y coffee, evinced a certain sympathy and respect for me. Through his
agency I was able to purchase some more eatable food; and indeed the
surgeon of the jail allowed me flour, under the name of medicine, it
being impossible, as he said, for me to live on the prison diet.
Wallace, soon after he came into office, finding a small sum in my
possession, of about forty dollars, took it from me. He expressed a fear
that I might corrupt old Jake, or somebody else,--especially as he found
that I gave Jake my old newspapers,--and so escape from the prison. But
he left the money in the hands of the jailer, and allowed me to draw it
out, a dollar at a time. He presently turned out old Jake, and put in a
slave-woman of his own as cook; but she was better disposed towards me
than her master, and I found no difficulty in purchasing with my own
money, and getting her to prepare such food as I wanted. I was able,
too, after some six or eight weeks' sleeping on the stone floor of my
cell, to obtain some improvement in that particular; and not for myself
only, but for all the other prisoners also. The jailer was requested by
several persons who came to see us to procure mattresses for us at their
expense; and, finally, Wallace, as if out of pure shame, procured a
quantity of husk mattresses for the use of the prisoners generally.
Still, we had no cots, and were obliged to spread our mattresses on the
floor.

The allowance of clothing made to the prisoners who were confined
without any means of supporting themselves corresponded pretty well with
the jail allowance of provisions. They received shirts, one at a time,
made of the very meanest kind of cotton cloth, and of the very smallest
dimensions; trousers of about equal quality, and shoes. It was said that
the United States paid also for jackets and caps. How that was I do not
know; but the prisoners never received any.

The custody of the jail was intrusted to a head jailer, assisted by four
guards, or turnkeys, one of whom acted also as book-keeper. Of the
personal treatment toward me of those in office, at the time I was first
committed, I have no complaint to make. The rigor of my confinement was
indeed great; but I am happy to say that it was not aggravated by any
disposition on the part of these men to triumph over me, or to trample
upon me. As they grew more acquainted with me, they showed their sense
that I was not an ordinary criminal, and treated me with many marks of
considera