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lington, and (1799), “Morris's Folly" was torn down, while the great man himself lay an unhappy prisoner for debt, in a far different edifice, the "Debtor's Prison," at the corner of Prune (now Locust) and Fifth streets.1

in prison, without a painful sense of shame for the National Congress and for the many Americans of that day who by private subscription might have saved the old patriot from his misery.

When judgments against him had accumulated, and convertible assets had been exhausted, he became subject to arrest and imprisonment for debt under the law of the time. He was now aged about sixty-five years, and fifty of these had been years of steady toil-but not all that went before had so aged him as the three spent in excessive labors for his country's welfare, labors not merely excessive, but attended with great care and anxiety, and he was old far beyond his years when his pecuniary trials and sufferings came upon him. It was but natural that he entertained the most acute dread of incarceration, and contrived to evade arrest as long as it was possible. Among his letters, there is one that bears date "Hills" November 1st, 1797, portions of which are couched in strangely humorous phraseology, though even the humor betrays the anxious, disturbed condition of his mind. John Nicholson and he were wont to write from three to six letters or notes per day, to each other; I quote HILLS, Nov 1. 1797

I have before me a number of autograph letters and notes from Robert Morris, of various dates, covering the period of his embarrassments and misfortunes. They afford important and interesting insights into the nature of the writer's troubles, and they seem to tell of a mind diseased and no longer vigorous and capable of the great efforts of his earlier mercantile days or the greater achievements of his prime, or even of coping with the troubles which he had brought upon himself. Still, from the hour when he realized his perils, he sought with much of his old skill to save himself; it was too late-the very nature of the property which had engulphed his means made it impossible to convert any considerable part of it into ready cash-though none doubted his integrity, his credit was so impaired by the utter lack of business judgment in his later operations that it was now inadequate to relieve him-the man whose "note and honor" had procured thousands of dollars for the salvation of the country, could not now command hundreds for his own salvation. Each effort to extricate himself but JN° NICHOLSON Esq' left him more hopelessly involved, and ruin, utter ruin, was the sad lot of him whose patriotic self-devotion had more than once or twice saved the American Republic from an equally disastrous fate, while the American Congress sat, calm and unconcerned, near by, and permitted, without an effort to save him, the nation's benefactor to be carried to a debtor's prison, in his old age, rendered the more aged by his labors in behalf of the country whose representatives composed that Congress. Marvelous as had been Robert Morris's patriotism and self-devotion in the country's hours of poverty and distress, more marvelous was that country's ungrateful apathy in his hours of poverty and distress. Even now, when more than seventy years have passed over the shameful page, no true American can read the record of Robert Morris's four years

1 Having given engravings of Mr. Morris's City Residence, and of his Country Mansion, "The Hills," where he had enjoyed years of plenty and happiness, I was anxious also

to give a picture of the scene of his miserable imprisonment,

and of the "Twelfth street House," where he spent his declining months, but have been unable to procure any print or sketch to engrave from.

No. 3.

DEAR SIR

Your several favours of this day (if distressing Billets can be called favours) N° 1 to 6 were brought out by Charles this evening, by the last of them I see you had just rec'd mine which enclosed a Copy of the letter I wrote to the Trustees this Morning What you find right therein you will confirm and if anything you con demn correct it by a letter from yourself, for we must follow them up and at least do all we can to prevent an unnecessary Sacrifice of our property. I see by your N° 1 that you will need Sleep to night as well as myself and when I go to Bed I will say as they do in England over a pot of ale "Heres to you." My letter to the Trustees is a reply to this of yours without comment. Poor Boone, Poor Nicholson, Poor Morris, Poor Steritt, Poor Sheaff, Poor

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but who is not poor, except Ashley & This replies to N° 2. I have sworn to let no body inside of my House and not to go outside of the Walls myself. If I see them it is out of a Window I being upstairs and they down, when I snuff the Open Air it is on the Top .... You have got a Boone, but it is of that sort that you & I have

too many of, what the plague will You do with it, I wish to answer this question myself but cannot, and fear it will equally puzzle you. N° 3. Damin the Actions Descript and Non Descript I hate them all and have a great mind not to "tir one tep" Cha Young, I do not like thee Cha" Young, neither do I like thy business Cha' Young, but I feel for thy Situation and regret that my friend & I ever suffered thee to whistle away a Segar in our Company. N° 4. Suits again, a Curse on all suits say I, for they were good Comfortable Winter Suits

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would lead the Trustees and they would lead the
Comm" I think this would make as good a Scene
as Bates with Eo, Meo & Pleo or what are their
Names for I believe I am near them but not quite
right? do I write like a man in distress or one
deranged-perhaps I am both. Good Night. I
wish you rest.
ROB MORRIS.

Mr. Morris's moods were fitful, and his letters differ accordingly, widely in their tone; some, like the one above quoted, have a painful touch of pathetic humor here and there, others are strictly businesslike, and still others simply reflections of the writer's gloomy, despondent mo

June 6. 1798
60 block Evening

ments.

Suit followed suit, judgment succeeded

An Occurrme has happened that makes it very desirable that I should have a fest Minutes Coar crsation with Your Obserol

desirable judgment. His really

You.

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one might dispose of them, the more the better,
but these suits wherein a Lawyer is the Taylor are
neither good for Man, Woman, Child or Beast,
away with them, away with them to Chief Justice
McKean. He will dispose of them.
as to
N° 6 and last.
J made it first, however a
Word more to it: dont you think M' Ashley's
leading strings may give way, if the Comm" should
take the Studd, & I fear they will for some of them
we know are apt to ride resty, did you mark, "yes
I am sure you did" Gen' Forrests expressions
about the dapper little Dorsay-has not he got the
Trustees in leading strings. now if we could cast a
Noose round his Muzzle we might lead him, he

Dr SIR

valuable property

all sacrificed, and his person was all that remained for his creditors. Meanwhile, every effort was made by Mr. Morris to dispose of the wild lands, speculations in which had brought his troubles. Under date of January 15th, 1798, I find the following note:

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J hope this will find you safe but how long you will continue so God only knows. Here is new trouble discovered for us. William will call on you with this & he will communicate to you the Contents of a letter I have just received from Mr. Tilghman this Morning J regret that it had not come out here last Night. According to this Law there is no safety for Person or property because under pretence of Searching for the latter they will come at the former. This gives a new turn to our Affairs & William will consult with you as to what is best to be done by you & by your Fellow Sufferer

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ROB MORRIS.

JN° NICHOLSON, Esq He could not much longer avoid arrest. Mr. Brotherhead gives an extract from a letter of a week later, which I copy-it bears date "Jan 31, 1798," and is, I believe, like the others I have quoted, addressed to Mr. Nicholson. He says: My mind is so much disturbed about going to prison, that I do not get along with business. Indeed, I hardly think it worth while to submit any longer to the drudgery of it; for if I am once locked up by anybody but myself, I shall consider my ruin as sealed; and if so, why should I any longer submit to the racks and tortures occasioned by the importunities and insatiable avarice of creditors that I never knew or dealt with? I will not do it; but if I keep my present position, my exertions shall be continued to make the most of my affairs, in the hope of paying everything and of having a suitable surplus for the benefit of my family."

I have not the original of the last foregoing, and have followed Mr. Brotherhead's punctuation which is more exact than was usual with the writer. Mr. Brotherhead expended no little labor upon a search of the court records to determine when Mr. Morris was first consigned to the "Prune street Prison," and found that, "Tho gh the first commitment was made out for Morris on the 18th of January, 1798, yet it is certain he was not in prison before the February following," etc. I have in hand a short autograph epistle from which we may determine the day of his entrance into "Prune street Prison:"

Dr SIR

HILLS, Feb 14, 1798

My Fate is fixed, J now send for Jn° Baker that J may surrender myself to him rather than to Charles Eddy.

JOHN NICHOLSON, Esq

ROB MORRIS.

On the 14th of February, 1798, or possibly the ensuing morning, Mr. Morris became a prisoner for debt.

During his incarceration, few of his former friends evinced the least interest in him or his troubles; among the few, the most attentive, until he, too, became a prisoner, was his partner in the disastrous land speculations, John Nicholson; but another deserves special mention, because his friendship was of that purely unselfish type which is far too rare, and ever wins, as it merits, the respect of all, even of those incapable of emulating it-I allude to Thomas Fitzsimmons, an Irishman by birth, a Roman Catholic in religion, a thorough American in devoted love to the Colonies and to their successors, the United States, and withal a noble-hearted man; a successful merchant, of the firm of George Meade & Co., of Philadelphia, he served with credit as a captain in the Revolutionary army; a inan of enlightened views, he was a popu lar legislator, serving in the State Legislature, in the National Congress, and in the Convention for drafting the Constitution of the United States. He was at this time a merchant, not wealthy, but influential and successful; had his means been equal to his large heart, or had there been a num ber more like him, Mr. Morris would not have lain four years in prison. As it was, he was the great man's steadfast, constant, trusted friend, and as such frequently visited him in prison, comforted, advised and strengthened him. I give herewith, on the preceding page, a fac simile copy of a short note from Mr. Morus to this faithful friend, which shows that the prisoner appreciated his friendship sufficiently to call upon him when he felt the need, and never did he call in vain.

I quote one more note from Mr. Morris to Mr. Nicholson, from which we learn one means adopted by the former to relieve the tedium of his weary prison life; we learn, too, that, despite his assurances of a tranquil frame of mind, apprehen. sions of the prevalent malignant fever of the fall of 1798 were added to the miseries of his

situation:

JN NICHOLSON, Esq

DEAR SIR

Sept 8th 1798

J rec'd yours of yesterday & have this Morning applied a little of the black Lead to the Rollers of my Press and find it answers like a charm Jam quite Well this Morning and William is now here with me but seems to have a Rheumatick

Complaint hanging about him Doct' Biglow who attends Mr W Harrison says she is much better, and that she has not the Malignant or prevailing Fever, but as you say I wish we were relieved of the intercourse by having her Hushand & also her Father restored to her. I wish your servant Girl away from you unless she is recovered for this Fever is truely Malignant, and People in general seem extreamly alarmed, we continue to be tranquil here I hope you are & will continue so, Shall J see you tomorrow. Your ob ROB MORRIS Mr. Morris was released from prison in 1802, under the General Bankrupt Law enacted by the Congress in that year.

The "Holland Land Company" of New York had purchased some of Robert Morris's lands, and Mrs. Morris's signature was needed to give validity to the deeds. Under the advice of Gouverneur Morris, she demanded and obtained a life annuity of two thousand dollars before affixing her name. She rented one of two houses built by John Dunlap, the distinguished printer and journalist, and gallant trooper, in Twelfth street above Chestnut; here she set up a modest establishment; here she welcomed her husband upon his release; here she faithfully ministered to the poor old man in his decline to the grave, and here she continued to reside after he had passed hence to a happier clime, until she, too, was called home.

Robert Morris was in his seventieth year when he came forth from his cruel imprisonment, an old man broken in health and spirits, a mere wreck of the Great Financier of the Revolution. A naturally strong constitution enabled his devoted wife, with God's blessing upon her untiring care and loving ministry, to prolong his life until May 7th, 1806, when he calmly and happily passed to his eternal home.

Though my paper on Robert Morris has been unavoidably lengthened beyond the limits given to other "Memorable Americans," even beyond those I had prescribed for him, nevertheless I have

not had space to render full justice to the noble patriot and his unparalleled services to the American Republic. I have been compelled, in many instances, dogmatically to assert what I should have preferred didactically to prove, and have had to omit altogether many facts which would have added materially to the intrinsic value of my sketch.

I am under obligation to Robert Coulton Davis, Ph. G., Mr. William Brotherhead, and John H. Campbell, Esq., for the loan of a number of valuable letters and notes, some of which I have quoted, and others have been useful as reliable bases for statements.

REMARKS.-We have been favored by the gentlemen named above, and by Mr. John McAllister, Jr., with the loan of the originals from which we have had the several illustrations engraved for this paper; by Mr. Davis, with the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Morris; by Mr. McAllister, with the "Birch" view of "The Hills" mansion; by Mr. Brotherhead, with the picture of the City Residence, southeast corner of High (now Market) and Sixth streets; and by Mr. Campbell, with the "Birch" view of "Morris's Folly."

Mr. McAllister also kindly related to us some interesting facts concerning the residences of Robert Morris: The city residence was built by him soon after his success as a merchant justified the outlay, which, when pressed bricks had to be imported, was not small, as the edifice was commodious. It was sold by Robert Morris's Trustees, but who was the first purchaser we are not informed. In 1804, the prosperous merchant, Mr. Godfrey Haga, grandfather of Mr. John Jordan, Jr., of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, became its owner, and he occupied it until 1815, when he sold it to the Schuylkill Bank. "The Hills" mansion was for many years his favorite home, and a beautiful, delightful retreat it was, with its elevated, finely-wooded site, and with the extensive conservatories and other accessories with which wealth and taste had supplemented the advantages of nature. In 1798, Mr. Henry Pratt, a successful merchant, bought the property, and in the following year, or 1800, erected on nearly the old site the mansion which still stands, and is now known as "the Lemon Hill Mansion," in Fairmount Park.

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