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He construed my earnestness into anger, and thrust me from him, determining to risk this result at all hazards.

From that fatal time, all good influences seemed to have forsaken him, and he left to pursue his downward way, with no power to resist evil or flee from the tempter. Reason, conscience, judgment, prudence, consistency and affection, all, all directly sunk into the fatal sleep of stupidity or death.

From that point, I have never had a protector in my husband. He has only been my persecutor! In a few weeks from that time, he forcibly entombed me within the massive walls of Jacksonville Asylum prison, to rise no more, if he could prevent it. He told me he did this, to give the impression that I was insane, so that my opinions need not be believed, for, said he, "I must protect the cause of Christ!"

CHAPTER II.
Evil Forebodings.

About three weeks before my incarceration, Mr. Packard came to my room and made me a proposition for withdrawing from the class. Said he:

"Wife, wouldn't you like to visit your brother in Batavia?"

"I should like it very well, if it is not running from my post of duty."

"You have not only a perfect right to go, but I think it is your duty to go and get recruited."

"Very well, then, I will go with the greatest pleasure. But how long do you think I had better make my visit?"

"Three months."

"Three months! Can you get along without me three months? and what will the children do for their summer clothes without me to make them?"

"I will see to that matter; you must stay three months, or not go at all."

"Well, I am sure I can stand it to rest that length of time, if you can stand it without my services. So I will go. But I must take my baby and daughter with me, as they have not fully recovered from their influenzas, and I should not dare to trust them away from me."

"Yes, you may take them."

"I will then prepare myself and them to go just as soon as you see fit to send us. Another thing, husband. I shall want ten dollars of my patrimoney money to take with me for spending money."

"That you can't have."

"Why not? I shall need as much as that, to be absent three months -- with two sick children. I may need to call a doctor to them; and besides, my brother is poor, and I am rich, comparatively, and I might need some extra food, such as a beefsteak, or something of the kind, and I should not like to ask him for it. And besides, I have your written promise that I may have my own money whenever I want it, and I do want ten dollars of it now; and I think it is no unreasonable amount to take with me."

"I don't think it is best to let you have any. I shan't trust you with money."

"Shan't trust me with money! Why not? Have I ever abused this trust? Do not I always give you an exact account of every cent I spend? And I will this time do so; and besides, if you cannot trust me, I will put it into brother's hands as soon as I get there, and not spend a cent but by his permission."

"No, I shall not consent to that."

"One thing more I will suggest. You know the Batavia people owe you twelve dollars for preaching one Sabbath, and you can't get your pay. Now, supposing brother 'duns' and gets it, may I use this money if I should chance to need it in an emergency? and if I should not need any, I won't use a cent of it. Or, I will write home to you and ask permission of you before spending a dollar of it."

"No, you shall neither have any money, nor have the control of any, for I can't trust you with any."

"Well, husband, if I can't be trusted with ten dollars of my own money under these circumstances, I should not think I was capable of being trusted with two sick children three months away from home, wholly dependent on a poor brother's charities. Indeed. I had rather stay at home and not go at all, than go under such circumstances."

"You shall not go at all!" replied he, in a most excited, angry tone of voice. "You shall go into an asylum."

"Why, husband, I did not suspect such an alternative. I had rather go to him penniless and clotheless even, than go into an asylum!"

"You have lost your last chance. You shall go into an asylum!"

Knowing the inflexibility of purpose which characterized my husband, I knew there was no refuge for me in an appeal to his humanity, his reason or his affection, for a commutation of my sentence. I therefore laid my case before our kind neighbor, Mr. Comstock, who professed to be a kind of lawyer, and sought his counsel and advice.

Said he: "Mrs. Packard, you have nothing to fear. It is impossible for your husband to get you into any insane asylum; for before he can do this, you must have a jury trial; and I can assure you there is no jury in the country who would pronounce you to be an insane person, for you give every evidence of intelligence that any person can give."

As this Mr. Comstock had been a constant attendant at our Bible-class for some time past, and had thereby heard and seen all the evidence which could be brought against me; and as he professed to understand the law on this point, this unqualified and positive assertion served to quiet my fears and anxious forebodings to a considerable degree. But had Mr. Comstock known the law as it then was, he could not have made this assertion. He probably took it for granted that the common principles of justice characterized the Illinois statute laws, viz: that all its citizens should be allowed a trial before imprisonment; but being mistaken on this point, he blindly led me astray from the truth.