Author: Thompson, George.
Title: Prison Life and Reflections; or, a Narrative of the Arrest, Trial, Conviction, Imprisonment, Treatment, Observations, Reflections, and Deliverance of Work, Burr, and Thompson, Who Suffered an Unjust and Cruel Imprisonment in Missouri Penitentiary, for Attempting to Aid Some Slaves to Liberty.
Description: Hartford: A[lanson] Work, 1853. Hardcover. Sm 8vo (7.5” x 5”), brown cloth blind stamped with gilt spine. Frontis., xii, 377 pp. CONDITION: Good, covers a bit worn, corners bumped, small remnants of adhesive at upper right of front cover, some foxing and damp staining to contents.
Later edition, first published in 1847. This narrative recounts the story of abolitionists George Thompson (the author, a student at the Mission Institute in Quincy, Illinois), Alanson Work, and James E. Burr, who, in 1841, traveled to Missouri in an attempt to help slaves escape to Illinois. Their plans were thwarted, and the three were jailed in Palmyra, Missouri and sentenced to twelve years’ hard labor. The account describes the hardship faced while in prison, and the resilience found in the prisoners’ strong Christian and abolitionist convictions. All three were eventually pardoned or were released early, with Thompson serving the longest at five years.
REFERENCES: Blockson 9861; Kilby, Clyde S. “Three Antislavery Prisoners,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 52, No. 3 (Autumn, 1959), pp. 419-430.
Item #10364
Seller ID: 10364
Subject: Rare Books