family1 who  
were sadly in want of assistance1 which 
he had been thus far unable to  supply4 
,she went to the house where she was    
directed1 and was received  by his      
family1 one of whom was ill1 as a       
',godsend2' and when she felt           
constrained to resume her journey1 they 
were very sorry1 and would fain  have   
detained her longer2 but as she urged   
the necessity of leaving1  they offered 
her what seemed in her eyes a great deal
 of money as a  remuneration for her    
labor1 and an expression of their       
gratitude for  her opportune assistance2
 but she would only receive a very      
little of  it2 enough1 as she says1 to  
enable her to pay tribute to ,caesar1 if
 it  was demanded of her2 and two or    
three ,york shillings at a time were all
  she allowed herself to take2 and then1

 with purse replenished1 and  strength  
renewed1 she would once more set out to 
perform her mission4            ,,the   
,,consequences ,,of ,,refusing ,a       
,,traveller ,a ,,night',s ,,lodging4    
,as she drew near the center of the     
,island1 she commenced1 one evening  at 
nightfall1 to solicit the favor of a    
night's lodging4  ,she had  repeated her
 request a great many1 it seemed to her 
some twenty times1  and as many times   
she received a negative answer4  ,she   
walked on1 the  stars and the tiny horns
 of the new moon shed but a dim light on
 her  lonely way1 when she was          
familiarly accosted by two ,indians1 who
 took  her for an acquaintance4  ,she   
told them they were mistaken in the     
person2 she was a stranger there1 and   
asked them the direction to a  tavern4  
,they informed her it was yet a long    
way-some two miles or so2  and inquired 
if she were alone4  ,not wishing for    
their protection1 or  knowing what might
 be the character of their kindness1 she

 answered1  ',no1 not exactly1' and     
passed on4  ,at the end of a weary way1 
she came  to the tavern1-or rather1 to a
 large building1 which was occupied as a
  court-house1 tavern1 and jail1-and on 
asking for a night's lodging1 was       
informed she could stay1 if she would   
consent to be locked in4  ,this to  her 
mind was an insuperable objection4  ,to 
have a key turned on her was  a thing   
not to be thought of1 at least not to be
 endured1 and she again  took up her    
line of march1 preferring to walk       
beneath the open sky1 to  being locked  
up by a stranger in such a place4  ,she 
had not walked far1  before she heard   
the voice of a woman under an open shed2
    she ventured to accost her1 and     
inquired if she knew where she  could   
get in for the night4 ,the woman        
answered1 that she did  not1 unless she 
went home with them2 and turning to her 
'good  man1' asked him if the stranger  
could not share their home for  the     
night1 to which he cheerfully assented4 

,sojourner thought it  evident he had   
been taking a drop too much1 but as he  
was civil  and good-natured1 and she did
 not feel inclined to spend the  night  
alone in the open air1 she felt driven  
to the necessity of  accepting their    
hospitality1 whatever it might prove to 
be4 ,the  woman soon informed her that  
there was a ball in the place1 at  which
 they would like to drop in a while1    
before they went to  their home4        
,balls being no part of ,sojourner's    
mission1 she was not desirous  of       
attending2 but her hostess could be     
satisfied with nothing  short of a taste
 of it1 and she was forced to go with   
her1 or  relinquish their company at    
once1 in which move there might be  more
 exposure than in accompanying her4 ,she
 went1 and soon  found herself          
surrounded by an assemblage of people1  
collected  from the very dregs of       
society1 too ignorant and degraded to   
understand1 much less entertain1 a high 
or bright idea1-in a  dirty hovel1      

destitute of every comfort1 and where   
the fumes of  whiskey were abundant and 
powerful4    ,sojourner's guide there   
was too much charmed with the  combined 
entertainments of the place to be able  
to tear herself  away1 till she found   
her faculties for enjoyment failing her1
 from  a too free use of liquor2 and she
 betook herself to bed till she  could  
recover them4 ,sojourner1 seated in a   
corner1 had time for  many reflections1 
and refrained from lecturing them1 in   
obedience  to the recommendation1 ',cast
 not your pearls1' c4 ,when  the night  
was far spent1 the husband of the       
sleeping woman  aroused the sleeper1 and
 reminded her that she was not very     
polite to the woman she had invited to  
sleep at her house1 and  of the         
propriety of returning home4 ,they once 
more emerged  into the pure air1 which  
to our friend ,sojourner1 after so long 
breathing the noisome air of the        
ball-room1 was most refreshing  and     
grateful4 ,just as day dawned1 they     

reached the place they  called their    
home4 ,sojourner now saw that she had   
lost nothing  in the shape of rest by   
remaining so long at the ball1 as their 
miserable cabin afforded but one bunk or
 pallet for sleeping2 and  had there    
been many such1 she would have preferred
 sitting up  all night to occupying one 
like it4 ,they very politely offered her
  the bed1 if she would use it2 but     
civilly declining1 she waited for       
morning with an eagerness of desire she 
never felt before on the  subject1 and  
was never more happy than when the eye  
of day  shed its golden light once more 
over the earth4 ,she was once  more     
free1 and while daylight should last1   
independent1 and  needed no invitation  
to pursue her journey4 ,let these facts 
teach  us1 that every pedestrian in the 
world is not a vagabond1 and that  it is
 a dangerous thing to compel any one to 
receive that hospitality  from the      
vicious and abandoned which they should 
have  received from us1-as thousands can

 testify1 who have thus been  caught in 
the snares of the wicked4    ,the fourth
 of ,july1 ,isabella arrived at         
,huntingdon2 from  thence she went to   
,cold ,springs1 where she found the     
people  making preparations for a mass  
temperance-meeting4 ,with her  usual    
alacrity1 she entered into their labors1
 getting up dishes a la  ,new ,york1    
greatly to the satisfaction of those she
 assisted4 ,after  remaining at ,cold   
,springs some three weeks1 she returned 
to  ,huntingdon1 where she took boat for
 ,connecticut4 ,landing at  ,bridgeport1
 she again resumed her travels towards  
the north-east1  lecturing some1 and    
working some1 to get wherewith to pay   
tribute to ,caesar1 as she called it2   
and in this manner she presently  came  
to the city of ,new ,haven1 where she   
found many meetings1  which she         
attended-at some of which1 she was      
allowed to  express her views freely1   
and without reservation4 ,she also      
called  meetings expressly to give      

herself an opportunity to be heard2  and
 found in the city many true friends of 
,jesus1 as she judged1  with whom she   
held communion of spirit1 having no     
preference  for one sect more than      
another1 but being well satisfied with  
all  who gave her evidence of having    
known or loved the ,saviour4    ,after  
thus delivering her testimony in this   
pleasant city1 feeling  she had not as  
yet found an abiding place1 she went    
from  thence to ,bristol1 at the request
 of a zealous sister1 who desired  her  
to go to the latter place1 and hold a   
religious conversation  with some       
friends of hers there4 ,she went as     
requested1 found  the people kindly and 
religiously disposed1 and through them  
she became acquainted with several very 
interesting persons4    ,a              
spiritually-minded brother in ,bristol1 
becoming interested  in her new views   
and original opinions1 requested as a   
favor that  she would go to ,hartford1  
to see and converse with friends of his 

there4 ,standing ready to perform any   
service in the ,lord1 she  went to      
,hartford as desired1 bearing in her    
hand the following  note from this      
brother3-    ',,sister1-,i send you this
 living messenger1 as ,i believe  her to
 be one that ,god loves4 ,ethiopia is   
stretching forth  her hands unto ,god4  
,you can see by this sister1 that ,god  
does by his ,spirit alone teach his own 
children things to  come4 ,please       
receive her1 and she will tell you some 
new  things4 ,let her tell her story    
without interrupting her1 and  give     
close attention1 and you will see she   
has got the lever  of truth1 that ,god  
helps her to pry where but few can4 ,she
  cannot read or write1 but the law is  
in her heart4    ',send her to brother  
-1 brother -1 and where she can do  the 
most good4  ',from your brother1 ,h4 ,l4
 ,b4'            ,,some ,,of ,,her      
,,views ,,and ,,reasonings4      ,as    
soon as ,isabella saw ,god as an        
all-powerful1 all-pervading  spirit1 she

 became desirous of hearing all that had
 been written  of him1 and listened to  
the account of the creation of the world
  and its first inhabitants1 as         
contained in the first chapters of      
,genesis1 with peculiar interest4 ,for  
some time she received it all           
literally1 though it appeared strange to
 her that ',god worked by  the day1 got 
tired1 and stopped to rest1' c4 ,but    
after a little time1  she began to      
reason upon it1 thus-',why1 if ,god     
works by the  day1 and one day's work   
tires him1 and he is obliged to rest1   
either from weariness or on account of  
darkness1 or if he waited  for the cool 
of the day to walk in the garden1       
because he was  inconvenienced by the   
heat of the sun1 why then it seems that 
,god cannot do as much as ,i can2 for ,i
 can bear the sun at noon1  and work    
several days and nights in succession   
without being  much tired4 ,or1 if he   
rested nights because of the darkness1  
it is  very queer that he should make   

the night so dark that he could  not see
 himself4 ,if ,i had been ,god1 ,i would
 have made the night  light enough for  
my own convenience1 surely4' ,but the   
moment  she placed this idea of ,god by 
the side of the impression  she had once
 so suddenly received of his            
inconceivable greatness  and entire     
spirituality1 that moment she exclaimed 
mentally1  ',no1 ,god does not stop to  
rest1 for he is a spirit1 and cannot    
tire2  he cannot want for light1 for he 
hath all light in himself4 ,and if  ,god
 is all in all1 and worketh all in all1 
as ,i have heard them  read1 then it is 
impossible he should rest at all2 for if
 he did1 every  other thing would stop  
and rest too2 the waters would not flow1
  and the fishes could not swim2 and all
 motion must cease4 ,god  could have no 
pauses in his work1 and he needed no    
,sabbaths of  rest4 ,man might need     
them1 and he should take them when he   
needed them1 whenever he required rest4 
,as it regarded the  worship of ,god1 he

 was to be worshipped at all times and  
in all  places2 and one portion of time 
never seemed to her more holy  than     
another4'    ,these views1 which were   
the results of the workings of her  own 
mind1 assisted solely by the light of   
her own experience and  very limited    
knowledge1 were1 for a long time after  
their adoption1  closely locked in her  
own breast1 fearing lest their avowal   
might bring upon her the imputation of  
'infidelity1'-the usual  charge         
preferred by all religionists1 against  
those who entertain  religious views and
 feelings differing materially from     
their own4  ,if1 from their own sad     
experience1 they are withheld from      
shouting  the cry of 'infidel1' they    
fail not to see and to feel1 ay1 and  to
 say1 that the dissenters are not of the
 right spirit1 and that their  spiritual
 eyes have never been unsealed4         
,while travelling in ,connecticut1 she  
met a minister1 with  whom she held a   
long discussion on these points1 as well

 as on  various other topics1 such as   
the origin of all things1 especially the
  origin of evil1 at the same time      
bearing her testimony strongly  against 
a paid ministry4 ,he belonged to that   
class1 and1 as a matter  of course1 as  
strongly advocated his own side of the  
question4    ,i had forgotten to        
mention1 in its proper place1 a very    
important  fact1 that when she was      
examining the ,scriptures1 she wished   
to hear them without comment2 but if she
 employed adult  persons to read them to
 her1 and she asked them to read a      
passage  over again1 they invariably    
commenced to explain1 by giving her     
their version of it2 and in this way1   
they tried her feelings  exceedingly4   
,in consequence of this1 she ceased to  
ask adult persons to  read the ,bible to
 her1 and substituted children in their 
stead4  ,children1 as soon as they could
 read distinctly1 would re-read the     
same sentence to her1 as often as she   
wished1 and without  comment2 and in    

that way she was enabled to see what her
 own  mind could make out of the record1
 and that1 she said1 was what  she      
wanted1 and not what others thought it  
to mean4 ,she wished  to compare the    
teachings of the ,bible with the witness
 within  her2 and she came to the       
conclusion1 that the spirit of truth    
spoke  in those records1 but that the   
recorders of those truths had           
intermingled with them ideas and        
suppositions of their own4  ,this is one
 among the many proofs of her energy and
 independence  of character4    ,when it
 became known to her children1 that     
,sojourner had  left ,new ,york1 they   
were filled with wonder and alarm4      
,where  could she have gone1 and why had
 she left8 were questions no  one could 
answer satisfactorily4 ,now1 their      
imaginations painted  her as a wandering
 maniac-and again they feared she had   
been  left to commit suicide2 and many  
were the tears they shed at the  loss of
 her4    ,but when she reached ,berlin1 

,conn41 she wrote to them by            
amanuensis1 informing them of her       
whereabouts1 and waiting an  answer to  
her letter2 thus quieting their fears1  
and gladdening  their hearts once more  
with assurances of her continued life   
and  her love4          ,,the ,,second  
,,advent ,,doctrines4      ,in ,hartford
 and vicinity1 she met with several     
persons who  believed in the ',second   
,advent' doctrines2 or1 the immediate   
personal appearance of ,jesus ,christ4  
,at first she thought she had  never    
heard of ',second ,advent4' ,but when it
 was explained to  her1 she recollected 
having once attended ,mr4 ,miller's     
meeting  in ,new ,york1 where she saw a 
great many enigmatical pictures  hanging
 on the wall1 which she could not       
understand1 and  which1 being out of the
 reach of her understanding1 failed to  
interest her4 ,in this section of       
country1 she attended two  camp-meetings
 of the believers in these doctrines-the
 'second advent'  excitement being then 

at its greatest height4 ,the last       
meeting was at ,windsor ,lock4 ,the     
people1 as a matter of course1  eagerly 
inquired of her concerning her belief1  
as it regarded their  most important    
tenet4 ,she told them it had not been   
revealed to  her2 perhaps1 if she could 
read1 she might see it differently4     
,sometimes1 to their eager inquiry1     
',oh1 don't you believe the  ,lord is   
coming8' she answered1 ',i believe the  
,lord is as near as  he can be1 and not 
be it4' ,with these evasive and         
non-exciting  answers1 she kept their   
minds calm as it respected her unbelief1
  till she could have an opportunity to 
hear their views fairly  stated1 in     
order to judge more understandingly of  
this matter1  and see if1 in her        
estimation1 there was any good ground   
for  expecting an event which was1 in   
the minds of so many1 as it  were1      
shaking the very foundations of the     
universe4 ,she was  invited to join them
 in their religious exercises1 and      

accepted the  invitation-praying1 and   
talking in her own peculiar style1 and  
attracting many about her by her        
singing4    ,when she had convinced the 
people that she was a lover of  ,god and
 his cause1 and had gained a good       
standing with them1  so that she could  
get a hearing among them1 she had become
  quite sure in her own mind that they  
were laboring under a  delusion1 and she
 commenced to use her influence to calm 
the  fears of the people1 and pour oil  
upon the troubled waters4 ,in  one part 
of the grounds1 she found a knot of     
people greatly  excited3 she mounted a  
stump and called out1 ',hear6 hear6'    
,when the people had gathered around    
her1 as they were in a  state to listen 
to any thing new1 she addressed them as 
'children1'  and asked them why they    
made such a ',to-do2-are you  not       
commanded to watch and pray8 ,you are   
neither watching  nor praying4' ,and she
 bade them1 with the tones of a kind    
mother1 retire to their tents1 and there

 watch and pray1 without  noise or      
tumult1 for the ,lord would not come to 
such a scene  of confusion2 'the ,lord  
came still and quiet4' ,she assured     
them1  'the ,lord might come1 move all  
through the camp1 and go away  again1   
and they never know it1' in the state   
they then were4    ,they seemed glad to 
seize upon any reason for being less    
agitated and distressed1 and many of    
them suppressed their noisy  terror1 and
 retired to their tents to 'watch and   
pray2' begging  others to do the same1  
and listen to the advice of the good    
sister4  ,she felt she had done some    
good1 and then went to listen further   
to the preachers4 ,they appeared to her 
to be doing their utmost  to agitate and
 excite the people1 who were already too
 much  excited2 and when she had        
listened till her feelings would let her
  listen silently no longer1 she arose  
and addressed the preachers4  ,the      
following are specimens of her speech3- 
',here you are talking about being      

changed in the twinkling  of an eye4 ,if
 the ,lord should come1 he'd change you 
to nothing6  for there is nothing to    
you4    ',you seem to be expecting to go
 to some parlor away up  somewhere1 and 
when the wicked have been burnt1 you are
  coming back to walk in triumph over   
their ashes-this is to  be your ,new    
,jerusalem66 ,now1 ,i can't see any     
thing so very  nice in that1 coming back
 to such a muss as that will be1 a      
world covered with the ashes of the     
wicked6 ,besides1 if the ,lord  comes   
and burns-as you say he will-,i am not  
going away2 ,i  am going to stay here   
and stand the fire1 like ,shadrach1     
,meshach1  and ,abednego6 ,and ,jesus   
will walk with me through the fire1  and
 keep me from harm4 ,nothing belonging  
to ,god can burn1  any more than ,god   
himself2 such shall have no need to go  
away  to escape the fire6 ,no1 ,i shall 
remain4 ,do you tell me that ,god's     
children can't stand fire8' ,and her    
manner and tone spoke louder  than      

words1 saying1 ',it is absurd to think  
so6'    ,the ministers were taken quite 
aback at so unexpected an  opposer1 and 
one of them1 in the kindest possible    
manner1  commenced a discussion with    
her1 by asking her questions1 and       
quoting scripture to her2 concluding1   
finally1 that although she  had learned 
nothing of the great doctrine which was 
so exclusively  occupying their minds at
 the time1 she had learned much  that   
man had never taught her4    ,at this   
meeting1 she received the address of    
different persons1  residing in various 
places1 with an invitation to visit     
them4 ,she  promised to go soon to      
,cabotville1 and started1 shaping her   
course for that place4 ,she arrived at  
,springfield one evening at  six        
o'clock1 and immediately began to search
 for a lodging for  the night4 ,she     
walked from six till past nine1 and was 
then on the  road from ,springfield to  
,cabotville1 before she found any one   
sufficiently hospitable to give her a   

night's shelter under their  roof4 ,then
 a man gave her twenty-five cents1 and  
bade her  go to a tavern and stay all   
night4 ,she did so1 returning in the    
morning to thank him1 assuring him she  
had put his money to  its legitimate    
use4 ,she found a number of the friends 
she had seen  at ,windsor when she      
reached the manufacturing town of       
,cabotville1  7which has lately taken   
the name of ,chicopee17 and  with them  
she spent a pleasant week or more2 after
 which1 she  left them to visit the     
,shaker village in ,enfield4 ,she now   
began  to think of finding a resting    
place1 at least1 for a season2 for she  
had performed quite a long journey1     
considering she had walked  most of the 
way2 and she had a mind to look in upon 
the  ,shakers1 and see how things were  
there1 and whether there was  any       
opening there for her4 ,but on her way  
back to ,springfield1  she called at a  
house and asked for a piece of bread2   
her request  was granted1 and she was   

kindly invited to tarry all night1 as it
  was getting late1 and she would not be
 able to stay at every house  in that   
vicinity1 which invitation she          
cheerfully accepted4 ,when  the man of  
the house came in1 he recollected having
 seen her at  the camp-meeting1 and     
repeated some conversations1 by which   
she recognized him again4 ,he soon      
proposed having a meeting  that evening1
 went out and notified his friends and  
neighbors1  who came together1 and she  
once more held forth to them in her     
peculiar style4 ,through the agency of  
this meeting1 she became  acquainted    
with several people residing in         
,springfield1 to whose  houses she was  
cordially invited1 and with whom she    
spent some  pleasant time4    ,one of   
these friends1 writing of her arrival   
there1 speaks as  follows4 ,after saying
 that she and her people belonged to    
that  class of persons who believed in  
the second advent doctrines2 and  that  
this class1 believing also in freedom of

 speech and action1  often found at     
their meetings many singular people1 who
 did not  agree with them in their      
principal doctrine2 and that1 being thus
  prepared to hear new and strange      
things1 ',they listened eagerly  to     
,sojourner1 and drank in all she        
said2'-and also1 that she  'soon became 
a favorite among them2 that when she    
arose to  speak in their assemblies1 her
 commanding figure and dignified  manner
 hushed every trifler into silence1 and 
her singular and  sometimes uncouth     
modes of expression never provoked a    
laugh1 but often were the whole audience
 melted into tears by  her touching     
stories4' ,she also adds1 ',many were   
the lessons of  wisdom and faith ,i have
 delighted to learn from her4' 4 4 4 4  
',she  continued a great favorite in our
 meetings1 both on account of  her      
remarkable gift in prayer1 and still    
more remarkable talent for  singing1 4 4
 4 and the aptness and point of her     
remarks1 frequently  illustrated by     

figures the most original and           
expressive4    ',as we were walking the 
other day1 she said she had often       
thought what a beautiful world this     
would be1 when we should  see every     
thing right side up4 ,now1 we see every 
thing topsy-turvy1 and  all is          
confusion4' ,for a person who knows     
nothing of  this fact in the science of 
optics1 this seemed quite a remarkable  
idea4    ',we also loved her for her    
sincere and ardent piety1 her           
unwavering faith in ,god1 and her       
contempt of what the world  calls       
fashion1 and what we call folly4        
',she was in search of a quiet place1   
where a way-worn  traveller might rest4 
,she had heard of ,fruitlands1 and was  
inclined to go there2 but the friends   
she found here thought it  best for her 
to visit ,northampton4 ,she passed her  
time1 while  with us1 working wherever  
her work was needed1 and talking  where 
work was not needed4    ',she would not 
receive money for her work1 saying she  

worked for the ,lord2 and if her wants  
were supplied1 she  received it as from 
the ,lord4    ',she remained with us    
till far into winter1 when we introduced
  her at the ,northampton ,association4'
 4 4 4 4 ',she wrote to  me from thence1
 that she had found the quiet resting   
place she  had so long desired4 ,and she
 has remained there ever since4'        
,,another ,,camp ,,meeting4      ,when  
,sojourner had been at ,northampton a   
few months1 she  attended another       
camp-meeting1 at which she performed a  
very  important part4    ,a party of    
wild young men1 with no motive but that 
of  entertaining themselves by annoying 
and injuring the feelings of  others1   
had assembled at the meeting1 hooting   
and yelling1 and  in various ways       
interrupting the services1 and causing  
much  disturbance4 ,those who had the   
charge of the meeting1 having  tried    
their persuasive powers in vain1 grew   
impatient and tried  threatening4       
,the young men1 considering themselves  

insulted1 collected  their friends1 to  
the number of a hundred or more1        
dispersed  themselves through the       
grounds1 making the most frightful      
noises1 and threatening to fire the     
tents4 ,it was said the authorities  of 
the meeting sat in grave consultation1  
decided to have the  ring-leaders       
arrested1 and sent for the constable1 to
 the great  displeasure of some of the  
company1 who were opposed to such  an   
appeal to force and arms4 ,be that as it
 may1 ,sojourner1 seeing  great         
consternation depicted in every         
countenance1 caught the  contagion1 and1
 ere she was aware1 found herself       
quaking with  fear4    ,under the       
impulse of this sudden emotion1 she fled
 to the  most retired corner of a tent1 
and secreted herself behind a trunk4    
saying to herself1 ',i am the only      
colored person here1 and on me1         
probably1 their wicked mischief will    
fall first1 and perhaps fatally4'  ,but 
feeling how great was her insecurity    

even there1 as the  very tent began to  
shake from its foundations1 she began to
  soliloquise as follows3-    ',shall ,i
 run away and hide from the ,devil8 ,me1
 a servant of  the living ,god8 ,have ,i
 not faith enough to go out and quell   
that  mob1 when ,i know it is           
written-,one shall chase a thousand1    
and two put ten thousand to flight8 ,i  
know there are not a  thousand here2 and
 ,i know ,i am a servant of the living  
,god4 ,i'll  go to the rescue1 and the  
,lord shall go with and protect me4     
',oh1' said she1 ',i felt as if ,i had  
three hearts6 and that they  were so    
large1 my body could hardly hold them6' 
,she now came forth from her            
hiding-place1 and invited several  to go
 with her and see what they could do to 
still the raging  of the moral elements4
 ,they declined1 and considered her wild
  to think of it4    ,the meeting was in
 the open fields-the full moon shed its 
saddened light over all-and the woman   
who was that evening  to address them   

was trembling on the preachers' stand4  
,the  noise and confusion were now      
terrific4 ,sojourner left the tent      
alone and unaided1 and walking some     
thirty rods to the top of  a small rise 
of ground1 commenced to sing1 in her    
most fervid  manner1 with all the       
strength of her most powerful voice1 the
  hymn on the resurrection of ,christ-  
,it was early in the morning-it was     
early in the morning1    ,just at the   
break of day-  ,when he rose-when he    
rose-when he rose1    ,and went to      
heaven on a cloud4'      ,all who have  
ever heard her sing this hymn will      
probably  remember it as long as they   
remember her4 ,the hymn1 the tune1  the 
style1 are each too closely associated  
with to be easily  separated from       
herself1 and when sung in one of her    
most animated  moods1 in the open air1  
with the utmost strength of her most    
powerful voice1 must have been truly    
thrilling4    ,as she commenced to sing1
 the young men made a rush  towards her1

 and she was immediately encircled by a 
dense body  of the rioters1 many of them
 armed with sticks or clubs as their    
weapons of defence1 if not of attack4   
,as the circle narrowed  around her1 she
 ceased singing1 and after a short      
pause1 inquired1  in a gentle but firm  
tone1 ',why do you come about me with   
clubs and sticks8 ,i am not doing harm  
to any one4' ',we ar'n't  a going to    
hurt you1 old woman2 we came to hear you
 sing1'  cried many voices1             
simultaneously4 ',sing to us1 old       
woman1'  cries one4 ',talk to us1 old   
woman1' says another4 ',pray1 old       
woman1' says a third4 ',tell us your    
experience1' says a fourth4  ',you stand
 and smoke so near me1 ,i cannot sing or
 talk1' she  answered4    ',stand back1'
 said several authoritative voices1 with
 not the  most gentle or courteous      
accompaniments1 raising their rude      
weapons in the air4 ,the crowd suddenly 
gave back1 the circle  became larger1 as
 many voices again called for singing1  

talking1  or praying1 backed by         
assurances that no one should be allowed
  to hurt her-the speakers declaring    
with an oath1 that they  would 'knock   
down ' any person who should offer her  
the  least indignity4    ,she looked    
about her1 and with her usual           
discrimination1 said  inwardly-',here   
must be many young men in all this      
assemblage1  bearing within them hearts 
susceptible of good impressions4  ,i    
will speak to them4' ,she did speak2    
they silently heard1  and civilly asked 
her many questions4 ,it seemed to her to
 be  given her at the time to answer    
them with truth and wisdom  beyond      
herself4 ,her speech had operated on the
 roused passions  of the mob like oil on
 agitated waters2 they were1 as a whole1
  entirely subdued1 and only clamored   
when she ceased to speak  or sing4      
,those who stood in the back ground1    
after the circle was  enlarged1 cried   
out1 ',sing aloud1 old woman1 we can't  
hear4'  ,those who held the sceptre of  

power among them requested  that she    
should make a pulpit of a neighboring   
wagon4 ,she said1  ',if ,i do1 they'll  
overthrow it4' ',no1 they sha'n't-he who
 dares  hurt you1 we'll knock him down  
instantly1 d-n him1' cried  the chiefs4 
',no we won't1 no we won't1 nobody shall
 hurt you1'  answered the many voices of
 the mob4 ,they kindly assisted her  to 
mount the wagon1 from which she spoke   
and sung to them  about an hour4 ,of all
 she said to them on the occasion1 she  
remembers only the following3-          
',well1 there are two congregations on  
this ground4 ,it is  written that there 
shall be a separation1 and the sheep    
shall be  separated from the goats4 ,the
 other preachers have the sheep1  ,i    
have the goats4 ,and ,i have a few sheep
 among my goats1 but  they are very     
ragged4' ,this exordium produced great  
laughter4  ,when she became wearied with
 talking1 she began to cast about  her  
to contrive some way to induce them to  
disperse4 ,while she  paused1 they      

loudly clamored for 'more1'             
'more1'-'sing1'  'sing more4' ,she      
motioned them to be quiet1 and called   
out to  them3 ',children1 ,i have talked
 and sung to you1 as you asked  me2 and 
now ,i have a request to make of you2   
will you grant it8'  ',yes1 yes1 yes1'  
resounded from every quarter4 ',well1 it
 is this1'  she answered2 'if ,i will   
sing one more hymn for you1 will you    
then go away1 and leave us this night in
 peace8' ',yes1 yes1'  came faintly1    
feebly from a few4 ',i repeat it1' says 
,sojourner1  'and ,i want an answer from
 you all1 as of one accord4 ,if ,i will 
sing you one more1 will you go away1 and
 leave us this night in  peace8' ',yes1 
yes1 yes1' shouted many voices1 with    
hearty emphasis4  ',i repeat my request 
once more1' said she1 'and ,i want  you 
all to answer4' ,and she reiterated the 
words again4 ,this time  a long1 loud   
',yes-yes-yes1' came up1 as from the    
multitudinous mouth  of the entire mob4 
',,amen6 it is ,,sealed1' repeated      

,sojourner1 in the deepest and most     
solemn tones of her powerful  and       
sonorous voice4 ,its effect ran through 
the multitude1 like an  electric shock2 
and the most of them considered         
themselves  bound by their promise1 as  
they might have failed to do under  less
 imposing circumstances4 ,some of them  
began instantly to  leave2 others said1 
',are we not to have one more hymn8'    
',yes1' answered their entertainer1 and 
she commenced to sing3      ',i bless   
the ,lord ,i've got my seal-to-day and  
to-day-  ,to slay ,goliath in the       
field-to-day and to-day2  ,the good old 
way is a righteous way1  ,i mean to take
 the kingdom in the good old way4'      
,while singing1 she heard some enforcing
 obedience to their  promise1 while a   
few seemed refusing to abide by it4 ,but
 before  she had quite concluded1 she   
saw them turn from her1 and in the      
course of a few minutes1 they were      
running as fast as they well  could in a
 solid body2 and she says she can       

compare them to  nothing but a swarm of 
bees1 so dense was their phalanx1 so    
straight their course1 so hurried their 
march4 ,as they passed with  a rush very
 near the stand of the other preachers1 
the hearts of  the people were smitten  
with fear1 thinking that their          
entertainer  had failed to enchain them 
longer with her spell1 and that they    
were coming upon them with redoubled and
 remorseless fury4  ,but they found they
 were mistaken1 and that their fears    
were  groundless2 for1 before they could
 well recover from their surprise1      
every rioter was gone1 and not one was  
left on the  grounds1 or seen there     
again during the meeting4 ,sojourner was
  informed that as her audience reached 
the main road1 some  distance from the  
tents1 a few of the rebellious spirits  
refused to  go on1 and proposed         
returning2 but their leaders said1      
',no-we  have promised to leave-all     
promised1 and we must go1 all go1  and  
you shall none of you return again4'    

,she did not fall in love at first sight
 with the ,northampton  ,association1   
for she arrived there at a time when    
appearances did  not correspond with the
 ideas of associationists1 as they had  
been  spread out in their writings2 for 
their phalanx was a factory1 and  they  
were wanting in means to carry out their
 ideas of beauty  and elegance1 as they 
would have done in different            
circumstances4  ,but she thought she    
would make an effort to tarry with  them
 one night1 though that seemed to her no
 desirable affair4  ,but as soon as she 
saw that accomplished1 literary1 and    
refined  persons were living in that    
plain and simple manner1 and submitting 
to the labors and privations incident to
 such an infant  institution1 she said1 
',well1 if these can live here1 ,i can4'
  ,afterwards1 she gradually became     
pleased with1 and attached to1 the      
place and the people1 as well she might2
 for it must have been no  small thing  
to have found a home in a ',community   

composed  of some of the choicest       
spirits of the age1' where all was      
characterized  by an equality of        
feeling1 a liberty of thought and       
speech1  and a largeness of soul1 she   
could not have before met with1 to  the 
same extent1 in any of her wanderings4  
,our first knowledge of her was derived 
from a friend who  had resided for a    
time in the ',community1' and who1 after
  describing her1 and singing one of her
 hymns1 wished that we  might see her4  
,but we little thought1 at that time1   
that we should  ever pen these 'simple  
annals' of this child of nature4        
,when we first saw her1 she was working 
with a hearty good  will2 saying she    
would not be induced to take regular    
wages1  believing1 as once before1 that 
now ,providence had provided her  with a
 never-failing fount1 from which her    
every want might be  perpetually        
supplied through her mortal life4 ,in   
this1 she had  calculated too fast4 ,for
 the ,associationists found1 that1      

taking  every thing into consideration1 
they would find it most expedient  to   
act individually2 and again1 the subject
 of this sketch found  her dreams       
unreal1 and herself flung back upon her 
own resources  for the supply of her    
needs4 ,this she might have found  more 
inconvenient at her time of life-for    
labor1 exposure1 and  hardship had made 
sad inroads upon her iron constitution1 
by  inducing chronic disease and        
premature old age-had she not  remained 
under the shadow of one199 who never    
wearies in  doing good1 giving to the   
needy1 and supplying the wants of the   
destitute4 ,she has now set her heart   
upon having a little home  of her own1  
even at this late hour of life1 where   
she may feel a  greater freedom than she
 can in the house of another1 and where 
she can repose a little1 after her day  
of action has passed by4 ,and  for such 
a 'home' she is now dependant on the    
charities of the  benevolent1 and to    
them we appeal with confidence4         

,through all the scenes of her eventful 
life may be traced the  energy of a     
naturally powerful mind-the fearlessness
 and child-like  simplicity of one      
untrammelled by education or            
conventional  customs-purity of         
character-an unflinching adherence  to  
principle-and a native enthusiasm1      
which1 under different  circumstances1  
might easily have produced another ,joan
 of ,arc4    ,with all her fervor1 and  
enthusiasm1 and speculation1 her        
religion is not tinctured in the least  
with gloom4 ,no doubt1 no  hesitation1  
no despondency1 spreads a cloud over her
 soul2 but  all is bright1 clear1       
positive1 and at times ecstatic4 ,her   
trust is in  ,god1 and from him she     
looks for good1 and not evil4 ,she feels
  that 'perfect love casteth out fear4' 
,having more than once found herself    
awaking from a mortifying  delusion1-as 
in the case of the ,sing-,sing          
kingdom1-and  resolving not to be thus  
deluded again1 she has set suspicion to 

guard the door of her heart1 and allows 
it perhaps to be aroused  by too slight 
causes1 on certain subjects-her vivid   
imagination  assisting to magnify the   
phantoms of her fears into gigantic     
proportions1 much beyond their real     
size2 instead of resolutely  adhering to
 the rule we all like best1 when it is  
to be applied to  ourselves-that of     
placing every thing we see to the       
account of  the best possible motive1   
until time and circumstance prove that  
we were wrong4 ,where no good motive can
 be assigned1 it may  become our duty to
 suspend our judgment till evidence can 
be  had4    ,in the application of this 
rule1 it is an undoubted duty to        
exercise a commendable prudence1 by     
refusing to repose any  important trust 
to the keeping of persons who may be    
strangers  to us1 and whose             
trustworthiness we have never seen      
tried4 ,but  no possible good1 but      
incalculable evil may and does arise    
from  the too common practice of placing

 all conduct1 the source of  which we do
 not fully understand1 to the worst of  
intentions4  ,how often is the gentle1  
timid soul discouraged1 and driven      
perhaps to despondency1 by finding its  
'good evil spoken of2'  and a well-meant
 but mistaken action loaded with an evil
 design6    ,if the world would but     
sedulously set about reforming itself   
on this one point1 who can calculate the
 change it would  produce-the evil it   
would annihilate1 and the happiness it  
would  confer6 ,none but an all-seeing  
eye could at once embrace so vast  a    
result4 ,a result1 how desirable6 and   
one that can be brought  about only by  
the most simple process-that of every   
individual  seeing to it that he commit 
not this sin himself4 ,for why should   
we allow in ourselves1 the very fault we
 most dislike1 when  committed against  
us8 ,shall we not at least aim at       
consistency8    ,had she possessed less 
generous self-sacrifice1 more knowledge 
of  the world and of business matters in

 general1 and had she  failed to take it
 for granted that others were like      
herself1 and  would1 when her turn came 
to need1 do as she had done1 and  find  
it 'more blessed to give than to        
receive1' she might have  laid by       
something for the future4 ,for few1     
perhaps1 have ever  possessed the power 
and inclination1 in the same degree1 at 
one  and the same time1 to labor as she 
has done1 both day and night1  for so   
long a period of time4 ,and had these   
energies been  well-directed1 and the   
proceeds well husbanded1 since she has  
been her own mistress1 they would have  
given her an independence  during her   
natural life4 ,but her constitutional   
biases1 and  her early training1 or     
rather want of training1 prevented this 
result2 and it is too late now to remedy
 the great mistake4 ,shall  she then be 
left to want8 ,who will not answer4     
',no6'    ,note3  99 ,,george ,w4       
,,benson4        ,,her ,,last           
,,interview ,,with ,,her ,,master4      

,in the spring of #ahdi1 ,sojourner made
 a visit to her eldest  daughter1       
,diana1 who has ever suffered from ill  
health1 and  remained with ,mr4 ,dumont1
 ,isabella's humane master4 ,she  found 
him still living1 though advanced in    
age1 and reduced in  property1 7as he   
had been for a number of years17 but    
greatly  enlightened on the subject of  
slavery4 ,he said he could then see     
that 'slavery was the wickedest thing in
 the world1 the greatest  curse the     
earth had ever felt-that it was then    
very clear to his  mind that it was so1 
though1 while he was a slaveholder      
himself1  he did not see it so1 and     
thought it was as right as holding any  
other property4' ,sojourner remarked to 
him1 that it might be  the same with    
those who are now slaveholders4 ',o1    
no1'  replied he1 with warmth1 'it      
cannot be4 ,for1 now1 the sin of        
slavery is so clearly written out1 and  
so much talked against1-7why1  the whole
 world cries out against it67-that if   

any one says  he don't know1 and has not
 heard1 he must1 ,i think1 be a liar4   
,in  my slaveholding days1 there were   
few that spoke against it1 and  these   
few made little impression on any one4  
,had it been as it  is now1 think you ,i
 could have held slaves8 ,no6 ,i should 
not  have dared to do it1 but should    
have emancipated every one of  them4    
,now1 it is very different2 all may hear
 if they will4'    ,yes1 reader1 if any 
one feels that the tocsin of alarm1 or  
the  anti-slavery trump1 must sound a   
louder note before they can  hear it1   
one would think they must be very hard  
of hearing1-yea1 that  they belong to   
that class1 of whom it may be truly     
said1  'they have stopped their ears    
that they may not hear4'    ,she        
received a letter from her daughter     
,diana1 dated ,hyde  ,park1 ,december   
#ai1 #ahdi1 which informed her that ,mr4
 ,dumont had  'gone ,west' with some of 
his sons-that he had  taken along with  
him1 probably through mistake1 the few  

articles  of furniture she had left with
 him4 ',never mind1' says ,sojourner1   
'what we give to the poor1 we lend to   
the ,lord4' ,she  thanked the ,lord with
 fervor1 that she had lived to hear her 
master say such blessed things6 ,she    
recalled the lectures he used  to give  
his slaves1 on speaking the truth and   
being honest1 and  laughing1 she says he
 taught us not to lie and steal1 when he
 was  stealing all the time himself1 and
 did not know it6 ,oh6 how sweet  to my 
mind was this confession6 ,and what a   
confession for a  master to make to a   
slave6 ,a slaveholding master turned to 
a  brother6 ,poor old man1 may the ,lord
 bless him1 and all slave-holders       
partake of his spirit6                  
,,certificates ,,of ,,character4        
,,hurley1 ,,ulster ,co41 ,oct4 #acth1   
#ahcd    ,this is to certify1 that ,i am
 well acquainted with ,isabella1  this  
colored woman2 ,i have been acquainted  
with her from  her infancy2 she has been
 in my employ for one year1 and  she was

 a faithful servant1 honest1 and        
industrious2 and have  always known her 
to be in good report by all who employed
 her4      ,,isaac ,s4 ,,van ,,wagenen  
,,new ,,paltz1 ,,ulster ,co41 ,oct4     
#acth1 #ahcd    ,this is to certify1    
that ,isabella1 this colored woman1     
lived  with me since the year #ahaj1 and
 that she has always been  a good and   
faithful servant2 and the eighteen years
 that she  was with me1 ,i always found 
her to be perfectly honest4 ,i  have    
always heard her well spoken of by every
 one that has  employed her4    ,,john  
,j4 ,,dumont        ,,northampton1      
,march #ahej    ,we1 the undersigned    
having known ,isabella 7or ,sojourner   
,truth7 for several years1 most         
cheerfully bear testimony to  her       
uniform good character1 her untiring    
industry1 kind  deportment1 unwearied   
benevolence1 and the many social  and   
excellent traits which make her worthy  
to bear her  adopted name4    ,,geo4 ,w4
 ,,benson  ,s4 ,l4 ,,hill  ,a4 ,w4      

,,thayer        ,,boston1 ,march1 #ahej 
,my acquaintance with the subject of the
 accompanying  ,narrative1 ,sojourner   
,truth1 for several years past1 has led 
me to form a very high appreciation of  
her understanding1  moral integrity1    
disinterested kindness1 and religious   
sincerity  and enlightenment4  ,any     
assistance or co-operation  that she may
 receive in the sale of her ,narrative1 
or in any  other manner1 ,i am sure will
 be meritoriously bestowed4    ,,wm4    
,,lloyd ,,garrison            ,this book
 is put on-line as part of the          
,,build-,a-,,book ,initiative  at the   
,celebration of ,women ,writers through 
the combined work of  ,laura ,le,vine1  
,margaret ,sylvia1 and ,mary ,mark      
,ockerbloom4