Jephson is an American citizen who is a qualified doctor and well-known, fervent opponent of slavery. He explains that he was wounded while fighting for the Union during the American Civil War, and was nursed by an elderly black woman, who was aware of his abolitionist work. As a way of thanks, she gave him a small, carved, black stone. She said that the stone was a lucky charm that had been in her family for many generations, and that it would keep him from harm.