.NTI.MTI3Mg

Capt. Parris wished me to go + see him forthwith; that Mr. Caswell had broken open his store + robbed him; that, there was a terrible time. I went + found Caswell on the retreat, + the old Capt., in his night cap + gow, astraddle of Caswell's chest, in which, he thought, there were stolen goods (beer + candy). The poor old man trembling all over, + crazy as a coot, presented the most ghost-like appearance I ever beheld. It was a sad picture. Miserable man, almost 100 years old, tottering upon the brink of eternity, yet perfectly insane with the miserly fear of losing a few cents worth of candy. It was a long time before we could so far quiet him as to open the chest, + show him that Caswell (as crazy as himself) had nothing in [?] that belonged to the Company. Capt. Parris is a man of good natural [underlined] abilities; + I do believe, Zadoc, if he had begun in season [?], as you have, + continued in the habit of taking counsel from the Bible, + of praying for guidance from God, he would have been a far different man, now, + a far happier, + could not be such a pitiable spectacle of the debase-ment of the human soul, by [?] to the grosser passions of his nature. A word of caution. Don't join any street jams, keep aloof from all riots + rows. Keep well your distance from strangers [underlined] + look out for pickpockets. I would not walk much alone in obscure [underlined] parts of the city. There are many snares + dangers in cities, which may not be escaped without much caution.