The state journal., 1884-02-16
FRED. DOUGLASS ANSWER TIC
NATHAN SPRAGUE.
Declaring that He is Willing to
Pay Miss Sprague a Fair
remuneration.

WASHINGTON, Feb. l2.-Frederick
Douglass to day addressed letter to
Nathan Sprague in relation to the bill
of $l,965 rendered him for Helen
Louisa Sprague for services as house
keeper, cook, seamstress and servant,
from October 81, 1872, to January
81, 1884. Mr.. Douglass states that
he never hired Miss Sprague to work
for him, and never contracted to pay
her anything. He says:
She lived in my family, not as a
hireling, but as an equal member of
it, and no one would have resented
sooner than she, think, the allega
ton that she was but d hired servant
in the house. From first to last she
was simply an honored member OF
the family, and was provided for as
my own daughter would have been
had she remained under my roof. |
do not deny that the offices discharged
by Louisa in my family were worth
more than she received, for | have
many times asked her if she wanted
money, and she often said no when l
thought she ought to say yes. Louisa
never, in the whole course of the
eleven years she was with me, asked
me for money without receivi' g it.
The foregoing bill is erroneous in
regard to the period during which
Louisa was employed in my house
hold. She was absent for some time
attending your sick child in Roches
ter, going and returning at my ex-
pense, and was also absent at Saratoga
Springs and elsewhere large part of
one summer. | do not deny that
there may be an equitable claim for
more compensation to Miss Sprague
than she has received, and what that
should be / claim no right to abso
lutely determine, and hold that 1t
should be left to the decision of I'M
partial persons, having no personal
interest in the matter. If Louisa
Sprague is willing to abide such de-
cision, all matters between US can be
easily adjusted.
In conclusion, allow me to say, sir,
that I am not favorably impressed
with the extraordinary manner in
which you have sought to recover
from me the 'lollars and cents
which you allege to be due 10 Helen
Louisa Sprague. TIE public ,tion
from New York possibly to hide the
tracks of the writer, Of highly St n
sational representation of my mean-
ness and dishonesty III defrauding
Mss Sprague Of her hard earnings
the alleged violation Of written con
tract binding me to pay Miss Sprague
S25 per month for her services, which
contract has no existence, and never
had the statement that Miss Sprague
only received from me for her services
the small sum of $40 year, which i:
utterly false, the further statement
that this sum was only wrung from
me with difficulty, which is also
shamefully false; the story that Miss
Sprague was hired by me twelve years
ago on account of the i'll health Of
Mrs. Douglass, which is equally false
the line of argument marked out fo'
7. j. Mackey, by which l was to bt
shown up III most untavorabit
light, and my probably retaining Col
Ingersoll to defend me; the mon
strous story that l am worth 5000,
900 and much other stuff and non
sense published by The Philadelphia
Press to my prejudice, and to raise
breeze in advance of threatened
lawsuit which was to sstouud the
nation, instead of being an homes
and proper mode of securing the pay
ment of a just debt, gives to thu
whole proceeding the appearance o
an attempt to take mean and COW
ardIy advantage of the supposed un
popularity of my recent marriage, Il
malign and blackmail me, to extor
money, not for Mss Louisa Sprague
but for those who are managing tn
business in her name.
/ pronounce the sum charged a
exorbitant, and l defy you to find
single instance of any house servan
who, in the space of eleven y; arr
has laid up above her clothing an
other expenses Sl,965 in fsirly earne
wages.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
Cedar Hill, AnacosttG, D. c., Eel
ruary IL, 1884.
PENNsYLVANIA'S PUBLIC BUILDING!
Readings Chances for an Appropriate
? This Session.
w o,-oror Fob IL A hill he