Though the friends of human freedom made reasonable allowance for a man brought up under such demoralizing influences as Thomas Hughes had been, they of course felt less confidence in him, than they would have done had he sought to obtain liberty by some more commendable process.  Being aware of this, he returned to his master, not long after he acknowledged the theft.  At one time, it was proposed to send him back to the South; but he swore that he would cut his throat rather than return into slavery.  The best lawyers declared their opinion that he was legally entitled to freedom, in consequence of his master’s written promise to manumit him if the money were restored; consequently some difficulties would have attended any attempt to coerce him.  He was tried on an indictment for grand larceny, convicted, and sentenced to the State Prison for two years; the shortest term allowed for the offence charged against him.  Through the whole course of the affair, he proved himself to be a very irresolute and unreliable character.  At one time, he said that:  his master was a notorious gambler; then he denied that he ever said so; then he affirmed that his first statement was true, though he had been frightened into contradicting it.  When his time was out at Sing Sing, he expressed to Friend Hopper and others his determination to remain at the North; but after an interview with Mr. Darg, he consented to return to the South with him.  Although he was thus wavering in character, he could never be persuaded to say that any abolitionist advised him to take his master’s money.  He always declared that no white man knew anything about it, until after he had placed it out of his own hands; and that the friends who were willing to aid him in procuring his manumission had always expressed their regret that he had committed such a wrong action.  He deserved praise for his consistency on this point; for he had the offer of being exempted from prosecution himself, and used as a witness, if he would say they advised him to steal the money.

When Thomas Hughes consented to return to the South with Mr. Darg, it was with the full understanding that he went as a free man, consenting to be his servant.  This he expressed during his last interview with Friend Hopper, in Mr. Darg’s presence.  But the newspapers represented that he had voluntarily gone back into slavery; and such was their exultation over his supposed choice, that a person unacquainted with the history of our republic might have inferred that the heroes of the revolution fought and died mainly for the purpose of convincing their posterity of the superior advantages of slavery over freedom.  However, it was not long before Thomas returned to New-York, and told the following story:  “A short time before my release from prison, Mr. Darg brought my wife to see me, and told me we should both be free and enjoy each other’s society as long as we lived, if I would go with him.  He said I should suffer here at the North; for the abolitionists would