Accordingly, I consecrated every day and every evening of every week of term time to my duties, so long as I was principal of that school, excepting only the afternoon and evening of every Saturday. Those hours I always gave up to some kind of recreation. So much as this about myself, the readers will soon perceive, is pertinent to the tale now to be unfolded. Some time in the month of October, 1842, an interesting young man, calling himself George Latimer, made his appearance in Boston. He was so nearly white that few suspected he belonged to the proscribed class. But soon afterwards a Mr. Gray, of Norfolk, Virginia, arrived in the city, and claimed the young man as his slave. At his instigation a constable arrested Latimer, and the keeper of Leverett Street Jail took him into confinement. Their only warrant for this assault upon the liberty of Latimer was a written order from the said Gray. It was as follows:-- “TO THE JAILER OF THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK. “SIR,--George Latimer, a negro slave belonging to me, and a fugitive from my service in Norfolk, in the State of Virginia, who is now committed to your custody by John Wilson, my agent and attorney, I request and DIRECT you to hold on my account, at my costs, until removed by me according to law. “JAMES B. GRAY. “BOSTON, October 21, 1842.” To this high-handed assumption of authority was added an indorsement, by a young lawyer of Boston, of which the following is a copy:-- “BOSTON, October 21, 1842. “I hereby promise to pay to the keeper of the jail any sum due him for keeping the body of said Latimer, on demand. “E. G. AUSTIN.”