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tlie said Joseph Wait levelled his Pistol at this Deponent, by which this deponent was put in fear andDread of his Life, That the other Rioters thereupon in General fell upon the said Sheriff and his Possewhich they soon overpowered, and forceably and Violently Seized this Deponent and others of thesaid Posse, and Carried them to the House of the said Joseph Wait where the Sheriff was informedby the said Rioters that one at least of his said Posse so taken they would hold Prisoners until hethe said Sheriff, this Deponent and some others should enter into Bond for Five hundred Poundaccording to the best of this Deponents Remembrance and Belief to be forfeited if the matters forwhich the said Sheriff was then attempting to take them were any further prosecuted, or if any ofthe Inhabitants of Windsor should be prosecuted at the then next General Sessions for any Crimeswhatsoever, And further that the said Sheriff should Engage to make Return upon the Processagainst the said Nathan Stone, Joseph Wait, Benjamin Wait and Samuel Stone, that they could notbe found in his Bailiwick—That after detaining this Deponent a Prisoner in the said House forupwards of Seven Hours the said Sheriff & this Deponent with the rest of the Prosse were set atLiberty and Suffered to Depart, And this Deponent further Deposeth that on the fifth day of Junelast while tills Deponent was attending the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for the said Count)' inthe Business of his Profession at the Township of Chester in the said County one BenjaminThurston and one David Getchel seized this Deponent then in the House of John Chandler Esq r Clerkof the Peace for the said County and forceably and Violently Carried him away from thence &were soon after joined'by David Stone, Elisha Hawley, Enoch Judd, Ebenezer Curtis, AndrewNorton, Elnathan Strong, Joseph Thompson Steel Smith, Nathan Stone, Joseph Wait Benjamin Wait,Samuel Gridley Jacob Getchel Ebenezer Horsington, Simeon Mills, Solomon Emmons JonathanNoble, Samuel Winston, Joseph King, Ebenezer Hey wood, Aron Bartlett since Deceas’d and someothers to the number of near Thirty Persons who were armed with sticks & who surrounded thisDeponent and after pulling, shaking and Twitching this Deponent with the utmost Cruelty forceably& violently hurried this Deponent along with them with the utmost precipitation to Charlestown inthe Province of New' Hampshire obliging this Deponent to w ; alk the whole way thither beingTwelve Miles distant from the said Township of Chester that on the Road they used this Deponentwith great Incivility & Cruelty by pulling Twitching and Shaking him, that this Deponent remainedin the Custody of the said Rioters at Charlestowm aforesaid about Tw'elve Hours from whence theycarried this Deponent to a place called Windsor in this Province distant about Tw'enty miles fromCharlestown aforesaid that by means of the abuses this Deponent Received as aforesaid the greatfatigue he underwent & the Grief and anxiety of mind & fear he laboured under, this Deponent felt himself much indisposed and Intreated that his ill state of Health might excite Compassion ,notwithstanding which the said Rioters often threatened this Deponent & could hardly be prevailedon to allow him to retire to sleep altho he stood much in need of that Refreshment—That thisDeponent urns not suffered to w r rite to his wife to Quiet her mind as to the dreadful apprehensionsshe must have Entertained of w'hat had befallen him, nor to any other of his Friends but with theutmost difficulty & first submitting to have his Letters perused & approved of by the Rioters,That the said Rioters made use of the most shocking Threats to this Deponent in Case he shouldattempt to Escape, swearing that if this Deponent urns anywhere between Heaven & Hell he shouldbe taken again That this Deponent on Sunday the Tenth day of June aforesaid effected his Escapebeing detained six days a, Prisoner in the Plands of the said Rioters—And this Deponent furtherDeposeth that on arriving at Charlestown aforesaid the Rioters in discourse said “we have nowbroke up the Court: if w r e thought w r e had not Effected it we ■would go back and bring away one°f the Judges” (or to that purpose) and more than once asked this Deponent whether he thought
VOL.
IV.
50