CHAPTER XVI.
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.
Return to Rochester—Attempted Burglary—Summons to Ohio—“Rev.” C. C. Burr—“Toe-ology”—Gold Medals and Jewelled Watch—First Public Speech—Committee Investigations as usual—Calvin’s Illness, and Henceforth Mrs. Brown—First Spiritual Convention.
We reached our home in Rochester late in the evening, and, as my housekeeper was absent, we were alone in the Troup Street house that night. The friends had kindly lighted and warmed the house, and were there to receive us. After they left we immediately retired, and were soon lost in sleep. I had not slept long, however, when I was awakened by a voice saying urgently in my ear, “Get up and light your candle, quick!” Supposing that Margaretta had spoken to me, I replied, “What did you say?” but finding her fast asleep, I scratched a match, and had just time to see the form of a man who had got the lower sash raised and half his body into the room. He was, of course, a burglar, and doubtless expected to find a booty in the money which the papers had reported us to have brought with us from Buffalo. My voice and the flash of light made him start back so precipitately that he broke the window-sash while making his exit. The visit was never repeated. I may have mentioned that once before, in my former house in Prospect Street, we had been awakened by a voice bidding us to “Get up, the house is on fire.” We found that the wood-box behind the stove in the sitting-room was in flames, which would soon have been communicated to the door, within a few inches of the staircase, which was our only means of egress and safety.
On the morning after our return from Buffalo, to my great surprise, mother drove up to the door, having just arrived by the train from New York. Her first words were, “What is the matter? I have been so urgently directed to come to you, that I feared something had happened, or was going to.”
She and Katie had remained in New York, during the time of our stay in Buffalo, with the friends before named. I may here mention that Katie attended school, all the time she remained in New York, during the day hours, and sometimes united in the séances held by the friends in the evenings. Mr. Greeley often said, on the strength of her childish letters, “Katie, I expect to see you develop into another Margaret Fuller some day, if you will only give your attention to study.” We employed private teachers for the children, at the hours not compulsorily absorbed by the public. I gladly stood the brunt of the labors for their benefit in the matter of their education. (See Mr. Robinson’s letter of March 12, 1851, p. [203].)
After explanations, the upshot was that mother returned the same evening to rejoin Katie in New York, taking Margaretta with her. Soon after our return to Troup Street it became necessary, to my great regret, to leave the house, as the property had to be sold for division among heirs; but I found a much larger and finer house on the corner of Troup and Sophia Streets. The fatigues of moving, following so soon upon the Buffalo inquisition, brought on a serious illness, from which I had scarcely recovered when I received such insisting summons, by letters and telegrams, from good friends in Cleveland, Ohio, that I was compelled to undertake the journey, which proved to be the beginning of what was called “the Ohio campaign.”
So did events arrange themselves, or so did other influences arrange them, to compel us to widen more and more the fulfilment of the “duty” to “go forth” which had been imposed upon us. Among the telegrams from Cleveland, received when I was on a sick bed, was this one: “Mrs. Fish, we want you to come immediately to Cleveland. It is vitally important.” To which Mr. Post replied, “Mrs. Fish is not well, and we think it would be dangerous for her to leave.” Then came another, saying, “Burr is here, slandering you and all who believe in Spiritualism.”
Still, my friends insisted on my waiting until I was stronger, when a letter came containing a partial explanation of the “Rev.” Burr’s villanous conduct toward me. He had slandered me so grossly that my friends would not allow him to go unpunished. They had arrested him in my name, and it was necessary for me to be there in person. I also received the following letters from a valued friend:
“Cleveland, April 25, 1851.