have been a greater disgrace to their
village than even bloodshed or death, would have left us to our
fate--Miss King to be carried off, or perchance grossly insulted, and
myself left, as the spiked barrel especially evinced, to torture and to
death. That this Committee saved my life, I have no doubt; and I have
publicly thanked them for the act. So I would be grateful even to the
man who took deadly aim at me with his revolver, and only missed his
mark.

Previous to the death which I was to suffer in the spiked barrel, I was
to undergo various torturings and mutilations of person, aside from the
tarring and feathering--some of these mutilations too shocking to be
named in the pages of this book.

Mr. Porter, as I have already said, was also to be mobbed; but, as we
afterwards ascertained, only to be coated with tar and feathers and
ridden on a rail.

The leader of the mob subsequently averred that so decided was the
feeling in Fulton, that in addition to the hundreds who, in person, made
the onslaught, there were hundreds more in waiting in the village, who,
it was understood between the two companies, were ready to join the
onslaughting party at but a moment's warning. Indeed, Mrs. Allen now
assures me that on her way home that evening, conducted by a portion of
the Committee, she twice met crowds of men still coming on to join the
multitudes already congregated at Mr. Porter's. One of the Committee,
fearing that if all Fulton should get together, excited as the people
were, there would be bloodshed in spite of all that could be said or
done, entreated one of these crowds to go back. But, heeding him not; on
the villains went, some of them uttering oaths and imprecations, some of
them hurrahing, and many of them proceeding with great solemnity of
step--these last doubtless being church-members; for the mob was not
only on Sabbath evening, but it is a notorious fact which came out early
afterwards, that the churches on that evening were, every one of them,
quite deserted.

Reader, the life of a colored man in America, save as a slave, is
regarded as far less sacred than that of a dog. There is no exaggeration
in this statement--I am not writing of exceptions. It is true there are
white people in America who, while the colored man will keep in what
they call "his place," will treat him with a show of respect even. But
even this kind of people have their offset in the multitudes and
majorities--the populace at larg