WILLIAM L. CHAPLIN, ESQ. 87 



practised his profession for only two or three years. He had 

 an office for a short time in his native town, but nowhere 

 else. 



In the early days of the anti-slavery agitation, Mr. Chaplin 

 was a prominent Abolitionist. On August 8, 1850, he was 

 thrown into prison at Washington, D. C, and treated with 

 great cruelty and indignity, for helping two run-away slaves 

 to escape who belonged to Messrs. Toombs and Stephens, 

 representatives in Congress from Georgia. He was subse- 

 quently given up to the Maryland authorities, and then con- 

 fined in the jail at Rockville, the shire-town of Montgomery 

 County, where he received much kindness. It happened, for- 

 tunately for him, that the sheriff of this county was a Chris- 

 tian gentleman, and the jailer a man of good feelings. He 

 was finally released on very heavy bail, provided by his 

 friends, and of course forfeited by him under their advice. 

 A pamphlet was printed soon afterward, giving a full history 

 of the affair, entitled : The Case | of | William L. Chaplin; 

 I being | an Appeal [ to all j Respecters of Law and Jus- 

 tice I against | the cruel and oppressive treatment to which, 

 under color | of legal proceedings, he has been subjected, in 

 the I District of Columbia and the State of | Maryland. || 

 Boston: Published by the Chaplin Committee, 1851. Oc- 

 tavo, pages 54. 



The following extract is taken from the pamphlet : — 



Thus, after an imprisonment of six weeks at Washington, and of 

 thirteen weeks more at Rockville, was Mr. Chaplin delivered out 

 of the hands of the Philistines ; not, however, till his friends had 

 paid for him the enormous ransom of $25,000 (p. 49). 



On August 12, 1 85 1, he was married at Glen Haven, New 

 York, to Theodosia, daughter of Deacon Elias and Betsey 

 (Green) Gilbert, of Richmond, Ontario County, New York; 

 and they had two children, — Harriet Lawrence, born on De- 

 cember 5, 1852, and died on December 21, 1861 ; and Theo- 

 dosia Gilbert, born on April 11, 1855, who is married to the 

 Reverend Frederick John Clegg Walton, now of Englevvood, 

 Illinois. Mrs. Chaplin died at Glen Haven, on April 17, 



