CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS.

401

best Road, & easyest Way, he advised M> Whiting if he went across the woods in New York Govern-ment, to Albany , to get one Stockwell as a Pilate, who he s d he believed knew the way, at thisTime, and at another time, viz, when the Deponent was going with s d Whiting, across to Albany , s dWells & Arms, at Arms’s house, Treated s d Whiting, his assistants, & the Prisoners, with Liquors & c& all were very cheerful, M 1 ' Wells merrily said had you gone with the Prisoners thro’ Massechusetts,I guess Grout would have arrested you, this Depo 1 heard M> Wells merrily say so another Time, M rWhiting seemed to resent this. M r Wells thereupon s d he did not know that he meaning Groutwould do so for he had not seen him before he went down & only had heard he had gone down theRiver, perhaps that may be his Business, surely (says he) If I had desired that such a Thing shouldbe done, I should not advised you, not to go that way, (or to that purpose) This deponent furthersays that he has not the least reason to believe, that any such thing was intended by s d Wells, AsGrout he is sure knew before he left Whiting, and the Prisoners, at Hinsdale, that Whiting intendednot to go thro’: the Massechusetts Bay, but across the Woods to Albany . This Depo 1 further says,that s d Wells advised him, & his s d Brother, to go with Whiting, & be obedient to him & not toattempt any Escape, that the doing it would be greatly to the Prisoners Disadvantage, & never s dany thing Contrary to the Deponent or to any other Person as he knows of, that as to a Number ofPeople following Whiting, & others this Deponent, had not the least expectation of such a thingand cannot guess what moved the people to it unless it was this, that when Whiting moved off withthe Deponent & his said Brother he rode on Horseback, & the Prisoners went on Foot, they did notTravel so fast as he inclined to ride, upon which he told this Deponent , & his s d Brother, that unlessthey traveled faster he would tie them together with Ropes or Straps, and throw them across hisHorse , and carry them that way, or tie them to the Tail of his Horse. What makes this deponentbelieve these threats Occasioned the people to Assemble, and follow as afores d is this, that whenthey came to M r Stockwell, where Whiting & the Prisoners lodged, & found the Prisoners had notbeen used in the Manner threatned as afores d they committed no Violences.

Willard Dean.

Sworn before me this 11 th day of July 1770.

Ol® Willard.

County of Cumberland ss: William Dean Brother to the above Willard Dean Being duly Sworn,did depose and say, after Reeding the aforegoing deposition, that he knows the contents thereof to bejust and true.

William Dean Jun r .

Sworn before me the II th day of July 1770.

Ol® Willard.

City of New York ss. Samuel Wells of the Township of Brattleborough in the County of Cum-berland and Province of New York Esq r being duly sworn upon the-Holy Evangelists of AlmightyGod deposeth and saith that on the Second Day of September in the year of our Lord one thousandseven hundred and sixty nine Benjamin Whiting Esq 1 ' came to his House and told him he was goingto Doctor Wells’s and about an hour and an half or two Hours after returned w r ith Ebenezer Fisherwho he said was his Prisoner and that Willard and William Deane were likewise his Prisoners atHinsdale and that he had taken them all on Process from the Court of Vice Admiralty in NewYork aforesaid for cutting down White Pine Trees. That this Deponent then asked the said Benja-min Whiting which Way he intended to carry them whether thro’ the Governments of MassachusettsVol. iv. 51