Year: 1860

JOHN G. Bowers, ESQ.,: Kind sir; your
letter of this date is now before me; it
came to me about half an hour ago, say 6
o'clock. 1t was received with as much
satisfaction as was the dove with the olive
branch at Noah's window. 1t finds me en-
.joying the best of health, and never, |
think, in better spirits, under half the diff
iculties l at present encounter. Time is
stepping by cozily, as if anxious that l
should again witness the suns clear light,
and revel in the pleasant air of a midsum-
mer's eve.


am now anxiously looking for letter
from my family; trust all are well; if SO,
I have all to hope and nothing to fear
True, it is very lonely here; l have seen
no one, nor heard any one speak to me
except the warden, who, see through
my door three times day. Yet have
time to reflect how much worse my crime
might have been magnifed, and how much
greater the punishment; and then re-
member again, how much other men are
suffering for the cause of our wrong and
oppressive race, and see how much will
vet have to be done and suffered before
the great incubus of American slavery and
American prejudice is removed; and then
the words will fall on my ear with heavy
sound:


Hereditary bondsmen know ye Lot,


Who would be free, themselves must strike the


blow"


This cheers me up and fires my soul,
and / look cheerfully to the future. l
have just finished long letter to Judge
CodwaIladar
have reasoned long and faithfully with him
on the injustice of the law, and the still
greater injustice of himselfin laboring to Sc
cure aconviction under such circumstances
and with such evidence. | am determined
yet to teach him, ifhe is at all susceptible of
high mental culture, and of common sense
judgment, that


"Skins may differ, but affection


Dwells in achite and black the same
The warden told me that Mr. McKim
was out here on Saturday asking about
our fines. l have one mind in reference
to those people, that is, that as men pro-
Tossing philanthrophy, they are either
wickedly selfish, or desperately hypocriti-
cal, and it is not unlikely that they possess
little of both of these ingredients. For
my part, | want nothing to do with them,
further than to treat them with respect,
while they keep in their place. have SO
expressed myself to the rest of my. com
panions, and think they are of the same
mind. will write to them in the morning
on the subject | hope Mr.. McKim will
not call on me; it will certainly give me
but little pleasure; may be wrong in this,
but sincerity and plain dealing is the
motive of my life; and to be fair and plain
with him, would be to tell him that he
meant no good to us, if the exercise of
sympathy for US demands the slightest
sacrifice ON his part.


They have by no means treated us like
men in this affair. If they wish, now that
we are in prison, to make tools of US, they
must beware, lest they find us ground,
whetted, and well honed; such tools some
times in the hands of men we'll skilled in
their use, cut and carve them up desper-
ately, before they become naturalized to
each other. Present my warmest gratitude
to your inestimable brother, Mr.. L. j.
Bowers, say to him that know we'll how
to appreciate such philanthropy, such hu-
manity and generosity as he has dispensed
to us in this our time of need. We have