since I received another letter from him, saying that the
sheriff had been there, and taken away two of the children,
which he wished me to raise money to purchase and set free, and
then closed by saying that his other slaves, a man, his wife,
and three children had left the same evening and he had no doubt
I would find them at a colored man's house, he named, here, and
wished me to ascertain at once and let him know. I at once was
convinced he wished to know so as to have them arrested and
taken back. I found the man had arrived; but the woman and
children had given out, and he left them with a colored family
in Cecil. I wrote him word the family had not got here, but said
nothing of the man being here. On seventh day evening I saw a
colored woman from the neighborhood; she told me that the owner
and sheriff were out hunting five days for them before they
found them, and says there is not a greater hypocrite in that
part of the world. I wrote him a letter yesterday letting him
know just what I thought of him.

Your Friend,

THOS. GARRETT.

* * * * *

ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND.

BIRTH-DAY PRESENT FROM THOMAS GARRETT.

WILMINGTON, 8th mo. 21st, 1858.

ESTEEMED FRIEND:--WILLIAM STILL:--This is my 69th birth-day, and
I do not know any better way to celebrate it in a way to accord
with my feelings, than to send to thee two fugitives, man and
wife; the man has been here a week waiting for his wife, who is
expected in time to leave at 9 this evening in the cars for thy
house with a pilot, who knows where thee lives, but I cannot
help but feel some anxiety about the woman, as there is great
commotion just now in the neighborhood where she resides. There
were 4 slaves betrayed near the Maryland line by a colored man
named Jesse Perry a few nights since. One of them made a
confidant of him, and he agreed to pilot them on their way, and
had several white men secreted to take them as soon as they got
in his house; he is the scoundrel that was to have charge of the
7 I wrote you about two weeks since; their master was to take or
send them there, and he wanted me to send for them. I have since
been confirmed it was a trap set to catch one of our colored men
and me likewise, but it was no go. I suspected him from the
first, but afterwar