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The Dorr Letters ProjectThomas Wilson Dorr to Lydia Allen Dorr: |
Letter
Jan. 17 '45.
My Dear M.
It gave me great pleasure to
read your two last letters of Jan 1st & 11th, and all you write, breathing as
they do such a spirit of undying regard and kind-
ness. I must be brief today, that I may also remem-
ber my friends B. & Mrs W. in a few lines. My privi-
lege of having a lamp in the evening has been ab-
ridged by the warden. My lamp is now taken away
at the hour of locking up, nine in the evening; and is
allowed only in the working evenings. On Saturday &
Sunday I go without; which makes a night of 15
hours. This privation was occasioned by my leaving
the lamp to burn all night (feeling unwell) without
asking permission. Someone informed; and the
warden seems pleased to be thus able to prove his
vigilance. He has probably mentioned the discovery
of my light before this time to all the inspectors;
and much good may it do them all.
I was afraid that the “liberators”, who
made so free with you, without invitation, would cause
some trouble, by remembering & writing down every
thing just as they wanted to have it. Hoping for
the best, and respecting their intentions, perhaps you
assented to some of their queries, and have had your answers
booked as your own original propositions and
assurances. They have the imprudence to assent
that you informed them, from me, that I ap-
proved all their proceedings, and those of Tread-
will, including the issue of script. I know you
never gave them any such information; and you
know that I have always discountenanced the
whole Treadwell concern, so far as I could, not
being allowed to speak publicly on the subject,
I most sincerely hope that they will not draw
you before the public in any controversy upon
this question. The attempts in the newspapers, &
by the public speakers, including Chency & Co, to
make political capital of yourself & F. have been
quite bad enough, without this further essay of
brazen faced insolence. This script scheme I
am afraid is much akin to the disgraceful
affair of the Midbury grove clambake fund in the
latter part of the summer of 1842. Certain persons,
who received some $500 for tickets, over & above
all expenses, on that occasion, put the whole
into their pockets, and not a dollar of it was
ever accounted for. On this occasion, it is not
improbable that “some poor families have, by the
use of my name, been supported without work
this winter”. All this is provoking enough; but
we cannot help it. A few unprincipled persons
are at the bottom of the script business, and have
deluded many excellent friends. The secretary Mrs
D. I have no doubt is sincere, and has acted for
what was deemed the best. She questions how
much money has actually been raised, and
to whom paid, will probably never be answered.
I was much pleased to hear of the safe
return of Sullivan, and that Henry was so
far recovered as to be able to make you a
visit. –
Att. Gen. Blake called here today to
see one of the prisoners; and I had a minute’s
conversation with him. He informed me that
Gen. Greene was elected Senator by 1 majority,
and that the Assembly intended to pass an
act for my discharge, on taking an oath, &
giving bond (to pay the State money) –
This of course was what I expected. The poor
begging, ignoble speeches of Cheney & Co, before the committee
of course go for nothing; and tend to satisfy
them that these miserable, abject beggars
have no confidence in the spring election; for
if they had they would not speak of me as a
criminal, deserving his fate, but yet on the
whole, to be let off, on account of his respected
Father & Mother. What kind of people pray
can they take you for? You do not believe
me disgraced by being put here for the People’s
cause. Nor do you wish to see any disgraceful
means resorted to for my deliverance. The doings
before the committee have given them the pleasure
of seeing my friends humble themselves to
the Algerine power; and this is the total result.
Mr Erins, the person who is learning the
art of painting, in order to succeed the present foreman of the
workshop, who leaves in April, – is a “Dorrite.”
But the less that is said about it the better. He
is known to the warden to be such, and is close-
ly watched by him, as well as by Hayward
the Whig underkeeper! I of course come in for a
double share of their inspection.
The following dialogue will, I hope, close
the interrogations of Dr Woods. It occurred on
Sunday, after the services of the day. W. Well,
how do you find yourself today. 56 as you see.
W. But you are as well as you have been for
3 or 4 weeks. 56. I am not well. W. exit. Woods
is disposed to tell good stories for the inspectors.
He claims $100 for a year’s worth – which
has not yet been voted to him. He will prob-
ably get the vote this week from the assembly. –
You ask if the warden is inclined to
show favors. I reply no. He tries to be rather surly
and to keep at a distance. You may take the follow-
ing large act as a specimen. The physician allowed
me tea in the afternoon. I requested the cook to
give me the allowed quantity of water milk & sugar with-
out the tea, which does not agree with me. He still
continued the tea, and replied when I asked him
why, that the warden ordered him not to omit
this article, and to give the prescription first as
it stood. So I am obliged to give up this allow-
ance. There are some people who appear to
belong to a smaller world than this, and to
have got here by mistake. – They will go right in the next. –
You speak of the refusal of the inspect-
ors to admit my Father again, or Dr Parsons –
I also applied for the Dr’s admission as a medi-
cal adviser; but received no answer. No answer
has been made by the inspectors to any application
of mine since the first, which was answered in
July last. Since that time, if I wish to learn
the result, I can obtain a sample negative –
“Nothing,” by asking the weekly inspector. He never
alludes to the matter till asked. It is not deemed good policy to
encourage the applications of prisoners. The inspectors
are supposed to know what is best for them.
It is a striking comment on the “friendship
of this world”, that all my graduating classmates, except Preston,
will knowing the entire falsehood of the college slander
of my participation in the rebellion of 1823, should
keep silence, and let the imputation pass current.
My old chum at that time, John Wright, is now
agent, with a large salary, of one of the Lowell factories.
It is against his interest to speak out on this occasion.
I was much interested in your account
of Sullivan's visit to the Bernons; through whose
alliance, we have an interest in Faneuil Hall.
If you have an opportunity please to give my
thanks to Mrs D. for the bottle of Matie ointment,
which I returned by F., as it did not suit my case.
My rheumatism is general, & comes from the
bilious apparatus. It radiates from the centre, &
strikes a knee, or other part as it may happen. The
cure is not a local application.
Bodily I feel much enfeebled; but my spirits,
thank God, are good. My love to F. I believe me ever yours. T. W. D.