[Footnote 57:  Cf.  N.S.  Shaler, The Neighbor (Boston, 1904), pp. 166, 186-191.]

[Footnote 58:  E. g., J.H.  Russell, The Free Negro in Virginia, pp. 152-155.]

[Footnote 59:  J.H.  Martin, Atlanta and its Builders ([Atlanta,] 1902), I, 145.]

Although the free colored numbers varied greatly from state to state, their distribution on the two sides of Mason and Dixon’s line maintained a remarkable equality throughout the antebellum period.  The chief concentration was in the border states of either section.  At the one extreme they were kept few by the chill of the climate; at the other by stringency of the law and by the high prices of slave labor which restrained the practice of manumission.  Wherever they dwelt, they lived somewhat precariously upon the sufferance of the whites, and in a more or less palpable danger of losing their liberty.

Not only were escaped slaves liable to recapture anywhere within the United States, but those who were legally free might be seized on fraudulent claims and enslaved in circumvention of the law, or they might be kidnapped outright.  One of those taken by fraud described his experience and predicament as follows in a letter from “Boonvill Missouria” to the governor of Georgia:  “Mr. Coob Dear Sir I have Embrast this oppertuniny of Riting a few Lines to you to inform you that I am sold as a Slave for 14 hundard dolars By the man that came to you Last may and told you a Pack of lies to get you to Sine the warrant that he Brought that warrant was a forged as I have heard them say when I was Coming on to this Countrey and Sir I thought that I would write and see if I could get you to do any thing for me in the way of Getting me my freedom Back a Gain if I had some Papers from the Clarkes office in the City of Milledgeville and a little Good addvice in a Letter from you or any kind friend that I could get my freedom a Gain and my name can Be found on the Books of the Clarkes office Mr Bozal Stulers was Clarke when I was thear last and Sir a most any man can City that I Charles Covey is lawfuley a free man ...  But at the same time I do not want you to say any thing about this to any one that may acquaint my Preseant mastear of these things as he would quickly sell me and there fore I do not want this known and the men that came after me Carried me to Mempears tenessee and after whiping me untill my Back was Raw from my rump to the Back of my neck sent me to this Place and sold me Pleas to ancer this as soon as you Can and Sir as soon as I can Get my time Back I will pay you all charges if you will Except of it yours in beast Charles Covey Borned and Raized in the City of Milledgeville and a Blacksmith by trade and James Rethearfurd in the City of Macon is my Laller [lawyer?] and can tell you all about these things."[60]

[Footnote 60:  Letter of Charles Covey to Howell Cobb, Nov. 30, 1853.  MS. in the possession of Mrs. A.S.  Erwin, Athens, Ga., for the use of which I am indebted to Professor R.P.  Brooks of the University of Georgia.  For another instance in which Cobb’s aid was asked see the American Historical Association Report for 1911, II, 331-334.]