Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-01-24

- ou told me a lew years ago, tndt WHeu you
went into the employ of the Bible Society, you
owed as much as two thousand dollars above your
means of paying. You also told me, about the
LIST of June 1912, that you expected to get all your
debts liqudated by the next fall. Now if you did
owe the amount you named, and have paid those
debts, in addition to supporting yourself and fam
", can see no great chance for you to have lost
either from the Bible or Anti Slavery Socletiesp
Never was truth and falsehood more Ingenious
lybrought into requisition aud blended together to
accomplish a wicked design.
But shall for the present leave you and address
myself directly to the readers ofhe Freeman while
give statement of facts which you have tortured
inio falshood and subtle insnuatlons. And first,
friendly reader let assure you, that nothing butt
stern necessity could have induced me to throw the
following little item of my history thus before the
public and presume Mr.. Holcom would never
have written and published that paragraph, but
from the fact Of the deicasy ofmy position in the
matter, he was induced to believe | would pass it
over rather than make true statement of the case
Well, | did indeed once tell Mr. H. that at a GER
tain period of my life | owed two thousand dol
him about the first of June 1912, that expected
to get all my debts liquidated by the next fall
will now let yon into the secret of this apparent
intimacy between Mr.. H. and myself which led
me to make these communications to him relating
to my private pecuniary interests.
Icommenced my agency for the Vt. A. S. So
ciety in the winter of 1882 In the course of the
7
to collect funds for the Society. made Mr. Ho-
combs house, (who was member of the Elk.
Conn., my head quarters while there, which was
some two weeks or more. During this period,
Mr.. H. frequently took seat with me in my car
rage, and accompanied me III my excursions thro'
the town, which gave US opportunity for much
chat On one of those occasions, | thought
would make my last effort to call into action his
organ of henevolence, (Which, up to that time |
had entirely failed to do,) by giving him the fol-
lowing item Of my own experience and observa-
ton, and although failed in my design upon Mr..
ii. | will hope my present unpleasant necessity
may serve to encourage others who may find them
selves in like circumstances of embarrassment and
trial, to 60 and do, not likewise, but far BETTER
But to the matters of fact relating to Mr.. H., viz,
Immediately after the close of the late war be
tween this country and Great Britain became
much involved in debt. struggled hard for sew
eral years, during which time | was advised and
urged by friends to avail myself of the benefit of
bankrupt law, which was very popular in that
State, IN. W about those days; but resolved to
live and pay my honest debts, or die insolvent !
finally surrendered every thing possessed of the
nature of property, to the last knife and fork;
all of which, being sold TO the highest bidder for
the beueft fmy creditors, still found myself in
yolved in debt to the amount of ttco thousand
dollars-a large family to support, and nothing TO
help myself with but my hands to labor In this
situation, from inclination and solemn conviction
that it was right formed the resolution never to
turn deaf ear to any call of charity benevolent
enterprise, but always to do something if pos
sessed or could obtain the means. That, during
the first ten years, (Which brought me to the com
mencement of my Bible agency made regular
appropriations for the support of the then promi-
nent benevolent enterprises of the day, increasing
the amount of these appropriations from year to
year. as far as dared venture, until the sum thus
contributed, to various objects of benevolence and
charity, the tenth year amounted to 1875 dollars
All Of which was paid within the year and that
had paid, during these ten years one half G00C
dollars) of the national debt, as | called it, That
had not doubt but that succeeded better il
paying my debts, during this period, than SHOULD
have done, to have withheld all from Him who
had given me all that had received. That, dur
ing my agency for the Bible Society (my salary
being 600 dollars,) had paid about 100 dollars
year, which left me then in debt about 600 dollars
Thus, reader, have given the substance of the
conversation had with Mr.. Holcomb in the sum
1ner of 1889, which is the only time | ever men
toned to him that ever owed 1000 dollars. You
see the difference between his statement and mine
He states that told him that owed 1000 dollars
when commenced my bible agency. The fact is
told him owed that amount ten years weyiou
to my entering upon that agency, and that | ha
paid one half of the whole amount during that tel
years. don't recoect of giving these facts to bu
one other man in this State, and he lives not
hundred miles from Mr. H., and venture to sa
he will certify that every material point in thi
statement agrees with that made to him. An
now for the other part of the paragraph, whic
Mr., H, has very ingeniously connected with thg
already explained to effect the design he had i
view, afiixing point ofwoNDER at the close of i
Ihave already admitted that ! told Mr.. II. in Jun
1912, that expected to liquidate all my debts tn
next fall; and it was this wise 81 had contrac
ed with the Executive Committee of the Vt. A.
S. to publish for the Society the Voice of Free
dom, three years. Mr.. H. had made proposition
10 me to enter into partnership in this NATTER
And, that he might act Understandings in the cas-
/ told him the amount of my liabilities was abo
300 dollars, and that expected to square off Il
whole the next fall. The Elk. Com. (of wh
Mr. ii. was one) then owed me more than til
amount, which the award orarbiters, Judge How
and Judge Swift, last january, shows, and which