Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 3

It seemed desirable to meet this Liberty Party manifesto by sending Mr. Garrison to Central and Western New York, which was virgin soil in his experience, whether as a lecturer or a tourist. He had, since June came in, been extremely active in the field, making a memorable first visit to Cape Cod, together with² campaigns in Maine, New Hampshire, and various parts of Massachusetts. His adventures in the Mohawk Valley and beyond—the beautiful region settled by New England emigrants, and popularly known as ‘the West’ even down to the date of this narrative—are related in the following letters, which give a glimpse of the bright and the dark sides of apostolic abolitionism:

W. L. Garrison to his Wife.

Waterloo [N. Y.], Nov. 21, 1842.

³ Up to the present time, ‘all's well’ with me; but, as I anticipated before I left home, I have been so busily occupied in attending meetings and seeing friends, letter-writing has been out of the question. I am now at the dear hospitable home of Thomas McClintock, and at this moment am writing in a room crowded with rampant abolitionists, whose tongues are all in motion, and their hearts in joyous commotion. Whether, under these circumstances, I shall be able to write an intelligible scrawl, is at least quite problematical.

‘To begin with the beginning.’ I arrived at the Brighton⁴ depot half an hour before the cars came along; from thence I took the train for Albany, where I arrived at 7 o'clock in the⁵