more now than the poor white trash,—I heard father say so ’—while I know,” said William, “that the ‘poor white trash’ naturally know as much as the rich white trash, give them both the same advantage in the world.” By this time he had become so excited that Margaret found it necessary to soothe him. A few kind, encouraging words from her acted like magic on William’s excitable temper, though his temper was the result of a keen sense of wrong, comparing his own condition with that of his half brother.
A friend who now resides in Fredonia was then living in Simcoe, Canada West, and saw William and Margaret a few weeks after they left our station, on their way to the Wilberforce Colony, apparently happy in their new found freedom, and confident in their ability to take care of themselves.
No incident has come under my own observation in a long time that so forcibly reminded me of Holmes’ voice, excited manner, and eloquence in appealing to the patriotism and humanity of his audience, like one I witnessed in a car on the Lake Shore Road. Two men were conversing on the prospects of the parties in the present canvass. Sitting near them, I heard one of them, who resembled Holmes in his age, size and physical development, talking low and apparently little excited while the other, who seemed to have the advantage of education and experience in handling the subjects under discussion, persisted in trying to make the financial question, as stated and maintained by the Copperheads, the leading and paramount question to be settled by the present canvass. Whenever the old man tried to introduce the question of reconstruction on loyal principles, or free loyal suffrage, his antagonist would seem not to hear or to notice what he said, but in the noise and conf usion I could hear now and then the phrases, “bloated
