louisa picquet, the octoroon: or inside views of - Negro Artist

Louisa Picquet, the Octoroon 30
sold at the same time with her in Mobile, as her husband. The letter is, of
course, written by some white person, and is printed exactly as it is written.
There is a fact worth recording in regard to the first letter that reaches Mrs.
Ramsey. It is thus described by Mrs. Picquet:
"I had been tryin' hard to find out where my mother was twelve years, after I
came to Cincinnati; and when I get that letter written, I just put my trust in the
Lord to go with it. I had tried so long, and could not get no word at all. I prayed
to the Lord to go with each seal. There was three envelopes: one to take the
letter to my friend at St. Louis, to mail the letter that was in it to Matagorda for
me. That letter was directed to the postmaster in Texas; and a letter to him in it,
asking him, if Col. Horton was alive, to send it to him, and, if not, to send it to
some of his children. And I prayed the Lord that he would work in the hearts of
the man in St. Louis, and the postmaster at Matagorda, that my letter might
reach my mother.
"In that letter I ask Mr. Horton if he would please to read it to my mother, to let
her know that I was yet alive; and, if he did not feel disposed to read it to her,
would he be so kind as to drop me a few lines, just to let me know if she was
alive; and, if she was dead, how long ago, and how she died; and, if she was
livin', if she was well, and how she looked--just to ease my mind, for I had been
weighed down with sorrow to see her for many years. I told him I had no silver
nor gold to pay him; but I trust the Lord would reward him for his kindness, if
he would do that much for me. I told him I had great faith in the Lord; and I
would pray that his last days might be his best. I tell him if she was livin', and
he would sell
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her, I would try to buy her. If I thought she would die the next week, it would be
a great comfort for me to have her here to bury her."
Thus it seems that the Lord did go with the letter, and that Mrs. Horton read the
letter to Louisa's mother. She then wrote two letters, but they did not reach Mrs.
P. One of them, the one containing the button and the ring, was afterward found
in the post-office in Matagorda, by Mrs. Ramsey. It was probably either not
stamped, or not properly directed.
As soon as Mrs. P. got the first letter from her mother, she wrote two letters
back, one to her mother, and the other to Mr. Horton, and both dated and mailed
24.03.2006