AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 89 



cruelty leads inevitably to others, and thus the 

 disposition may have grown that has led, finally,, 

 to the crime which deprived them of liberty and 

 condemned them to years of servitude in that 

 dreary abode of felons. 



Retracing my steps down the Hudson, I next 

 pitched my tent at Peekskill, which is situated 

 on the east bank of the river, and where I met 

 a gratifying reception, and succeeded as at other 

 places. 



Before leaving the place, I strolled about a 

 mile back from the river, and saw there the farm 

 and summer residence of Rev. Henry Ward 

 Beecher, the great biblical expounder and plat- 

 form orator, who has since passed through an 

 ordeal far from pleasing or profitable, though 

 there are indications that from all he will yet 

 come out as " gold tried in the fire," and perhaps 

 to shine as a star of still brighter lustre. 



My next visit was to the city of Poughkeepsie, 

 where, at my first public exhibition, I was greeted 

 by the presence of a large number of influential 

 citizens, whose appearance there augured well 



