air
bottoming business, which gave me another room and another chum, and I
remained at this work while I was in the prison. In three weeks I could
bottom one chair, while my mate was bottoming nine or ten as his day's
work; but I told the keeper I did not mean to work hard, or work at all,
if I could help it. He was a very nice fellow and he only laughed and
let me do as I pleased. Indeed, I could not complain of my treatment
in any respect; I had a good clean room, good bed, and the fare was
wholesome and abundant. But then, there was that terrible, terrible
sentence of ten long years of this kind of life, if I should live
through it.

After I had been in prison nearly seven months, one day a merchant
tailor whom I well knew in Newark, and who made my clothes, including
my wedding suit when I married the Widow Roberts, came to see me. The
legislature was in session and he was a member of the Senate. He knew
all the circumstances of my case, and was present at my trial. After the
first salutation, he laughingly said:

"Well, Doctor, those are not quite as nice clothes as I used to furnish
you with."

"No," I replied, "but perhaps they are more durable."

After some other chaff and chat, he made me tell him all about my first
marriage and subsequent separation, and after talking awhile he went
away, promising to see me soon. I looked upon this only as a friendly
visit, for which I was grateful; and attached no great importance to it.
But he came again in a few days, and after some general conversation, he
told me that there was a movement on foot in my favor, which might bring
the best of news to me; that he had not only talked with his friends in
the legislature, and enlisted their sympathy and assistance, but he had
laid the whole circumstances, from beginning to end, before Governor
Price; that the Governor would visit the prison shortly, and then I must
do my best in pleading my own cause.

In a day or two the Governor came, and I had an opportunity to relate
my story. I told him all about my first unfortunate marriage, and the
separation. He said that he knew the facts, and also that he had lately
received a letter from my oldest son on the subject, and had read it
with great interest. I then appealed to the Governor for his clemency;
my sentence was an outrageously severe one, and seemed almost prompted
by private malice; I implored him to pardon me; I went down on my knees
before him, and asked his mercy. He