An Abolition Agent at Memphis.
A Dr. W.R. Palmer has been arrested and held to bail for trial, on the strength of the following documents received by Gov. WISE of Virginia, and transmitted to Gov. HARRIS, of Tennessee. The press of Memphis state that excitement exists in consequence of these circumstantial disclosures, which, as far as evidence of immaterial circumstances goes, are correct....
...I showed him our constitution for the Provisional Government, with which he was much pleased, and I advised him not to make the stampede of slaves he expected to make, but to keep them at work, secretly preparing each other, and as many others as they could get to join them, for our October strike. He said he would do so, and that he could guarantee 1,000 armed slaves, who would be ready to spring together at a moment's call, and that as soon as operations were commenced with them, that other slaves would flock to them by thousands wherever they went, throughout all parts of the States....
Yours faithfully,
LAWRENCE THATCHER...
[Editor's Note: The majority of this article has been omitted from our transcription except for the portions directly the term "slave stampedes" or some variant.]
"An Abolition Agent at Memphis - Thatcher's Letter," Charleston (SC) Mercury, November 14, 1859, p. 4