546

CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS.

they pleased and that neither the said Sheriff or any of his men should have entrance there and thatif he offered to take possession of the said Court House they would send him and all his men toHell in fifteen minutes. That soon after the said Sheriff sent the Deponent and the Deponents Fatherwith warrants to collect farther assistance and the Deponent of his own Knowledge can deposenothing further of the Transactions of the said Rioters at the Court House being prevented fromreturning by being taken Sick through Fatigue. That besides the above named Charles Davenporthe saw among the Rioters who had so taken possession of the Court House,—Leonard Spaldingof Putney Farmer, Hosea Miller of Fulham yeoman and Daniel Serjeant of Fulham Farmer all theseappeared to be principally active and besides these the Deponent recollects to have seen among thesaid Rioters Fail-bank Moore Junior of Fulham Farmer, and Elias Wilder Junior of Fulham Farmer.That both the above Deponents have heard and verily believe it to be true it being the commonReport that afterwards on the Evening of the same thirteenth day of“March the said Sheriff andthe Magistrates after having Repeatedly required the said Rioters to disperse without effect did aboutnine of the clock in the Evening pick out Ten or a dozen of his Party and arming them with stavesexcept one who had a Sword and directed them to take possession of the Court House that theyattempted it twice but were beat back, that thereupon to intimidate them three Guns were firedover their heads just above the Door. That thereupon the mob returned the fire from the House.That one of their Balls entered the Cuff of the Coat of Benjamin Butterfield Esquire one of hisMajesty's Justices of the Peace for the said County of Cumberland which went out of the elbowwithout hurting him and another went through his Coat Sleeve and just grazed the Skin. Thata pistol was discharged by one of the Rioters at Benjamin Butterfield the Son of the above namedJustice Butterfield so near that the Powder burnt a large hole in the breast of his Coat and oneWilliam Williams received a large wound in the bead by one of the Balls discharged by the saidRioters. That thereupon the Sheriffs Party to the number of four or five fired upon the Riotersand killed one besides wounding several others when the Sheriff Commanded his Party not fire anymore but to push foward with their Staves which they did and finally took possession of the CourtHouse after much Resistance and several of the Rioters Prisoners that thereupon the Rioters sentParties all armed to New Hampshire and the Neighbouring Counties for more force. That thenext morning the Prisoners so taken were discharged certain accounts having been received that theRioters were returning with Reinforcements and the deponent Oliver Church farther saith that onWednesday the fifteenth Instants being at Brattleborough he saw about sixty Rioters going towardsWestminster armed and headed by one Cochran who said he was the Captain of the GreenMountain Boys and declared he would have Revenge for the man that was killed and those thatwere wounded and his Company declared in general that they would have blood for blood particu-larly saying that they would have the Blood of the said Sheriff Samuel Gale Clerk of the said County and one Lieutenant Osgood: And the said Joseph Hancock for himself further deposeth and saiththat he was warned by the said Oliver Church to go to Westminister to the assistance of the Sheriffand Magistrates That he went from Brattleborough early on Tuesday morning the fourteenth instantwith about fourteen others and met several Flying parties of the Mob who said there would beanother Rally and they expected a second Engagement That when they arrived at Westministerwhich was about noon of that Day they found the Court had met and adjourned to the afternoon andthat every tiling was in great confusion from an expectation of the Return of the Rioters That in theafternoon of that day the Rioters began to come up in several parties whereupon as the Deponent hasheard and believes the Judges adjourned the Courts to the next Town no Business having been doneThat on the evening of the same day the Deponent was in the said Court House with the said Sheriff the mob having by this time collected a Strong Body to the amount of about Three hundred, That