life had depended upon it. One wanted me hung, and another tarred and
feathered. One pious church-member, lying on his death-bed, as he
supposed, was persuaded to sign; but he afterwards drew back, and
nothing could prevail on him to put his name to the paper. Die or live,
he wholly refused. But the most curious case occurred at Alexandria, to
which place my wife went to obtain the signature of a pious old lady,
who had been the claimant of a youngster found among the passengers of
the Pearl, and who had been sold, in consequence, for the southern
market. The old lady, it appeared, was still the owner of the boy's
mother, who acted as one of her domestics, and, if she was willing, the
old lady professed her readiness to sign. The black woman was
accordingly called in, and the nature of my wife's application stated to
her. But, with much positiveness and indignation, she refused to give
her consent, declaring that my wife could as well do without her husband
as she could do without her boy. So imbruted and stupefied by slavery
was this old woman, that she seemed to think the selling her boy away
from her a perfectly humane, Christian and proper act, while all her
indignation was turned against me, who had merely afforded the boy an
opportunity of securing his freedom! I dare say they had persuaded the
old woman that I had enticed the boy to run away; whereas, as I have
already stated, I had never seen him, nor any other of the passengers,
till I found them on board.

As only twenty-one signers could be obtained, the matter stood very much
as it did before the attempt was made. So long as President Fillmore
remained a candidate for reelection there was little ground to expect
from him a favorable consideration of my case. I therefore felt
sincerely thankful to the Whig convention when they passed by Mr.
Fillmore, and gave the nomination to General Scott. Mr. Fillmore being
thus placed in a position which enabled him to listen to the dictates of
reason, justice and humanity, my hopes, and those of my friends, were
greatly raised. Mr. Sumner, the Free Democratic senator from
Massachusetts, had visited me in prison shortly after his arrival at
Washington, and had evinced from the beginning a sincere and active
sympathy for me. Some complaints were made against him in some
anti-slavery papers, because he did not present to the senate some
petitions in my behalf, which had been forwarded to his care. But Mr.
Sumner was of opi