In regard to Mrs. Stearns' statements I think her mind must be disordered and memory of the past confused, for I find on pages 5'09 and 5'10 in Mr. Sanborn's life of father, that he publishes a letters from Mrs. Stearns written [inserted: to] him on the same subject, in which she states that she visited [struck: him] father at the house of Judge Russell where he (father) read that document to her, asking if she thought it best for him to send it to Theodore Parker, which she advised him to do. She then goes on to state that she persuaded Mr. Stearns, on the following morning to contribute to the cause, which she says he did to the amount of $1000. I do not recollect anything about the amounts given by Mr. Stearns [2] but I do recollect distinctly of hearing father speak of his [inserted: noble] generosity and say that if it had not been for this money that he could not have carried out his plans. Mrs. Stearns gave liberally of money, that had cost her no effort to earn. Martha gave the labor of her own hands. The money of the one is remembered and much talked about, while poor Martha is dead and forgotten. "History repeats itself." There was a Mary and a Martha, who were friends of Jesus. I hope you will procure a copy of the book and read Mrs. Stearns' letter which is quite leng[inserted: thy] and gives a detailed account of the whole transa[inserted: c]tion, and distinctly states that it was the reading of that document that induced them [3] to afterwards furnish the money. This is all I know about it, but I do know that John Brown never wrote that document with money in his pocket. And that he applied it [inserted: the money] to the cause that it was contributed for. I hope you will not allow any thing to shake your faith in the honesty and truthfullness of John Brown. Francis J. Merriam carried money down there, that helped out at the last, better than few people ever knew. Barclay [inserted: Coppoc] loaned father fifty dollars that was paid back to him while he was sick out of some money contributed to Mother. It was very expensive moving so many people so far and boarding them on the cheapest fare, for so long a time. [4] It always struck me as singular that Father only succeeded in persuading five colored men to join in that expedition. Frederic Douglass never wrote a word of sympathy to Mother or any other member of our family that I ever heard of. I saw him at a public meeting in Philadelphia in 1863, but he avoided meeting me, even omitting to attend a party, after he found I was to be there. I never could have the respect for him that I would have had, if he had told the plain honest truth, of how he hired Shilds Green (Emperor) to go in his place. I think he ought to put up a monument for Shields Green, for a sort of penance, or concience easer.