Library of Congress Subject Headings, 21st edition, 1998

Languages Used:

• English

LC Subject Headings:

• Truth, Sojourner, d. 1883.
• Matthews, Robert, b. 1788.
• Stone, William L. (William Leete), 1792-1844. Matthias and his impostures.
• Fanaticism.
• Impostors and imposture.
• Adultery.

Revision History:

• 2001-02-09,
  Celine Noel and Wanda Gunther
  revised TEIHeader and created catalog record for the electronic edition.
  
  
• 2000-08-31,
  Natalia Smith, project manager,
  finished TEI-conformant encoding and final proofing.
  
  
• 2000-08-21,
  Lee Ann Morawski
  finished TEI/SGML encoding
  
  
• 2000-07-29,
  Apex Data services, Inc.
  finished transcribing the text.
  
  

FANATICISM;
ITS SOURCE AND INFLUENCE,
ILLUSTRATED BY THE SIMPLE NARRATIVE OF
ISABELLA,
IN THE CASE OF
MATTHIAS,
MR. AND MRS. B. FOLGER, MR. PIERSON,
MR. MILLS, CATHERINE,
ISABELLA, &c. &c.
A
REPLY TO W. L. STONE,
WITH DESCRIPTIVE PORTRAITS OF ALL THE PARTIES, WHILE AT
SING-SING AND AT THIRD STREET.--CONTAINING THE WHOLE
TRUTH-AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

BY

G. VALE.

NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY G. VALE, No. 84 ROOSEVELT STREET.
1835.

ENTERED, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1835 By G. Vale,
in the Clerk's office of the District of the Southern District of New-York.

PREFACE.

        THE object of this publication is to make known the whole truth in relation to Matthias, Mr. and Mrs. Folger, Mr. Pierson, Mr. Mills, Catherine Gallaway, Isabella, and others, in reference to the whole of those hitherto mysterious transactions, which have so excited the public mind.

        It has fallen to our lot to come in possession of facts, extraordinary facts! in relation to this subject, not yet published; these we have determined to make known, and satisfy the public curiosity; and to perform, what we think, an important duty to society and to posterity; and, at the same time, to do justice to the parties concerned; and, if in these details we shall expose the crimes and follies of some individuals, we shall, at the same time, remove the guilt from comparatively innocent shoulders, and place the burden where it ought to be; nor have these persons reason to complain, for they have given their version of the subject, they have covered up their own crimes, and they have sought to fix upon the innocent, crimes of the blackest dye, when they knew, and have since avowed, the innocence of the party; they have too, designedly omitted or garbled the most interesting parts in the history of the transactions they relate, and therefore have invited the publication of the Truth.

        It has always been a question how far fanaticism or imposture could go; and to what extent credulity might be exercised? It has always been a question, how much real crime may be mixed with sincere, but mistaken piety, and how far the human character is susceptible of being at once a knave and a dupe; a sincere dupe, and at the same time,

an operator on the credulity of others? Philosophers have often sought the point where fanaticism ends, and knavery begins, and to what extent fanaticism may set aside the most established code of morals in their own persons, while in others not operated on by the same spirit, they would condemn in the most absolute terms; in fact, when men do wrong in the name of God, it becomes a matter of real interest to know the motives which prompt to the wrong, or the cause from which it flows.

        In this point of view, the subject becomes one of moral philosophy, alike interesting to the present generation and to posterity; and for this we think the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, should be laid before the public.

        On this subject, a cheap pamphlet, without name or authority; and an expensive book, with a respectable name, embodying the report of one of the parties, have been published: We pronounce both false! the one evidently got up upon hearsay evidence, the other designedly omitting the most curious parts of the subject, apparently because those parts impugned the party writing, and garbling and perverting much of the remainder; the facts are purposely distorted, the names omitted, and the whole calculated to deceive--to convey a false impression; and, consequently, unfit to afford a safe data on which to reason.

        We propose to give names, dates, places, and facts, without reserve, the subject requires it! and our research and industry will enable us to do this. Delicacy of language will be observed as far as the subject will admit of, but we have to treat of the assumption of supernatural power in more than one case, uncleanness, seduction, and adultery, committed in the name of the Lord; with reciprocal charges of something like murder and theft, among the party, who are still serving the Lord with apparent sincerity. Their sincerity we shall not dispute, but we shall confine ourselves to the facts, the proof of the facts, and the consequences.

        It will be asked, how we have got our information? we answer, explicitly. In the first place, through Isabella, a coloured woman, who lived successively with Mr. Pierson,

Mr. Mills, Matthias, and Mr. and Mrs. Folger; and that EVERY MATERIAL POINT of her evidence has been verified by other respectable witnesses, in connexion with the party, directly, or laterally: we shall lay before our readers documents, showing the degree of credit which is due to her testimony, and on what points her testimony has been confirmed, and by whom; for we have no secrets, nor do we choose to keep any.

        We shall divide the work into two parts, first, A narrative of facts, embracing a review of Mr. W. L. Stone's "Matthias and his Impostures," and, second, A portrait of the parties composing the society at Sing-Sing, in which various details, amusing, interesting, and important, will be given, which would break too much into the simple narrative.

        We merely add, that in publishing this work, we do it upon our own responsibility; we have no prejudice in favour of any of the party; we have made no promise to suppress or keep back any point, unfavourable to our communicants; on the contrary, we have endeavoured to obtain the whole truth, and avowed our determination to publish it; we are under no control, promise, or obligation. On reading Mr. Stone's book, we were satisfied that he had suppressed the truth, and we resolved to publish it, if we could obtain it: perhaps our remarks in the Citizen of the World led to the application of a gentleman on the part of Isabella, who declared, in consequence of her evidence being suppressed in the trial at White Plains, and in consequence of misrepresentation at that trial before the grand jury; and in consequence of the errors in Mr. Stone's book, and of the invectives against her, she was desirous of telling the whole truth. Our reply was, bring her here immediately, we wish to publish the whole truth: the gentleman added, "You may rely upon her statements, for she has repeated the story at different times, to different persons in my family, and in parts, and never varied;" he also added, that in the parts of her narrative which agreed with Stone's book, he found her correct, and where she differed, she was consistent, while the book was not; in that there were

many gaps and inconsistencies, these were made clear by her supplying deficiencies, and identifying the parts of her story with the dates given in that book." Thus we do her a service in publishing it, for she wishes the Truth told: and we gratify ourselves, and render a public service in laying before them the whole truth, which we have taken care to have verified in every possible case.

        In seeking confirmation of some facts, we, on one occasion, travelled ninety miles, but we were amply repaid for that journey by the quantity of important information we obtained, and the ability we shall possess of rescuing an injured person from the private malice of an abuser of the press.

G. VALE,

FANATICISM;
ITS SOURCE AND INFLUENCE.
NARRATIVE OF ISABELLA, IN THE CASES OF MATTHIAS,
MR. AND MRS. B. FOLGER, &C.

CHAPTER I.

        Important errors in Mr. Stone's book--his dishonesty in writing it--testimony of Isabella's veracity and moral character--the charges of poisoning and fraud--the blackberry story.

        MR. W. L. STONE, of the Commercial, has written a book, and like charity, has covered a multitude of sins: for this we might give him credit for benevolence, if not honesty, were it not that he meanly attempts to transfer the sins of those he has taken under his protection, to others, not guilty of those crimes; but, unfortunately, poor, uneducated, and coloured. He could expect no defence from a woman, formerly a slave incapable of reading or writing, and already labouring under the accusation of having attempted to poison Mr. Folger's family, and with having prepared the blackberries of which Mr. Pierson eat a short time previous to his death, and which he brought up in his repeated vomitings during his sickness.

        In page 63, of "Matthias and his Impostures," published by Mr. Stone, the author, speaking of Mr. Pierson's church upon the Bowery Hill, remarks, that "the Kingdom now come consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, Mrs. ***, Mrs. M. Mr. L., and Isabella, the black woman," &c. Now the black woman Isabella never belonged to this church, was never in it, and did not know Mr. Pierson at the time, upon her declaration, of the truth of which we shall presently furnish a positive proof.

        So much for Mr. Stone's matter of fact, and his attempt to identify this woman with every act of extravagance, and finally, to make her bear the sins of those whom he wishes to shield

        In page 65, he thus mischievously repeats this error:

        "The original members of this church were about a dozen, whose names are among the loose papers of Mr. Pierson. Among them was Isabella, a black woman; who, with another black woman, named Katy, was attached to Mr. Pierson's household. Their names are mentioned here, because they will both come conspicuously before the reader in the pages of this narrative. Both entered into all the vagaries and delusions of Mr. Pierson; and one of them, (the former,) was probably, before the end came, among the most wicked of the wicked."

        So much, we repeat, for Mr. Stone's matter of fact. Here, he is very minute, as false witnesses generally are, and marks out Isabella, the black woman, to be proved in the sequel, the MOST WICKED of the WICKED. We repeat, Isabella did not know Mr. Pierson at this time, nor was she ever a part of this church, or present at its meetings. When reading this book of Mr. Stone's, we were of course, ignorant of this fact, but we never lost sight of the expected proof of her being "the MOST WICKED of the WICKED," and Mr. Stone's failure on this point, (for, throughout the book, he produces no proof of wickedness,) was one reason that satisfied us of his dishonesty in writing it. Since then, we have had several proofs, especially in relation to Mrs. ***. We shall take up this lady's case separately: she has been cruelly abused by Mr. Stone, but in doing which he has completely committed himself; we shall presently show who the lady thus designated is, and how she has been abused; in the mean time, the passages we may quote containing this signature, (Mrs. ***,) should be remembered, for the circumstances are generally false in which Mr. Stone has placed her.

        In page 68, Mr. Stone thus describes the famous anointing meeting at Mr. Pierson's, just after he had heard God speak to him in an Omnibus in Wall street:

        "After a special conversation with Mrs. B. Folger, in which he stated the object of the meeting, she also consented to attend.

        "Assembled round the bedside of Mrs. Pierson, now evidently near her end, Mr. Pierson quoted the passage from James, heretofore referred to, and urged that it was indispensable to the recovery of his wife that he should literally fulfil that injunction. He had called the elders of the church together, and she must be anointed. Arrangements were accordingly made for that ceremony. Among the persons present on the occasion, were Mrs. ***, and the black woman Isabella, who was very forward and active. According to the impressions of persons in the adjoining apartment, who were too much shocked by the procedure to be present, Isabella must have been one of the principal actors and speakers in the religious rites and ceremonies that were observed. The fact of the anointing is briefly noted in the diary of Mr. Pierson, thus:--

        Monday, June 23, 1830. Anointed Sarah with oil, in the name of the Lord, according to James v. 14, 15."

        What are we to make of this passage, Mrs. Folger was present, it is expressly stated; she wrote part of this book, her name would not have been mentioned as the person "especially consulted," without her consent, Isabella is pointed out as being "very forward, must have been one of the principal actors," yet Isabella WAS NOT present, upon the testimony of Isabella herself, confirmed by Mrs. Pierson's daughter, who was present and has expressly given us this confirmation. What now are we to think of this apparent combination of Mrs. Folger and Mr. Stone, to attach to a poor, coloured, unlettered woman, this extraordinary degree of enthusiasm! why thus so falsely point to Isabella, with the impression in the mind of the reader that she is yet to be made the "most wicked of the wicked," but for the purpose of destroying her character, in order to invalidate her testimony! why all this, but from the FEAR of her testimony! and what confidence have we in any one fact, which Mr. Stone may afterwards state, for Isabella never saw Mrs. Pierson, or lived with Mr. Pierson, till after his

wife's death, on the above testimony, confirmed by other persons then present.

        After the death of Mrs. Pierson, an attempt was made to pray her to life, and at the funeral, even an attempt of this kind was there made; Isabella was not there then upon the testimony of Mrs. Bishop, the cousin of Mr. Pierson, who expressly gave us this information, and who knows the time at which Isabella came to Mr. Pierson, which was not till after he had removed to 4th street, and after Mrs. *** had ceased to keep house for him: so much, we again say, for the honesty or ability of Mr. Stone, as a narrator of facts, thus disproved by the most respectable testimony, while we have yet other testimony equally strong to the same effect: but proof is proof, additions would be superfluous.

        We can show equally false statements on the part of Mr. Stone, in relation to the early history of Matthias, upon the evidence of the wife of Matthias, from whom we have obtained the confirmation of important facts within her knowledge: but we have preferred selecting a few of those in relation to Isabella, because these extracts show a design to injure that woman, or to destroy her credibility: for the very opposite reason we have taken some pains to ascertain the personal character of Isabella, and before we lay her testimony before the public, we wish to show what confidence was placed in her by those families in which she lived from her womenhood or even childhood, and it shows no small share of sensibility to a fair fame, on her part, when we inform our readers, that on our expressing a wish to know her character previous to her connexion with Mr. Pierson, Matthias, or Folger, she thrust into our hands a lot of papers containing written characters from a regular succession of her employers, even from the time of her slavery; these papers will speak for themselves, and we shall merely remark, that we have seen some of the persons who have testified to the character they gave her. Here are the copies of the documents:

Hurley, Ulster Co., Oct. 13th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that I am well acquainted with Isabella,

this coloured woman; I have been acquainted with her from her infancy, she has been in my employ for one year, and she was a faithful servant, honest, and industrious; and have always known her to be in good report by all who employed her.

ISAAC S. VAN WAGENEN.

Oct. 13th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that Isabella, this coloured woman, lived with me since the year 1810, and that she has always been a good and faithful servant, and the eighteen years that she was with me, I always found her to be perfectly honest; at the time she came here she was between 12 and 14 years of age, and we have never heard any thing disparaging against her since she left here, until I heard this; on the contrary, I have always heard her well spoken of by every one that has employed her.

JOHN J. DUMONT.
New Paltz, Ulster County.

Kingston, Oct. 14th, 1834.

        The bearer of this, a coloured woman, named Isabella, has lived in my family during a part of the year 1828, and I thought at that time, that she was an honest, faithful, and good servant.

JOHN H. RUTZER.

Kingston, Oct. 14th, 1834.

        Isabel, a coloured woman, lived with my family in the summer of 1828. She came to me well recommended by a respectable family in this village, and during her term of service with me, she merited the entire confidence of my family, by her good eonduct and fidelity.

A. BRUYN HASBROUCK.
[One from the same of an earlier date.]

Kingston, N. Y., Sept. 13th, 1828.

        The bearer of this, a coloured woman, named Isabel, has lived in my family for some time, and merits the commendation of an industrious and honest woman, with regular habits of great fidelity to her employer.

A. BRUYN HASBROUCK.

New York, Nov. 11th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that Isabella Van Wagenen, a coloured woman, lived in my family as a domestic above a year, 1829, and we do state, that we never had a servant that we could place such implicit confidence in.

Mrs. GATFIELD, 73 Nassau Street.

New York, Nov. 12th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that Isabella Van Wagenen was a servant in my family, from about the first of September, 1830, until the following summer, during which time she performed the part of a good, and faithful servant, worthy of any trust that might be committed to her charge. I believe her to be a strictly honest, moral woman, and her equal, I have not found since she left me.

J. C. DOWNING, No. 177 Duane Street.

New York, Oct. 20th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that during the time that Isabella lived in my family, which was some months, she was faithful, honest, and looked to every thing with more care and prudence, than could be expected from a woman in her capacity. I have known her many years, and she has ever heretofore borne a character superior to her colour. She came from Mr. Whiting to my house in the fall of 1833.

DANIEL SMITH, 44 Hudson Street.

New York, Oct. 18th, 1834.

        This is to certify, that Isabella Van Wagenen, a coloured woman, lived in our family as a domestic some three months, in the summer of 1833, and I do state unequivocally, that we never have had a servant that did all her work so faithfully, and one in whom we could place such implicit confidence--in fact, we did, and do still, believe her to be a woman of extraordinary moral purity.

        Note. We place this after the former, because she has lived with Mr. Whiting since the breaking up of the party, and she is now in a confidential situation, having the care of house and property in her charge.

PEREZ S. WHITING,
74 Canal Street.

        Here Mr. W. L. Stone of the Commercial is the death warrant to your hopes; here the proof that the woman whom you wish to be believed as the most wicked of the wicked, upon your assertion, and promise of proof, but which proof does not exist, at least in your work; there, sir, is the proof that this woman has uniformly sustained an unequivocally good character, and your endeavour to play the atonement, and transfer sins on an innocent woman to save a polished adulterer and an adulteress of no ordinary appetites, and on whom there ought to rest a stronger suspicion of fraud than on this woman, whose character up to the present time stands as high as character is possible for integrity and confidence. The originals of these documents may be seen at our office. Some of the parties giving the characters, we know to be truly respectable, and she has been in the employ, without loss of confidence of some of the above persons, since the indirect charge of murder, poison and robbing Mr. B. Folger; nor has the book of W. L. Stone shaken the confidence of some of her friends who have heard her statements. Could Mr. Stone, or could his partners in the book, get a better character? They may be whiter in skin, more elegant in manners, able to read and write, of literary fame, we must not say honesty, more pious, and greater supports to the church; but are they more honest, can we depend on their testimony, or on either one of them? And what shall we do in cases where the single testimony of one of them is opposed to the single testimony of this black woman? For our own part,--and we have no prejudice in her favour,--we can depend on Isabella's statements, because we have not detected her in inconsistencies or opposite statements, strange as her accounts are. While judging only from what Mr. W. L. Stone, and Mr. and Mrs. B. Folger have chosen to publish, we conclude that they are already convicted of misstatements, and a mean attempt to associate Isabella's name with the MOST WICKED of the WICKED, by assumption, and by drawing the most monstrous inferences from the slightest and accidental circumstances.

        Our readers must have patience with us, as we have had in the investigation of Isabella's moral character, for we at

once saw that a great deal depended on that, and therefore we investigated it thoroughly, and weighed well the accusations and the evidence against her. We have before said that on all important subjects, we have collateral evidence of the most respectable character. These we shall bring forward to establish those great points; but the development of character is shown in little things--manners, expressions, and incidental or designed conversations, &c., &c., for which there may be no collateral evidence, and the truth of which will depend on the consistency of the development and character of the narrator. Had we found Isabella a silly, worthless being, known for foolish or wicked lies, one in whom no confidence could be placed; and had we found she had varied in her statements at different times, and to different people, we would have thrown up our design, or published only what had other testimony; but our investigation has terminated in a conviction of her honesty, and we must lay part of this evidence before the public.

        In the progress of Mr. Stone's book, we find the ABSENCE of all evidence that Isabella was the most wicked of the wicked; but instead of which, there is the blackberry story preceding Mr. Pierson's death, the poisoning the coffee story, on the alleged morning of Matthias' departure, (really on the morning before,) and Mrs. B. Folger's illness, (mark this;) and the suspicion declared that she and Matthias had appropriated property not their own; for which no evidence was ever given. The property story involves an important subject; Mr. Pierson did possess $80,000, as his family suppose; (he may have been overrated;) his family can recover but $7,000. The $500 dollars so mysteriously given to Matthias after a disagreement and separation, nay, supposed discovery of imposture, and the advice given with it, that Isabella should have the gold in her care, we really think was a trap, which she wholly escaped by having nothing to do with the money; but on this subject, we must and will treat more fully in its proper place. The coffee story too, when Mrs. Folger unexpectedly remained up stairs, was afterwards ill, and Isabella took none, involves such a scene and such an exposition of character of

Matthias, Mr. Folger, Mrs. Folger, Catherine, and Isabella, as never before was exhibited. The whole scene is too good to be spoiled by a hurried description, and a full one would be out of place here. Suffice it for the present, that we are satisfied with the clear illustration and exposition of Isabella, and that we will give this scene in the course of the narrative, or in illustration of the portraits.

        The blackberry story we may as well dispatch now. Mr. W. L. Stone's version of it will be found on page 193 of his book.

        "Mr. Pierson's sickness, which terminated in his death, commenced on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 29, 1834. The evening--say twenty-four hours--before, he ate freely of some blackberries, picked by Matthias and his youngest son, and prepared with sugar for the table, as is supposed, by the coloured woman. The persons at the table at the time were Mr. Pierson, Mrs. Folger, Catherine, and Matthias. The latter served out the blackberries at that time, as he invariably did every description of food at the meals. He helped Mr. Pierson, Mrs. Folger, and Catherine, to the berries, but none to himself. Mr. Pierson ate two ordinary sized dessert plates full: Catherine one: Mrs. Folger tasted of them; remarked that they were not perfectly ripe and sweet; and, owing to the state of her health, which had been feeble for many years, declined them, lest they should disagree with her."

        It will be remembered, that Mr. Pierson died of fits, to which he was accustomed, and that this blackberry feast preceded Mr. Pierson's last illness twenty-four hours, and was held in July 28, 1834. On the next day, in the afternoon, as related in the book, page 134, he was hay making, and picking and eating blackberries; that is, just previous to his fit, and to his purging and puking, in which he brought up blackberries, (the mysterious circumstance!) What blackberries, we ask? Those supposed to be poisoned, which had lain in his stomach without inconvenience twenty-four hours? or those which he had recently been picking and eating, as stated by W. L. Stone himself? Three hours is the ordinary time for the digestion of much

more stubborn food than blackberries, from recent positive experiments. Mr. Pierson was ordinarily well, hay making, and eating a hearty dinner, and with an appetite for the same sort of food supposed to be operating on his stomach. Here we think Mr. W. L. Stone is as unscientific as ungenerous in his suppositions, or he must know that not a blackberry, in those circumstances, would remain a blackberry twenty-four hours, the time he himself allows; but we have positive evidence to meet his ungenerous, nay, unjust supposition, to be reconciled perhaps with his standard of piety, but certainly not with a correct standard of morals. Mr. W. L. Stone says, these blackberries "were prepared with sugar for the table, as is supposed by the coloured woman." Now, without any supposition, we are authorized to say, that Elizabeth, Mr. Pierson's daughter, prepared those blackberries; and on the declaration of Catherine Galloway, made to Mr. Western, the counsel, in Isabella's presence, and since reported to us, agreeing with Isabella's statement, who is always consistent, and to which she will now swear. Mrs. B. Folger eat heartily, instead of tasting them, as reported by W. L. Stone. The reader, by a comparison of the two books, will know on whom rests the greater credit. So much for the blackberry poison story, and Mr. W. L. Stone's veracity, generosity, and Christian feeling, and his strong proof, that Isabella is one of the MOST WICKED of the WICKED. How Col. W. L. Stone, of the Commercial, could thus commit himself, we cannot conceive.

CHAPTER II.

        Sketch of Isabella's Life--Recovers her child from Slavery--Early Religious Opinions and Habits--The source of Fanaticism--Advantages taken by Matthias--Isabella comes to New York--Becomes a Methodist, and joins Latourette's Church--Introduced to Mr. Pierson, and engaged as an answer to prayer--Mrs. Bolton, the Matron of the Magdalene Asylum--Her former vicious life, and Camp Meetings--Influence over Mr. Pierson, till the time of Matthias--Her disgrace with Mr. Pierson--The Magdalene Society, and probable source of the information which the celebrated Report embodied--Mr. Mills, short account of--Mr. and Mrs. Folger's conversion--Holy Club--Mrs. B. Folger--Holy Club--Retrenchment Society--Pierson's call from God--Opinions and Practices of the party before Matthias was among them--Opinions on Marriage--Mysterious Letters--Mr. Pierson's proposition to be united to a married lady--The author and object of the Mysterious Letters.

        ISABELLA VAN WAGENEN, in early life, was a slave. She was born in the family of Col. Ardinburgh, in Hurley, Ulster county, New York, and is now about 38 years of age. While young, she was successively sold to John Nealy, Kingston, New York, to Martin Scriver, Kingston, and then to John J. Dumont, in the same neighbourhood, with whom she lived eighteen years. This person is now alive, and is one of those who has given her a character; she left him one year before the state made her free, because he had promised her this favour, and lived with Van Wagenen, whose name she takes; but she returned to J. Dumont at his request. During her residence with J. Dumont, she had five children, without a legal marriage, according to the custom of slaves; but during the greater part of the time she lived with a black man, on the farm, as her husband, to whom she was joined by a coloured man of the name of King, who frequently performed this office. One of these children was sold illegally into southern slavery, by one Solomon Gedner, and her exertions to get him back, which were crowned with success, mark the energy of her character. In this she was greatly assisted by Judge Ruggles, who tried Matthias, Squire Chip, Lawyer Romain, Lawyer Hasbrouck, and others. At this time

she was of course very ignorant, not being able to read; and judging of Jesus Christ by the pictures in the large family Bibles she had seen, she supposed him a great Man, like Washington, &c. Her belief was of the simplest kind, and, like Matthias, Pierson, B. Folger, and a whole host of females, she mistook her feelings for divine impressions, and this mistake, common to so many, we may notice as the great source of fanaticism. At an early period, when she had scarcely heard preaching, and had formed no distinct creed, she was in the habit of "talking with God," as she expressed herself, and imagining that she had answers, by supposing a voice expressing her thoughts, or by interpreting her feelings. We afterwards find, that this state of mind was common to Mr. Pierson, and the whole party, who followed Matthias, previous to their acquaintance with him; and of this feeling, Matthias took the greatest advantage, but he did not originate it; indeed, it is common to large bodies of very pious people, and Matthias himself was perhaps its dupe, in the first instance. It was this feeling, and an early belief, or rather impression, that she should see Christ in the flesh, that made her afterwards the ready disciple of Matthias, whose appearance instantly struck her as that which accorded with her early impressions; and when she saw Mr. Pierson, and others, whom she esteemed good and wise men, wash his feet, as was the case, and agree with him in matters of belief, she supposed it an answer to prayer; her feelings told her so, and she thanked God accordingly.

        Isabella remained in the neighbourhood of Kingston after she left J. Dumont for the second time, till some time after her boy was brought back and made free; during which time she lived both with Mr. J. Rutzer and Mr. Bruyn Hasbrouck, a lawyer. This was about the year 1828. She then came to New York, with Mr. and Miss Gear, a respectable lady engaged in teaching, and obtained by their recommendations many respectable places of work, and among the rest, she worked and occasionally lived with Mr. Latourette, in the Bowery, became a zealous member of the Methodists, and with them attended many camp meetings,

and became the means of converting some by her zeal, and was much respected in the connexion, especially of Mr. Latourette, upon the testimony of other members, and of Mr. Latourette himself. Her observations on this period of her life, are of consequence as illustrating character, and the people and scenes with which she was familiar. These observations, and our own on them, we shall defer for the present, in order to reach the narrative in relation to Matthias, Mr. and Mrs. Folger, and others, at an earlier period. In 1829, Isabella lived with Mrs. Gatfield, 73 Nassau-Street, New York, and in 1830, with Mr. J. C. Downing, 177 Duane-Street, from both of whom she has certificates, now in our possession. While in these situations she was a zealous and consistent member of the Methodist church, in John Street, joining the coloured class, and attending the meetings with the knowledge of her employers. After which she joined the African church, in Church Street; during her membership there, she frequently attended Mr. Latourette's meetings; at one of which, Mr. Smith invited her to go to a prayer meeting, or to instruct the girls at the Magdalene Asylum, Bowery Hill, then under the protection of Mr. Pierson, and some other persons, chiefly respectable females. To reach the Asylum, Isabella called on Kata, Mr. Pierson's coloured servant, of whom she had some knowledge. Mr. Pierson saw her there, conversed with her, asked her if she had been baptized, and was answered characteristically, "by the Holy Ghost." After this, Isabella saw Kata several times, and occasionally Mr. Pierson, who engaged her to keep his house, while Kata went to Virginia to see her children. This engagement was considered an answer to prayer by Mr. Pierson, who had both fasted and prayed on the subject, while Kata and Isabella appeared to see in it the hand of God. This engagement took place in August, 1832, and must have been nearly two years after Mrs. Pierson's death. Mr. Pierson had then moved from the Bowery Hill, and was then living in Fourth Street. Yet, as we have seen, Mr. Stone gives the particulars of her conduct at certain meetings at Bowery Hill, and mentions the two black women as being present,

and ascribes to Isabella chiefly what is objectionable, assuming her presence; yet we have direct proof to the contrary. At the time when Isabella went to Mr. Pierson's, a Mrs. Bolton, afterwards the Matron of the Magdalene Asylum, visited the house frequently, did needle work for the family, and frequently slept there. This lady possessed the qualities which king George IV. is said to have admired; she was fair, fat, and forty, dressed well, was pleasing and genteel in her manners. On her we must bestow a few lines, for through her we shall get at the character of some of the parties, as well as a key to the celebrated Magdalene Report.

        It appears that Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, assisted by some of the clergy and other persons, had most benevolently established a Magdalene Asylum; that Mrs. Pierson and other ladies frequently visited the Five Points, and other similar places, to make converts, and supply the Asylum. Of this Asylum, a Mrs. Carpenter, (now Mrs. M'Dowall,) was at one time Matron--a lady of whom we know nothing, except that she was respected where known; but she was made to give way to Mrs. Bolton, who was placed over her; in fact, Mr. Pierson preferred Mrs. Bolton, whom at this time he thought highly of. Now Mrs. Bolton, besides the qualities which we have already mentioned, apparently possessed a great share of humility, with much zeal, for she was a new convert. She had been a great sinner, but her sins she confessed openly, in the presence of both Mr. Pierson and Isabella, as well as before other persons occasionally. In these confessions she admitted that she had lived in fornication; that she had used much skill and cunning in seducing men, and had received large sums of money from different gentlemen. She would even describe the manner in which she communicated her inclinations to various dry goods merchants and clerks, some of whom she betrayed by naming to Mr. Pierson, before Isabella, (we, however, have not sought the names.) To this ample confession of former sins she added, that she had been a great hypocrite; and to hide her lewdness, that she had joined the Methodists, had attended the various protracted and camp

meetings, and had there fainted, foamed, been carried into tents, and expressively carried on, to use a Yankeyism; and at the same time she continued her intercourse with men. She would then add, "now do you think I can be forgiven?" Well, Mr. Pierson thought she could, nay, he received her declaration as a proof of candour; he believed her repentance sincere, and he was strengthened by a text of scripture, which he often quoted, about "Harlots entering the kingdom of heaven before others." He was in fact pleased with her confessions; she apparently knew he was, and apparently confessed to please him, for it always increased his confidence in her; though we really think that she was probably much less guilty than she pretended, and only played upon the weakness of Mr. Pierson. Isabella, however, drew a different conclusion. She thought that she who had played the hypocrite so well at camp meetings, might be playing the hypocrite now; and that she who had seduced so many men with such skill, might be seducing Mr. Pierson; and as Isabella, in consequence of her religion, was familiar with Mr Pierson, she communicated to him her doubts: but these doubts excited rebuke from Mr. Pierson, and Mrs. Bolton exerted considerable influence over him, till Matthias came, when her influence declined, and after a considerable time, she was finally forbid the house by Mr. Pierson's sister, in accordance with Mr. Pierson's wish, as an improper person to associate with him and his friends.

        Matthias at first pronounced her a devil, and a lewd woman; while she, after an amusing attempt to conciliate him, which failed, boldly pronounced him an impostor; but Matthias' fortune prevailed, perhaps because, at that time, he had personal purity on his side, a patriarchal beard in front, and did not differ from Mr. Pierson in religion, but only carried forward his ideas. There are one or two anecdotes in relation to this lady, Matthias, and Pierson, which we shall reserve for our Portrait. We cannot, however, dismiss this subject for the present, without observing, that from the parties connected with this Magdalene Asylum, issued the famous Magdalene Report; and though that was published

before the time of Mrs. Bolton's matronship, yet the information given was just such as persons in her situation could give; and the errors committed, and exaggerations made, just such as we might expect, from persons whose present merit was rated in proportion to their former vices. Mrs. Bolton had been an exact specimen of corruption, in a pleasing and unsuspicious form; and her practices, on her own showing, if believed, those which would justify the assertion in the Magdalene Report, that women were generally the seducers; and perhaps there were many Mrs. Bolton's about the establishment. As proof, however, of the humility of this lady she used to wash the feet of Isabella, who in return washed her's, as part of the religious duty then thought necessary by Mr. Pierson.

        At this period, Mr. Pierson was in the habit of preaching in his own house, and Mrs. Bolton may be remembered as going about the city soliciting hearers to the Prophet Elijah, or John the Baptist, (Mr. Pierson,) and delivering religious tracts, with extraordinary zeal, and thus obtaining a degree of public notoriety, and accession to houses under her apparent character, and whose residents might not have esteemed her, in proportion to her former course, as Mr. Pierson did.

        Among the attendants on Mr. Pierson's preaching, and indeed among his friends, was Mr. Mills. In page 96 of Mr. Stone's book, we have an account of Mr. Mills, under the letters M. H. S. which was almost unnecessary, as his connexion with Matthias was notorious. The account of his previous impressions are probably correct; we see no inconsistencies, nor any object to be obtained in falsifying. His history is that of many, very many fanatics; he felt a deep conviction of sin, and made himself miserable under the idea that he had offended Diety, beyond the hope of pardon. To divert him, he travelled over land to New Orleans; he afterwards visited England, Ireland, the British and French capitals, and returned to New York in 1831, very little altered; yet he became a member of the Presbyterian church, was regular in his devotions, and fervent in prayer, using ejaculatory prayer frequently; and with much

zeal pressed the subject of religion on the clerks and acquaintances in his store; prudently, however, begging his friends to check him when he was going too far in his store exhortations. In the spring of 1832, he became acquainted with Mr. Pierson, and soon formed an attachment to him; and being informed that Mr. Pierson was not considered quite right in his mind, he replied, says Mr. Stone, "Oh, it is not so now." The impression of Mr. Pierson's sanity, among the party, we find to be general, notwithstanding a few very singular acts, such as anointing his sick wife, and expecting her resurrection; yet in this he relied on his understanding of scripture. It is evident that Mr. and Mrs. B. Folger received their doctrines chiefly from Mr. Pierson, and regarded him as perfectly sane; even on the late trial, Mrs. B. Folger conveyed that idea.

        We see no reason to doubt the outlines of the early history of Mr. and Mrs. Folger, as given by Mr. Stone. The conversion of Mrs. Folger, who had been brought up in the bosom of the Dutch church, took place in 1825, two years after her marriage; and in the same year was formed what was commonly called the Holy Club, the essence of which was Mrs. ***, (so says Mr. Stone,) who is said to have influenced the mind of Mrs. Folger, but the credit of the conversion is given to the Rev. Mr. Dubois. Previous to this a series of societies had been formed, of which Mrs. is said to have been the focus; but against her Col. Stone is evidently prejudiced, for he wishes to transfer to that lady a great portion of the sins of Mrs. Folger, as the original cause of her fanaticism, while the sequel evidently shows, that however zealous Mrs. *** might be, she did not fall into personal guilt, and would have saved Mrs. Folger from her course, if she could; while there is clear evidence of Mrs. B. Folger's originating things calculated to ruin this lady, but which she fortunately, and with good sense and better principles, escaped. These are inferences drawn from Mr. Stone's book, for we have not yet seen this lady; we shall, however, if possible, obtain her version of the subject.

        After the conversion of Mrs. B. Folger, her house became

the theatre for fanaticism; she had female prayer meetings on any, and sometimes every day and evening in the week, and, Mr. Stone remarks, that these were attended with lasting good to many, notwithstanding they were chiefly influenced (Mr. Stone says) by Mrs. ***, the apparent terror of Mr. Stone. Mrs. Sarah Pierson, the then wife of Mr. Pierson, was also a constant attendant at these prayer meetings.

        Mr. Folger became a convert in 1827, under the preaching of the Rev. Dr. Matthews. He afterwards projected the Dey Street church, and united with three others in calling the Rev. Joel Parker from Rochester, as we learn from Mr. Stone's book. Thus it appears at this time the party were orthodox, merely having more zeal than others, and merely following out their principles, like honest people, who are not restrained by the fear of singularity, or popular and prudential considerations.

        As we are now about to introduce Matthias, it will be proper to show the opinions and practices of those who came in contact with him, previous to that introduction, in order to estimate justly the characters of each. In doing this, we shall be assisted greatly by Mr. Stone's book, which may be correct on subjects which were within his reach, without much trouble, and where he had no object in suppressing the truth, or perverting it.

        In chapter the second of Mr. Stone's book, he shows, in 1821-22, Mrs. ***, the daughter of a clergyman, and cousin to Mr. and Mrs. Folger, was converted, and from a lively, intelligent, and agreeable female, became a believer, possessing the spirit of proselytism, and at the same time a spirit of reform; that she formed several societies, of which she was the master spirit, as Mr. Stone calls her. She first proposed entering private houses, and praying for the inmates, with or without their consent; then to reduce female dresses to much simplicity; and these measures were carried into effect, not beginning with the poor and ignorant, but with the popular minister who had preached to her; these ladies entered his house, and prayed for his conversion. Mr. Stone says that her father, and the husband of the chief spirit, were made miserable. In 1825, an association

of male and female zealots was formed, consisting of Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists, including the ladies before mentioned, for mutual instruction and prayer; but those only were to speak who were moved by the Holy Ghost, or who thought they were. This association was afterwards called the Holy Club. Mr. Stone says they did not believe in the special observance of the Sabbath, but that every day should be alike. He likewise says, they did not believe in the institution of marriage, and that a single life was essential to purity; however, many of these then single, afterwards got married; they did not believe in a final day of judgment, but that mankind were judged of their deeds every day. We have not, however, perfect confidence in Mr. Stone's statements. It was this society that Mrs. B. Folger associated with after her conversion, and to whom she opened her house, and these proceedings were simultaneous with Mr. Pierson's preaching in his own house. Mrs. ***, of Stone's book, afterwards removed to Bowery Hill, lately cut down, attracting to her neighbourhood Mr. Pierson, Mr. and Mrs. B. Folger, and others, forming a society, who believed themselves under the teaching of the Spirit; the source, we again repeat, of all fanaticism. Here the Retrenchment Society was formed, and Mr. Folger, under the influence of his wife, disposed of his elegant furniture in town, and replaced it with plain furniture at Bowery Hill; the party partook of plain food only, abstaining even from butter, tea, and coffee, while the ladies sacrificed their ornaments, personal as well as household, and even instituted rigid fasts, not to precede a feast, as among Catholics, to which it serves as a whet to the appetite; but, to be broken by bread and water. Mr. Stone adds, that Mr. Folger, notwithstanding the sacrifice of his furniture, was not a member of this society. We must now request our readers to look over the last page or two again; it is the representation of Mr. Stone in reference to societies and individuals: in that representation there is much general truth, but there is a particular instance of ill feeling towards the lady with the ***, Mrs. ***; she is thrust forward perpetually and always for censure. We have already promised to show who this

lady is, and we shall in the future have to make frequent references to these statements, and therefore now endeavour to fix the attention on them, while they occur in the narrative.

        Mr. Pierson carried his principles further than the rest, but he had no principles that were not common to others, if not to all; for others believed in the direct teaching of the Spirit, and these mistook their feelings for the effects of the Spirit, and their transient thoughts for emanations from the Spirit; and being thus enlightened according to their leisure and to the encouragement they gave to their thoughts and fancies, they could frequently see farther than other people into the Scriptures and the will of God, or fancied they could; and Mr. Pierson possessed these qualities in a superlative degree, and was hence highly respected by the party, while the world thought him a little deranged; but on all subjects disconnected with religion, or where he did not assume being divinely taught by Scripture, or the Spirit he was very rational and intelligent. He kept a sort of diary, and hence we learn, when he received what he thought a communication from the Spirit in Wall Street, that he was then called Elijah the Prophet; and this took place before he had seen Matthias.

        Among other specimens of Mr. Pierson's diary, Mr. Stone furnishes the following, which we offer as a proof of the importance he gave his thoughts:--

        "Prayed for the harlots at Five Points: asked the Lord to give us all the ground whereon the soles of our feet had trod, and all the souls now alive who had heard our voice in that neighbourhood.

        "Answer. The Lord said, 'You must go and fetch them out.' The Lord said, concerning the two witnesses, 'Thou art one and Sarah the other.' "

        We have already noticed Mr. Stone's gross error in ascribing to Isabella a part, and a very prominent part, in "the kingdom," as it was technically called, on Bowery Hill, before either she or Matthias was connected with the party. Mr. Pierson had assumed the title of Prophet, asserting that God had called him in an Omnibus, as before said, in these

words, "Thou art Elijah the Tishbite--gather unto me all the members of Israel at the foot of Mount Carmel;" which he understood as meaning the gathering of his friends at Bowery Hill; and Mrs. Bolton, before noticed, with much zeal went about the city and into churches distributing tracts, and inviting the people to "come and hear Elijah the Prophet." Before Matthias appeared, the anointing had taken place, in which Mrs. Folger was consulted; and the assumed influence of the Spirit over the party believed, and being led, or supposed to be led, by the Spirit, they pushed their inquiries with zeal, and projected improvements both in creeds and practices; still they were orthodox, zealous persons, and as such in intercourse with their fellow Christians. As a proof of this, it is noted in page 94 of Mr. Stone's book, that after the death of Mrs. Pierson, Mr. Pierson and Mrs. *** removed from Bowery Hill to Fourth Street, in one and the same house, while Mr. and Mrs. Folger went to reside at Sing Sing, and where they were baptized by the Rev. Mr. Frey, and admitted into the fellowship and communion of Mount Pleasant Baptist church. It was at this period that Isabella went to live with Mr. Pierson, (Mrs. *** having left him, and Katy having gone to Virginia,) without any previous knowledge either of him or Matthias, who soon afterwards followed.

        Previous to this period, and indeed before the party left Bowery Hill, and consequently long before Matthias appeared among them, a transaction occurred which is minutely related by Mr. Stone, page 114, 15, 16, which indeed we shall transcribe, which shows in some a peculiar state of mind, and fitness for what we shall afterwards have to relate, and which would be scarcely credible, if it were not for the publication of an original document, in Mr. Stone's work, and which we could not otherwise have got possession of. We knew that such a document had an existence: Mr. Stone, indeed, by taking out the names, excepting that of Mr. Pierson, who is now dead, has deprived it of interest; this interest we can restore, by replacing the name, and showing its connexion with the principal persons about Matthias, and by showing that this document demonstrates

a position we shall afterwards take; and it clearly illustrates facts, which, as we before said, would be incredible, without this document; yet its absence would not make those facts untrue. In making this exposure, we are but rendering justice to an injured party, for one of the parties is injured. This passage in Mr. Stone's book is rendered further obscure, by being inserted after he had quoted dates from Pierson's diary of 1832, whereas it relates to 1830, for he himself has preserved the dates. After quoting several passages from Pierson's diary, in relation to the expected resurrection of his wife, Mr. Stone thus proceeds:--

        "This is the last mention the writer has been able to find among the papers of Mr. Pierson of his wife, whom he so dearly loved, and to whose memory he so fondly clung. It is well known, however, that he had latterly imbibed the singular idea, probably after all hope of her resurrection had vanished, that he was the spiritual husband of another--a lady who had been one of the Bowery Hill association. His latter belief was, that after the decease of Mrs. Pierson, her spirit had entered into the body of the lady referred to. It is not known how, or exactly when, this strange conceit originated; but it is not more surprising than many other features of his melancholy hallucination. Among his loose papers, however, are two anonymous notes, in the handwriting of a female, which, taken in connexion with a circumstance or two that will presently be related, render it at least possible, that there may have been an artful conspiracy at the bottom of this particular instance of delusion. Mrs. Pierson, it will be recollected, died on the 29th of June, 1830. The following note is endorsed in Mr. Pierson's handwriting--'Received July 20, 1830.' And here it must be borne in mind, that, connected with the idea that his wife would be raised from the dead, and restored to him on earth, was the farther belief, that she would bear him a son, to be called 'James.' This was one of the promises which he had received from God, and which he has recorded as the answer to his prayers, in perhaps fifty places. The first note is as follows:--

        " 'When my cousin--was engaged in prayer a few

days ago with Katy, I saw a vision which I was directed to write and send to you. I was lost a few minutes, when I beheld my cousin walk into your back-door with the dress which she usually wears. She passed through the entry, and went into the parlor. The difference in her state was, that she was big with child; and I thought in the vision that she was at home*

        * Italicised in the original.

        "The second note, in the same handwriting, and attached to the first by a wafer by Mr. Pierson himself, with the memorandum, 'Received 27th July, 1830,' is as follows:--

        " 'I thought, sir, that an apology was due to you for the abrupt note I handed you. I have felt quite uneasy about it, and wished to say to you, that after I had the vision, I thought I must write it; and thought I had better tell it to you than cousin, as I know she has a remarkably pure mind; and I judged that if she suspected that I let you know [it,] it would make her feel very unpleasant. I have taken up a cross in making it known to you: if I have done wrong, be kind enough to forgive me.'

        "It so happens that there was a very remarkable counterpart to this vision of the writer of these notes. The lady possibly referred to, had a vision on a certain night--she being at a distance from the city at the time--in which it was revealed to her, that she was the spiritual wife of Mr. Pierson. And she believed that such was the record in heaven. This conviction was moreover strengthened by another circumstance. On one occasion, her husband being absent, she prayed very fervently that the first person who entered her door, might be him. It happened shortly afterward, and before any other person came in, that Mr. Pierson made his appearance; and the good lady at once concluded, that although it had been written otherwise on earth, yet, in the records of heaven, Mr. Pierson and herself were

one. Subsequently, on comparing notes with Mr. Pierson, no doubt was left of the fact; since it appeared that on the self-same night, he had had a similar dream in his own house. On discovering the coincidence they joined hands, and walking into another apartment, where a third person was sitting, presented themselves, and mutually declared themselves to be, spiritually, man and wife. Whether there was, or was not, any connexion between the mysterious notes which have been quoted, and this singular incident of the delusion, is left for the reader to determine."

        Now, in the first place, who wrote these notes, to whom do they relate, and what actions in this mysterious affair correspond with these sentiments? Mr. Pierson declared to Isabella, that Mother (Mrs. B. Folger) had had a spirit of this kind for some time; and that she had declared to him that he should have Mrs. ---- for a wife. Mrs. B. Folger also stated the fact, that she had communicated this vision to Mr. Pierson before Father (Matthias) had come, and repeated nearly the words of the letter. Mr. Pierson also declared, that Mrs. Folger must be a master spirit, because she had first discovered this light. Mrs. ---- was a married lady. We have not yet seen her, but judging from Mr. Stone's book alone, we are perfectly satisfied that however fanatical she may be, she has been unjustly abused by Mr. Stone, for the sake of others less virtuous, or more fanatical.

        Of the supposition that this lady intrigued to get these notes written in her favour, and the assumed facts that this lady had a corresponding dream, and that her prayer was answered by the appearance of Mr. Pierson instead of her husband, we know nothing. We have detected Mr. Stone in notorious false statements in relation to Isabella, and these therefore may be incorrect, especially as the subsequent conduct of that lady does not accord with the facts, as related, and yet the thing may be possible.

        The note has internal evidence "to (her) my cousin." The lady was cousin to Mrs. B. Folger, and both were associates at the Bowery Hill "kingdom." Mrs. ----, though married, had no children, and therefore needed revelation, "that

she should have a son;" and explains Mrs. Folger's "never realizing this," till she saw the vision.

        When a note on this subject was at first mentioned to Isabella, she instantly declared its contents, before it was read to her, using some of the very expressions, and immediately applying them to the history of the Sing Sing mystery, relating where it was first named to her, the occasion, and the action on it, a long while after. She instantly recognized the phraseology as being used on another very singular, but similar occasion, especially the expression, "If I have done wrong, be kind enough to forgive me," and imitated the soft tone and manner in which Mrs. B. Folger would express herself. It is also true, that her cousin was of a remarkable pure mind.

        For the sake of connecting this subject with facts, we shall now anticipate the history of events, in relation however only to Mr. Pierson. This gentleman, at a subsequent period, and while the parties, including Matthias, resided at Sing Sing, and after some very singular events had occurred there, of which he was made a party, and of which we shall afterwards speak, applied to this married lady, not for a spiritual union only, but for a bodily one; and at this period he related the facts of the note to Isabella, and repeated to her the contents, explaining the propriety of such unions. For this purpose he went to the residence of that lady, and formally proposed the union, declaring both to the husband and the wife, that he had a revelation from God, that marriage was not of God, and that he was to take Mrs. ---- for his wife. This formal application both the husband and the lady regarded as the act of a mad man, and treated it accordingly. This occurred about two months before Mr. Pierson's death; but he had frequently named the subject before, but delicately, as a dream, and only urging the lady to come on a visit to Sing Sing, trusting to the power of Matthias to effect the rest. This the lady had named to her husband, while she declined the visit, never going there but once, and then to reprove Mrs. B. Folger for harbouring Matthias.

        The fact of Mr. Pierson's making this singular application

to a married woman, strange as it is, is attested by Mr. Pierson's relatives, from some of whom we have the corroborative evidence; nor do we believe the lady will disavow the fact; she has nothing to be ashamed of: she was not duped by Matthias, nor did she tolerate, for a moment, the preposterous proposition made to her. It is for this reason we doubt the facts formerly related of her. The curious circumstances which led to this monstrous proposition, besides the notes, a long while previous, will be related in their proper places, and will, in some measure, reduce the surprise. We speak, however, positive on the fact of Mr. Pierson making such an application to the lady before mentioned, and we know that this fact is known to his relatives, who are also now living; we have not asked their leave to give them as a reference, for fear they should be alarmed at the publication, and attempt to induce us to suppress it. The excuse for him, is of course his insanity; and if others, with or without visions, have made similar applications, and succeeded, they must invent their own excuses: we shall publish facts; the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

        We have thus anticipated the history, in order to identify the author and object of those notes; and we do not hesitate to say, that in our belief, Mrs. B. Folger is the author, and Mrs. ---- the object; but these notes were written in 1830, two years before Matthias or Isabella was known to the party, and consequently proves a peculiar state of mind on the part of Mrs. B. Folger, in relation to the marriage contract, by no means uncommon among some religious people. The Antinomians of England were frequently charged by their opponents with violations of the marriage compact; while we have known some of them justify leaving their husbands or wives, because they were not spiritual, and quoting Scripture, as, "Be ye not unequally yoked." It must be observed too, that Mr. Pierson believed in the transmigration of spirits; he supposed that his wife's amiable spirit had taken up its abode with Mrs. ----, while that lady's husband, however excellent a man he may be as a citizen, never made any great pretention to spirituality; and therefore Mr. Pierson, advised by others, might think the lady

unmatched. Clergymen who have not been considered deranged, have held similar opinions, and acted in a like manner, from fanaticism, united perhaps with lust.

        Now let any persons regard the consequences of these sentiments, apparently expressed by Mrs. B. Folger and Mr. Pierson: the teaching of the Spirit, which means any emotion or thought, in accordance with what we think Scripture, including dreams and visions, a supposed holy community or selected favourites of God, together with the belief of spirits, good or bad, successively occupying bodies; and you have, in these sources of fanaticism, the seeds of all the mischief ascribed to Matthias; and these existed before he made his appearance. We are not about to excuse him, or take one particle from his shoulders which he ought to bear; but we have set out with a candid determination to investigate the whole subject, and we are resolved to do justice to every individual. In relation to those notes, we should be unwilling to ascribe them either to design by Mrs. ----, or by Mrs. B. Folger: we see no reason, without very strong evidence to the contrary, to deny that Mrs. B. Folger had a vision, and believing in such visions as the effect of the Spirit, we are not surprised at the result. All we want is to give the facts, and to show their causes and necessary results.*

        * In the above narrative we have omitted the lady's name, (as an exception to our general rule,) we think her perfectly innocent, we think both she and her husband have been severely injured by the base insinuation of Colonel Stone, and we should only increase that injury by giving publicity to the name: there are some crimes of so degrading a nature, that humanity shrinks from the association of the name with the crime, even if no proof can be alleged; the crime here insinuated is one of that kind, and the lady implied is either a degraded being, or she has been most egregiously sinned against by Col. Stone and his coadjutor: either she is debased by the perpetration of some attempt to seduce Mr. Pierson, or he, the calumniator, is a wretch dangerous to society.

        There is no doubt that Mrs. B. Folger wrote that note or a similar one, and we shall afterwards find in her, corresponding feelings and actions: the strength of the insinuation depends upon the counter-part, "that the lady dreamed that she was the spiritual wife of Mr. Pierson; and that on another occasion she prayed to see her husband who had been absent, and that Mr. Pierson presented himself accidentally; that discovering the coincidence with a dream of Mr. Pierson on the same night, they joined hands, walked into another apartment, and presented themselves as spiritual man and wife." There is in this account a peculiar caution which we overlooked at first; we had supposed the presentation was to a company, instead of which, upon recurring to the book, we find it was to a third person, or individual; thus this tale of infamy rests on an individual, and that individual we believe to be a degraded one, to be in fact, Mr. or Mrs. Folger, both of whom, together with Mrs. Stone, the lady with plumes in her hat, introduced in Mr. Stone's book, have been offended with the candour and honesty of this victimized lady; we mention this as a fact, not as the motives for a dastardly infliction of a rancorous wound, for it does not appear a sufficient cause for this vindictive course; we could, however, have wished that no private cause had existed for such an attack.

        We have now seen this lady and her husband, we find in her nothing fanatical, but a great deal of good sense, and a very lively sense of propriety. The testimony of Mrs. B. Folger to her, that she has a remarkably pure mind, is verified by others who know her; while she denies ever holding the peculiarity of Mr. Pierson's creed about marriage, or any other of his peculiar opinions, such as the direct teaching of the spirit, &c. She at once recognized this note as Mrs. B. Folger's, that both Mr. Pierson and Mrs. B. Folger had spoken to her on the subject, and that to the latter she had replied, "Well, cousin, a dream is but a dream." The mention of the subject by the former, only created a more distant or circumspect intercourse, so that she does not recollect even shaking hands with him afterwards, while he in his general deportment appeared modest: his invitations to Sing-Sing, she then regarded as friendly, intended for her spiritual benefit, and were declined by her, because she regarded Matthias as an impostor, exclaiming "I will not visit at Sing-Sing while that man remains there." On this lady's testimony about eight weeks before Mr. Pierson's death, he did visit the country residence of this lady and her husband, and then he firmly announced his purpose both to the husband and the lady, as we before related, and was treated by them in the manner described: thus the facts give the lie to the pretended seduction of Mr. Pierson, and Mr. Stone knew this, or might have known it, for his wife, the lady with the plumes, was intimate with this object of slander, and his informer must have been aware of the facts, from the knowledge of which, without seeing the lady, we draw our conclusions as to the vileness of the slander, and the probable falseness of the counterpart.

        Of this counterpart, this lady known nothing; she utterly denies it, and throws it back as a base fabrication on the author, or his informer, or as a concoction of both; or it might have been another dream of the author of the first dream; but Col. Stone has given currency to this counterpart, without proof, just as slanderers do who wish to believe a statement detrimental to an object of displeasure.

        This lady then denies ever having, or relating a corresponding dream to Mr. Pierson; she denies recognizing the coincidence and walking hand and hand into another apartment, and presenting herself to a third person, or being so presented as the spiritual wife of Mr. Pierson; she denies the prayer and the incident of Mr. Pierson coming in after that prayer, although he might have come in after such a prayer, (a prayer for her husband at variance with the sup-position of betraying him) without her observation. Now then is Col. Stone put to his trumps, he must bring his respectable proofs of these facts, or be regarded as a base slanderer of a respectable, well educated, talented, and virtuous female, one described by Mrs. B. Folger as "of a remarkably pure mind."

        That we are correct in our object, the facts connected with the letter show; nay, Mr. Stone himself identifies her, but this we cannot show without giving the name; we will however give Colonel Stone proofs of identity:--this lady is the cousin of Mrs. B. Folger, as the note itself intimates, she was the early friend of Mrs. Stone, and member of the same church, and she did offend Mrs. Stone on the subject of her peacock like appearance in church; her husband was known to Mr. Stone at Hudson, in his earliest exertions and honest endeavours to raise himself from poverty: at that time, her husband was a man of good family, fortune, and education, he was on the ground when Col. Stone, not then a colonel, was selling his last dying speech and confession of Peg Huftail, (Peggy Houghtailing, executed for infanticide,) before that miserable female had drawn her last breath; he knows the history of that pamphlet, and he was arm in arm with Lieut. Allen, on the morning after that gentleman had nearly choaked Mr. Stone, who, in a drunken frolic, after a ball, at which they had all been, had called the Lieutenant a coward; he was present we say at the reconciliation, and heard the Lieutenant say, "Well, Mr. Stone, if you are satisfied, I am." These facts are mentioned to assure Col. Stone, that we are correct in our information; and now we may add, that the highly indignant husband is only restrained from offering a public insult to the slanderer of his wife, from the fear of the press, over which his antagonist would have a control from his situation; and if Colonel Stone is not now satisfied, we are authorized to say, that this gentleman's name and address is at our office, and at Col. Stone's service, for any purpose he may choose.

        Such then were the feelings and faith, and such the disposition to act on those feelings and faith, by the party before Matthias came. We shall now introduce this important gentleman.

CHAPTER III.

        Brief History of Matthias--Isabella's Evidence--Mr. Stone's Errors--Mr. Matthias's Account--A Clergyman's Blessing determines his Character--His Property and Ruin--Kirk and Finney's Preaching Influence--His Principles--His Beard and new Character--Leaves his Wife--Interrupts a Clergyman--Professes to be a Jew--His Travels--Mistakes of Mr. Stone--His peculiar Dress, Ability, and Opinions--Introduction to Pierson--Impression on Isabella--Pierson and Matthias mutually acknowledge each others Pretension--Singular Coincidence--Matthias Preaches at Mr. Pierson's--Objects to Women Speaking--Is Shaken by Mr. Sherwood, and removes from Mr. Pierson's to Mr. Mill's--Isabella goes to Mr. Mill's--Matthias Preaches at Mr. Mill's--John Galloway--Mrs. Darch--Mr. Stone's Management--Specimen of Matthias's Preaching--Letter of Mr. Mills--Peculiar Sermon of Matthias.

        WE propose to give only a sketch of the life of Matthias in this place, because Mrs. Matthias, we understand, is publishing on this subject; and her work will be the best authority for his early life, unless it shows marks of prejudice, while we believe that our work will be the best authority for that period of his life after he left his home in Albany, and appeared amongst us as a prophet, and took up his abode successively with Mr. Pierson, in Fourth-street; with Mr. Mills in Franklin-street; at his own house in Clarkson street, and finally at Mr. Folger's in Sing Sing, because we take our narrative from a living witness, with him during all that time, sufficiently shrewd for careful observation, and too simple in character and defective in education to conceal the truth, even if she desired it, and sufficiently injured by the declarations of Mr. Folger, and the publication of Mr. Stone's book, to seek a justification of her moral character, and consequently to desire the publication of the whole truth on the subject, as the only means of an honest justification.

        We have seen Mrs. Matthias, and ascertained from her that Mr. Stone has been equally ignorant of facts, or careless in the relation of them, in the early life of Matthias, as he was about Isabella, but as these matters are mostly immaterial,

we may safely leave them to her, taking the liberty of reviewing her book in the second part of ours, when we propose drawing the portraits of the several persons forming the Sing Sing group, as before expressed, and in such portraits we may properly introduce illustrative conversations, and minutia, exhibiting characters, some of which are sufficiently curious and amusing, and some rather indelicate, according to our vulgar notions of propriety; these, however, we shall manage without giving offence, and yet retain the truth.

        Robert Matthews, or Matthias, is of Scotch extraction, but a native of Washington county, New-York, and is now forty-seven years of age; he was religiously brought up among the Anti-Burghers, a sect of Presbyterians, the Clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Bevridge, visiting the family after the manner of the church, and being pleased with Robert, put his hand on his head, when a boy, and pronounced a blessing, and this blessing, with his natural qualities, determined his character, for he ever after thought he should be a distinguished man. Matthias was brought up a farmer till nearly eighteen years of age, but acquired indirectly the art of a carpenter without any regular apprenticeship, and showed considerable mechanical skill, but he never did act as a mill-wright, as stated by Mr. Stone, as we are assured by himself; there were several others in the family, one brother died in January last, 1835, and one other brother obtained considerable skill in painting, but died insane, according to Mr. Stone, but this is not acknowledged by Matthias. Mr. Stone says Robert accumulated property by his trade; this is a mistake, he never obtained money by industry, on the authority of his wife, although he was not an idle man, but he obtained property from his uncle, Robert Thompson, and then he went into business as a store keeper, and was considered respectable, and a member of the Scotch Presbyterian Church; he married in 1813, and continued in business in Cambridge; in 1816 he ruined himself by a building speculation and the derangement of the currency which denied bank facilities, and soon after he came to New-York with his family, and worked at his

trade; he afterwards removed to Albany and became hearer at the Dutch Reformed Church, then under Ludlow's charge; he was frequently much excited of religious subjects, and especially on one occasion by Finney, now of Chatham Street Chapel, whose powerful preaching has driven several persons mad; next influence of the blessing which he received at the s the Scotch clergyman; the preaching of Mr. Finney Mr. Kirk, seems to have assisted in forming his for after hearing him, he declared that though he had professed religion twenty years, he never had any till them: he did not however become a follower of them, but they gave a new direction to his thoughts. his late appearance as a public character he advocated enthusiastically the abstinence system as to liquor, and it in his family.

        In 1829 he was well known, if not for street preaching, for loud discussions and pavement exhortations, but did not make set sermons. In the beginning of 1830, only considered zealous, but in the same year he proposed the destruction of the Albanians and their capital, and preparing to shave, with the Bible before him, he suddenly put down the soap and exclaimed "I have found it, found a text which proves that no man who shaves his can be a true Christian," and shortly afterwards shaving went to the Mission House to deliver an address which he had promised, and in this address, he his new character, pronounced vengeance on the that the law of God was the only rule of government, that he was commanded to take possession of the the name of the King of kings: his harangue short by the trustees putting out the lights. About Matthias laid by his implements of industry, and he advised his wife to fly with him from the which awaited them in the city, and on her refusal, on account of Matthias calling himself a Jew, was unwilling to retain as a husband, he left her, some of the children to his sister in Argyle, 40 miles Albany, and as he walked partly in the night, and

empty house, Mr. Stone says he was cruel to the children, we do not hear that the children themselves complain; wife and children since then have chiefly supported themselves by their own industry, although he has given money when he has had it. At Argyle he entered church and interrupted the minister, declaring the congregation in darkness, and warning them to repentance; he was of course taken out of the church, and as he was advertised in the Albany papers, he was sent back to his city. His beard had now obtained a respectable length, thus he attracted attention, and easily obtained an audience in the streets; for this he was sometimes arrested, by mistake for Adam Paine, who collected the crowd and then left Matthias with it on the approach of the officers. He repeatedly urged his wife to accompany him on a mission to convert the world, declaring that food could be obtained from the roots of the forest if not administered other-

        At this time he assumed the name of Matthias, himself a Jew, and set out on a mission, taking a course, and visiting a brother at Rochester, a mechanic, since dead; leaving his brother he proceeded on his mission over the northern states, occasionally to Albany, but he did not visit Arkansas, nor the nor the Cherokee country in Georgia, as Mr. Stone nor, of course, did he preach to the Indians, nor was he imprisoned there, all of which is reported by Mr. Stone, who apparently confounds him with Adam Paine, whose was something like this, but he did visit Washington, and passing through Pennsylvania, he came to New York; here he visited his brother-in-law, Mr. Andrew corner of Duane and Broadway; Mr. Stone says first he behaved mildly, but that on being asked why his family, &c. he became furious, uttered curses, that he had come into the devil's house. his journey we suppose he supported himself as the did formerly, at least we believe he did not work, perhaps the benefit of clergy. His appearance of New-York at this time was mean but his sentiments were but little known. At this

time we knew something of Matthias, and we once heard him lecture; his aspect was certainly much like the engravings of Jesus Christ in the family bibles, and like him he sat to lecture, and dealt, in unconnected sentences, sometimes much to the purpose, at others very flat, while he certainly displayed no marks of great genius, or much learning: the only peculiarity then expressed was to denounce the practice of the clergy in seeking to make converts of women, and visiting them in the absence of their husbands. On one occasion too, he called on us on some business; in this interview we certainly thought he displayed both vanity and presumption, with a portion of clerical or prophetical assurance, for he wanted some printing done at our establishment for nothing although we were strangers to him.

        On May the 5th, 1832, he first called on Mr. Pierson, in Fourth-street, in his absence; Isabella was alone in the house, in which she had lived since the previous autumn; on opening the door she, for the first time, beheld Matthias, and her early impressions of seeing Jesus in the flesh, rushed into her mind, she heard his inquiry, and invited him into the parlour, and being naturally curious, and a good deal excited, and possessing a good deal of tact, she drew him into a conversation, stated her own opinions, and heard his replies and explanations; her faith was at first staggered by his declaring himself a Jew, but on this point she was relieved by his saying, "Do you not remember how Jesus prayed," and repeated part of the Lord's prayer in proof that that Father's kingdom was to come, and not the son's; she then understood him to be a converted Jew, and in the conclusion she says "she felt as if God had sent him to set up the kingdom;" thus Matthias at once secured the good will of Isabella, and we may suppose obtained from her some information in relation to Mr. Pierson, especially that Mrs. Pierson declared that there was no true church, and approving of Mr. Pierson's preaching: Matthias left the house, promising to return on Saturday evening. Mr. Pierson at this time had not seen Matthias.

        Isabella, desirous of hearing the expected conversation

between Matthias and Mr. Pierson on Saturday, hurried her work, got finished, and was permitted to be present; indeed the sameness of belief made her familiar with her employer, while her attention to her work, and characteristic faithfulness, increased his confidence. This intimacy, the result of holding the same faith, and the principle afterwards adopted of having but one table and all things in common, made her at once the domestic and the equal, and the depository of very curious, if not valuable information; to this object even her colour assisted: persons who have travelled in the south know the manner in which the coloured people, and especially slaves, are treated, they are scarcely regarded as being present; this trait in our American character has been frequently noticed by foreign travellers. One English lady remarks that she discovered in course of conversation with a southern married gentleman, that a coloured girl slept in his bedroom, in which also was his wife, and when he saw that it occasioned some surprise, he remarked "What would he do if he wanted a glass of water in the night?" Other travellers have remarked that the presence of coloured people never seemed to interrupt conversation of any kind for one moment; thus the peculiar religious and other characteristics of Isabella, gave opportunities which none other had, and circumstances have induced her, nay rendered it necessary that she should keep back nothing, but to tell the whole truth, which was the only way in which she could escape the position of a scape-goat, which Mr. Stone and some of the party seemed to make her; this diversion is not out of place, it accounts for much information on the subject which she possessed, while her consistency has won our credence, and her good character and corroborative evidence has continued it. Isabella then was present at the first interview between Matthias and Pierson; at this interview Mr. Pierson asked Matthias if he had a family, to which he replied in the affirmative; he asked him about his beard, and he gave him a scriptural reason, asserting also that the Jews did not shave, and that Adam had a beard. Mr. Pierson detailed to Matthias his experience, and Matthias gave his, and they mutually discovered that

they held the same sentiments, both admitting the direct influence of the Spirit, and the transmissions of spirits from one body to another. Matthias admitted the call of Mr. Pierson in the Omnibus in Wall Street, which, on this occasion, he gave in these words: "Thou art Elijah the Tishbite, and thou shalt go before me in the spirit and power of Elias, to prepare my way before me." And Mr. Pierson admitted Matthias' call, who completed his declaration on the 20th of June, in Argyle, which, by a curious coincidence, was the very day on which Pierson had received his call in the Omnibus. Such singular coincidences have a powerful effect on excited minds: from that discovery Pierson and Matthias rejoiced in each other, and became kindred spirits; Matthias, however, claiming to be the father, or to possess the spirit of the Father--he was God upon earth, because the spirit of God dwelled in him; while Pierson then understood that his mission was like that of John the Baptist, which the name Elias meant. This conference ended with an invitation to supper, and Matthias and Pierson washed each other's feet; but washing of feet had been established. At this first meeting a Shaking Quaker was present, and Matthias remained over night. On the curious coincidence of time above referred to, we must remark, that Matthias declared himself in Albany, in the beginning of June, and at Stillwater on the 19th, as Mr. Stone says; and therefore the expression, completed his declaration, is used; but it is evident that if Mr. Pierson's call had happened on either of those previous days, the coincidence would have been more striking, and equally asserted.

        Mr. Pierson preached on the following Sunday, but after which, he declined in favour of Matthias, and some of the party believed that the "kingdom had then come."

        Mr. Stone gives the following paper, found among others, dated May 9th, before the interview just related, which he supposes formed the heads of one of Matthias' discourse: it is worth preserving, as showing some coincidence with the belief of the party, and some bearings on future practices; he supposes Matthias meant to curse the following objects:--

        "All who say that the Jews crucified Jesus; all who say that the first day of the week is the Sabbath; all who say that immersion with clothes on is baptism; all who say that sprinkling is baptism; all who preach to women without their husbands; all who drink wine in bowls; (he advocated eating the grapes, which he called new wine in new bottles;) all who eateth the passover in a lower room."

        Before this period, Mr. Mills attended Mr. Pierson's lectures; so did Mr. and Mrs. Folger, occasionally a Mr. Beauman, a carpenter, Mrs. Bolton, Isabella, and Katy, who had returned from Virginia, with many others. These exhorted and gave their experience, before Matthias came, but not afterwards, as he disapproved of women speaking. Some of these persons very soon became disciples of Matthias, and among them was Mr. Mills, who invited Matthias to his house whenever he pleased, and a circumstance not generally known soon occurred, which induced Matthias to accept of that gentleman's hospitality, in exchange for that of Mr. Pierson's. Mr. Pierson had let out part of his large house in Fourth Street, to a Mr. Sherwood, who used it for a respectable school. This gentleman was thus brought in contact with the party, and he pronounced Matthias an impostor; and irritated by his language, for perhaps he had called him a devil, he shook him well, pushed him down on the sofa, and indignantly pulled his beard. This circumstance, together with Mr. Pierson's timidity, induced Matthias to go to Mr. Mills's house.

        For some time before this, Katy had returned from Virginia, as just stated, where she had visited her children; and on her return she lived with Mr. Mills, leaving Isabella in her former situation: by mutual consent, and for general conveniency, Isabella and Katy now changed places; in fact, Isabella was the stronger and more active woman, and her services more desirable at Mr. Mills's, than at Mr. Pierson's, at this time; besides, she wished to get out of the way of Mrs. Bolton. Isabella therefore followed the course of Matthias, and thus we are enabled to continue our history, upon her authority, testified by others, in a variety of points.

        At Mr. Mills's Matthias preached frequently, and on every Sunday, and introduced the curious practice of providing a dinner for any of the company who chose to stay. Pierson had before preached all things common, and Matthias had approved it. Matthias, too, taught that the good things of this life were for enjoyment, and that the time of abundance had come; he was not now abstemious, yet he was not extravagant, except in dress, for which Mr. Pierson was responsible, and afterwards in equipage; he eat plain good food, but not pies, and drank no wine; he abstained also from pork.

        At his house, Mr. Mills was served by a man called Galloway, a sort of half disciple. This man died some months after Mr. Mills's establishment was broken up, leaving a young widow, Catherine Galloway, afterwards a conspicuous person, without any very distinguishing qualities. We may remark, in anticipation of the history, that Matthias had cursed her husband, because, contrary to orders, he had opened the door to the officers who arrested him, when Mills's establishment was broken up. This man's death, by a troublesome and lingering disease, following the curse, strengthened the faith of some of his disciples.

        We return now to the history of events. Matthias continued for some time preaching at Mills's, and among his hearers was Mrs. Drach, an elderly Jewish woman, very talkative, and very familiar with Matthias, to whom she would give her experience, almost the only female with whom he was familiar at that time. This is the same Mrs. Drach who afterwards gave evidence against him. The female relatives of Mr. Mills left his house soon after Matthias came; they would not be his disciples, and he would not bear rivals.

        Mr. Stone, in his relation of this part of his history, commits a sort of fraud, for he introduces some finery, such as beautiful ruffles, worked night caps, &c. whose proper place is at an interesting period further on. About this place too, he introduces the two curious notes, on a very curious subject, which notes refer to a period two years before. Thus he connects this excess of finery with Mr. Pierson and Mills,

to whom they do not belong; and introduces the letters, apparently Mrs. Folger's, before she is named as the disciple of Matthias, thus obscuring the facts. As specimens of Matthias' preaching and sentiments, which he broached while at Mr. Mills's, we copy from Mr. Stone's work, because we know the gentleman who furnished these specimens, and because they are admitted to accord with Matthias' sentiments at that time.

        "The spirit that built the Tower of Babel is now in the world--it is the spirit of the devil. The spirit of man never goes upon the clouds--all who think so are Babylonians. The only heaven is on the earth. All who are ignorant of truth, are Ninevites. The Jews did not crucify Christ,--it was the Gentiles. Every Jew has his guardian angel attending him in this world. God don't speak through preachers, he speaks through me, his prophet.

        " 'John the Baptist,' (addressing Mr. Pierson,) 'read the tenth chapter of Revelations.' After the reading of the chapter, the prophet resumed speaking, as follows:--

        "Ours is the mustard-seed kingdom which is to spread all over the earth. Our creed is truth, and no man can find truth unless he obeys John the Baptist, and comes clean into church.

        "All real men will be saved; all mock men will be damned. When a person has the Holy Ghost, then he is a man, and not till then. They who teach women are of the wicked. The communion is all nonsense: so is prayer. Eating a nip of bread and drinking a little wine won't do any good. All who admit members into their church and suffer them to hold their lands and houses--their sentence is, 'Depart ye wicked, I know you not.' All females who lecture their husbands, their sentence is the same. The sons of truth are to enjoy all the good things of this world, and must use their means to bring it about. Every thing that has the smell of woman will be destroyed. Woman is the capsheaf of the abomination of desolation--full of all deviltry. In a short time the world will take fire and dissolve--it is combustible already. All women, not obedient, had better become so as soon as possible, and let the wicked

spirit depart, and become temples of truth. Praying is a mocking. When you see any one wring the neck of a fowl, instead of cutting off its head, he has not got the Holy Ghost. (Cutting gives the least pain.)

        "All who eat swine's flesh are of the devil; and just as certain as he eats it, he will tell a lie in less than half an hour. If you eat a piece of pork, it will go crooked through you, and the Holy Ghost will not stay in you, but one or the other must leave the house pretty soon. The pork will be as crooked in you as rams' horns, and as great a nuisance as the hogs in the street.

        "The cholera is not the right word; it is choler, which means God's wrath. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are now in this world: they did not go up in the clouds as some believe: why should they go there? They don't want to go there to box the compass from one place to another. The Christians now-a-days are for setting up the Son's kingdom. It is not his; it is the Father's kingdom. It puts me in mind of the man in the country who took his son in business, and had his sign made 'Hitchcock & Son.' but the son wanted it 'Hitchcock & Father,' and that is the way with your Christians. They talk of the Son's kingdom first, and not the Father's kingdom."

        We shall also copy a letter, written during this period, to Mr[.] Pierson, in New Jersey on a visit, written by Mr. Mills, beeause it shows the standing of Isabella with both Mr. Mills and Mr. Pierson, at this time. (Isabella heard this read.)

"New York, 20th July, 1832.

        "JOHN THE BAPTIST, OR DEAR PIERSON:

        "I have your letter, and am glad to hear that you are well. The angels of destruction are making dreadful havoc, but do not be troubled; they are reaping the tares. The harvest is begun, and not a single blade of wheat can fall or be injured.

         "Katy is well, and at the 'Lord's house' often.

         "Isabella is also well.

         "Matthias is still with us, thank God! and I think we can

no longer say, 'when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,' &c. Surely this is 'the Kingdom of God.'

         "The money you spoke of I can use, if you choose to send it, and on your return will place it in a satisfactory shape. I will venture to send you the love of all 'the kingdom.'

"Yours, sincerely."

        At this period Matthias was well dressed, and we suppose visited the Battery frequently in a dark carriage, for Mr. Stone says so, and we think it probable; but Mr. Stone goes on to say, that he was frequently accompanied by Mr. Pierson and his children, and he thus particularizes: "He would take the children by the hand at either side, and thus with stately tread," &c. Now here we detect Mr. Stone in writing falsely. Mr. Pierson had but two daughters, the elder, indeed, the daughter of his wife, by a first husband: we have seen her, and she positively declares she never walked out with Matthias in her life, and never heard her sister say she had, and does not at least know of it, though then living with her father. It is of no great consequence, but it shows the inaccuracy of Mr. Stone's facts. Matthias explains this; it was Mr. Mills's children; (see his book, page 120.)

        Mr. Mills, it is known, was arrested for insanity, and his establishment broken up, but his property saved. We are not surprised at the course taken by his friends; it was perhaps advisable, and the last of the evils prevented. Previous to this event, Matthias preached a remarkable sermon, which, if it contained nothing new to his disciples, who had believed in the same doctrines before he came among them, yet they were new to the people, and being preached openly, occasioned some trouble. Candour is one of Matthias' virtues; as far as we can see, he would keep nothing secret, and if secrets have been kept, they have so been at the request of others; he appears to have spoken openly and to have acted openly, and this openness seems to be the charm which has attached Isabella to him; she could scarcely believe that he did not mean well; yet her conclusions are not necessarily true.

        Matthias, a few days before Mills's arrest, preached against

the earliest commandment, "Increase and multiply." He declared "that God had never authorized wicked people to multiply, and that preachers who, in the marriage ceremony, said that God had joined them together, were sent of the devil." He was repeatedly interrupted during this discourse, for as he admitted none righteous but his party, and as his audience were males, and understood themselves as being meant for the wicked, and disliking the doctrine, they repeatedly interrupted him, and had not Mr. Mills used his authority, by insisting on peace in his private house, violence would have been committed. This event perhaps brought on the next, the breaking up of Mr. Mills's establishment, with which we shall begin the next chapter.

CHAPTER IV.

        Magnificent project of Matthias--Mr. Mills and Matthias charged with lunacy--Violence to Matthias, its impolicy and consequences--Matthias liberated by his brother--Charge of blasphemy never tried--His moral conduct while at Mr. Mills's--Mr. Mills at the Asylum--Matthias, in his house at Clarkson Street, sends for his family--George the brother of Matthias--Matthias at a boarding house--His conduct there--Isabella washes for him--He goes to Sing Sing--Mrs. B. Folger calls on Isabella for Matthias' clothes--Mr. Pierson has fits--The Folger's account of Matthias--Introduction to them at variance with facts--An omission fatal to the honesty of the writer--Assumed motives of the Folgers'--Mrs. B. Folger's narrative--Her sickness--Isabella at Sing Sing--Her description of the family--Mrs. B. Folger's attentions to Matthias--The improvement made by Matthias on these attentions--Mr. Pierson and Catherine Galloway join the family at Sing Sing, and in Third Street--Their occupation and amusements--Decline of religious ceremonies--Property given to Matthias--Mrs. B. Folger's re-marriage--Her attachment to Matthias--The disclosure to Mr. Pierson, in a journey to New York--Monstrous proposition to Mr. B. Folger--Her success and triumph--Mrs. B. Folger given up to Matthias by her husband--His returning fondness--The consummation of the union--Superhuman pretensions of Mrs. B. Folger--Mr. B. Folger fetches the family of Matthias--Commits legal adultery on the road--Lives with Mrs. Laisdell as his wife--Conclusion from the above acts.

        THE circumstances which led to the arrest of Mr. Mills upon a charge of insanity, was no doubt the rumoured expenditure of Matthias, who about this time, the summer of 1832, appears to have projected the building of a New Jerusalem, to be furnished elegantly and with plate, of course at the expense of his friends. Mr. Stone relates his having called at the store of Mr. Gardner, in company with Mr. Mills, and giving large orders for plate, surmounted with the Lion of the Tribe of Judea, and of Mr. Mills subsequently calling there, with a servant bearing a large tea service of silver, to receive the ornament of the Lion, and various scriptural inscriptions, such as, "The kingdom of God is at hand." He then ordered a silver chalice, with two inscriptions, one of which was, that "it was presented to the prophet Matthias by himself and children." These events seem to have determined Mr. Mills's family to arrest both him and Matthias

on the charge of lunacy. The account given by Mr. Stone is extremely brief; he simply says, "That on a warrant, the gentleman referred to (for he is not named in the book) was sent to Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum, and Matthias to the apartment of the insane poor at Bellvue." He adds, (page 139,) "It having been suggested to the brother of one of the disciples, (Mr. Mills,) that the secret of the prophet's power over his infatuated followers, like Samson, lay in his hair, means were found to set the Philistines of the police upon him, and he was shorn of his favourite beard."

        When this transaction occurred, we wrote an article in the Sunday Reporter, which we then published, regarding Matthias as a fanatic or impostor, but highly condemnatory of this act of violence, disgraceful to the parties originating it, disgraceful to the police, a portion of whom could be bribed to violate the peace, for which they are paid to preserve, and disgraceful to the county in which it could exist without a redress; and we have not altered our opinion. It is precisely this spirit which is now ruining the country, and blasting its fair fame in the eyes of Europe. We then declared that that treatment was likely to excite pity and sympathy, and this we believe to have been the case, and Mr. and Mrs. Folger, with several others, possibly owe a chain of unpleasant circumstances to this feeling: it certainly riveted the devotion of Isabella and Mr. Pierson to the cause of Matthias, and Mr. Folger expressed the opinion, that he was ill treated, and hence induced, after a lapse of time, to offer him an asylum. Isabella's account of this affair does not differ, but she gives the detail of the arrests, and their effects, without judging of the motives. Mr. Andrew Mills, Mr. Crooker, and Mr. Dias, appeared to direct, while the constables stripped Matthias, took his money, cut his beard off, and tormented him in every way. Mr. Mills was taken without resistance, previous to the violence on Matthias. Isabella, who is a powerful and energetic woman, offered some resistance to the violence to Matthias, and was violently struck by Mr. Andrew Mills, and repeatedly put out of the house, which, to the consternation of the party,

she as repeatedly re-entered, sometimes by one door and sometimes by another. Mr. Andrew Mills, indeed, kindly offered her an asylum afterwards, but she was not disposed to accept his offer. Those who assisted Mr. Andrew Mills in this violence, she supposes to be members of churches, or, as she calls them, Christians, of whom she says the house was full, and with whom she appears to be completely disgusted, by their lecturing her on the subject of religion, giving her advice, and denouncing Matthias as an impostor. This pious lecturing, advice, and denunciation, were lost upon her, from the fact of these persons sanctioning the tormenting, as she expresses it, of Matthias. She could see nothing humane in this treatment, or any thing to recommend the religion which suggested it; while she contrasted Matthias' philosophical submission, and at least apparent humility; she could see nothing but the old story of "Crucify him, crucify him;" and thus she became, by this impolitic treatment of Matthias, more closely devoted to him. We believe it had the same effect on others.

        Just after Mr. Mills was taken, Mrs. Drach came to the house, and continued in close conversation with Matthias. Catherine Galloway, whose husband was Mr. Mills's servant, also came in. She, too, offered Isabella an asylum; but this also she declined, and returned to Mr. Pierson's, whom she assisted in procuring Matthias' release, by application to Mr. Buckland, a lawyer, and then to the brother of Matthias, to take out an habeas corpus, by which he was discharged, as of sound mind. He was then arrested on a charge of blasphemy, but for this he gave bail, and was never brought to trial, as he merely asserted no more than other clergymen, who say they are directed by God's spirit; the difficulty of course was to prove that he was not, as he could offer the same proofs which others, who are not called blasphemous, could.

        Mr. Stone says that Matthias, while at Mr. Mills's, was suspected of gross licentiousness, because he had females sometimes with him; and that being sometimes angry, he whipped one or some of them. Mr. Stone does not say by whom he was at this time suspected: we have made diligent

inquiry on this subject, and find no truth in it. Mrs. Drach, an elderly person, was his chief female companion, and scarcely any others saw him. One indeed he whipped, a young Methodist woman, who declared that she was sent by Jesus Christ. Matthias undertook to say that the Lord never spoke to young girls, and that she had a devil; he directed her to go to her father, and gave her a few stripes with a rattan; she never came again. This may be the conduct of a tyrant or fanatic, but certainly not of a licentious person. We notice this the more as unfair and unjust in Mr. Stone, because the leading object of his book is to cover up the licentiousness of his friends, and that of Matthias, when its exposure would involve them. It is this conduct which provokes a reply, for we wish to deal out evenhanded justice. Mr. Stone, too, says, that he learned from papers discovered after the arrest, that Matthias wished to unite his daughter to Mr. Mills. We think this possible, from what afterwards took place. Mr. Stone says, too, that Mr. Mills was pleased with the asylum and his treatment. This he might be; but he adds, that in a short time he became convinced that Matthias was an impostor. We have some evidence which contradicts this, which we shall offer in its place, as our only object is the truth of the statements.

        Isabella, ever active in what she believes right, visited the asylum, where Mr. Mills was, two days after he was confined. The keepers supposing she was sent by his brother, was about to lead her to him; Isabella saw that they were deceived, but not choosing to act under false colours, she declared her name, and who she was, when she was refused admittance. She however went again in a few months' time. Mr. Mills saw her coming up from his window, and came down to meet her. At this meeting he expressed the same faith as before, and gave her an order on his brother's house for twenty dollars, which money was given to Matthias. Mr. Mills exhorted her to continue in the faith; this exhortation, and the gift of twenty dollars, seems at variance with Mr. Stone's account.

        In the first visit, some gentlemen in the stage discovered who she was. She stated to them that Matthias did not believe

in going to the sky. On this they rallied her, when she thus defended the doctrine, after, we suppose, the style of Matthias: "Paradise," she observed, "was formerly on the earth, and it would be so now if the wicked were not here; the wicked then will be driven from the earth into the sky, and the earth made a paradise again for the good." This notion, it appears, occasioned some amusement, if not conviction. Matthias and his disciples at this time did not believe in a resurrection of the body, but that the spirits of the former saints would enter the bodies of the present generation, and thus begin heaven upon earth, of which he and Mr. Pierson were the first fruits.

        Mr. Pierson appears to have been timid, and was apprehensive of violence in his house, if Matthias remained there; he therefore proposed a monthly allowance to him, recommended him to take a house, and take Isabella to live with him. This he did, and took a house in Clarkson Street, near St. John's burying-ground. On this occasion Matthias sent for his family, and gave money to his brother George, a shoe maker, to go on to Albany and bring them down, together with his own family, to whom also he offered the use of his house. George did go to Albany, but gave Mrs. Matthias no money, as she says, and she now complains that he did not properly represent his situation, and consequently that she refused to come or send the family, which she now regrets, as it might have prevented unpleasant consequences at an after period. George, however, brought his family,*

        * Mrs. Matthias states in her book, since published, page 28, that this brother was commissioned to give her $100, by Matthias; but that he kept it for himself; and that he did not direct her to come to New York and bring the family, but instead of which, he barely told her, that Matthias had died in Philadelphia.

without affecting his friends, and with a perfect indifference to the injury he did Isabella, a coloured woman, who is neither very young or beautiful. Mr. Stone states, too, that when Matthias was angry with Isabella, he would stop at home and preach to her the whole day. This she denies, nor is it reasonable.

        George, Matthias' brother, became or was fond of spirits, and sometimes intemperate. For this Matthias reproved him, and after a time required him to leave the house, which he did, taking two loads of furniture belonging to Matthias and Isabella, in Matthias' absence, with him, and some expensive articles. The chief funds of course had previously been furnished by Mr. Pierson, but Isabella had drawn her money from the Saving Bank to help furnish the house. At this time Isabella was alone in the house with Matthias; her being so was evidently accidental, or she might have been so before; nor do we see any impropriety in his having such a housekeeper. Indeed, up to this time, and till after he went to Sing Sing, his moral character was not affected, against which Mr. Stone shows no facts; neither does he make out that Isabella is the Most wicked of the wicked.

        In May, 1833, Matthias left this house, and placed the furniture, part of which was Isabella's, in the store of Mr. Southerling, in Greenwich Street. This furniture was afterwards removed to Mr. Whiting's, Canal Street, where Isabella lived as servant; and Matthias lodged at the hotel corner of Marketfield and West Streets. Mr. Stone says, that while here his conduct was liable to no censure; he continued to converse and dress as before, but if the landlord thought him troublesome, a hint was sufficient to make him cease. Mr. Stone adds, "Justice requires it to be said, that so far as is known, his moral character was irreproachable while residing at the Battery."

        We now return to Isabella, who still kept up a connexion with Matthias by washing for him, even while in the service of Mrs. Whiting, by her permission.

        Isabella afterwards paid a visit to her former master, John Dumont, by whom she has always been respected, near Poughkeepsie, and visited her children in that neighbourhood.

On her return she lived with Mr. Smith's family, a grocer, in Hudson Street, and here also she washed for Matthias; and while in this situation, Matthias called on her, paid her for washing, and told her he had seen Mr. Folger, and was going into the country for a short time. We believe Mr. Folger had not seen much of Matthias before, for he had retired into the country about the time that Matthias introduced himself to Mr. Pierson, and Mr. Folger's business had led him much out of town, so that he had heard but little about him. A short time after Matthias had gone into the country, Mrs. B. Folger and Mr. Pierson's youngest daughter, Elizabeth, called on Isabella, and asked for Matthias' clothes, and said that she was Mrs. B. Folger, and that Matthias was at their house, and well pleased. Mrs. B. Folger was then introduced to Miss Smith, to whom she related the same. The clothes were given to her, and by instructions forwarded to the Union boat. We shall presently see how these facts comport with the account published by Mr. Stone, which he says is furnished by Mr. and Mrs. Folger conjointly.

        In about a fortnight after M