Though she had generated publicity through her legal victories and memoir, Truth was still not yet widely known beyond the abolitionist and suffragist communities. After Matthews was acquitted of the murder and Isabella was found to be innocent of being an accomplice, she filed and won a slander lawsuit against the Folgers, becoming the first African-American woman to win a civil case of that sort. Remembering Battle Creek's black trailblazersÄuring the trial, Benjamin and Ann Folgers, members of "The Kingdom of Matthias," attempted to implicate Isabella, accusing her of attempting to poison them. MORE: The rise and fall of Harmonia, home of Sojourner Truth While living at Matthew's estate on the Hudson River in 1834, Pierson suffered a series of seizures, but was denied medical treatment and died. She then became a housekeeper for Robert Matthews, also known as Prophet Matthias, who had a reputation as a con man and cult leader. Isabella moved with Peter to New York City in 1829, where she worked as a housekeeper for evangelist Elijah Pierson. Watch Video: Watch: Sojourner Truth Day in Michigan
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