 Wheeler was taking her and her two young sons along with his family en route to his posting as US Minister in Nicaragua.The case received national coverage because abolitionist Passmore Williamson was jailed for contempt of court by a federal district judge, and because of conflicts between state and federal laws related to slavery.After verification and editing, Gates arranged for publication of the novel by Time-Warner in 2002, as "The Bondwoman's Narrative" by Hannah Crafts (Author), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor) (it includes material about his authentication and trying to identify the author.)