Description:

Native American - A vivid and detailed 1721 account of the capture of "... the Indian Hostages have some time ago deserted from ye Castle ..." by three Concord men petitioning for reward money




Manuscript Document Signed "Jonathan Griffyn," "Benjamin Harrington," and "Josiah Livermore," 1 page, 8.75 x 12.5," Concord, Massachusetts, September 19, 1721, a petition claiming a bounty fortune capture of a fugitive Indian who had escaped from Boston's island fortress, the "Castle." Expected folds with minor separations, some marginal chips and tears, majority of paper backed by an acid-free sheet for stability, overall very good condition.



The claim reads in some part, "... the Indian Hostages have some time ago deserted from ye Castle and upon fryday ye Eighth of this Instant Septr discovery being made of them in ye woods at or near Concord, that we your humble Informers did imediately pursue in ye design of taking them but three of them were taken before that we Could Assist in this matter & ye fourth was Swam over Concord River & had made his Escape on ye other side into ye woods after which Indian a Considerable number of people went out & Searched & after some Considerable time had been spent in Searching, being discouraged Returned back into town Excepting we your humbler informers above named who (after others had despaired or taking him Judging him to be by that time ten miles distant) still pursued further and found this Indian near ye River, who threatened to Shoot some of us with his arm[s] & shot 7 stab'd one of our dogs and swam back again over ye Said r[iver] but we hallowed & Mr. John Wood of Concord begin at Doctor Leas near where we found ye Indian heard us who mounted his horse & Rode Round before that Either of us Could get tither & first Laid hold on the Indian, & we with ye assistance of this man both found & took this Indian without ye help or assistance of any other persons ... "



Interestingly, our petitioners failed to mention one interesting aspect to this affair. According to a report in the New-England Courant, when the escapees "were pursu'd, one of them took to a River, and was fir'd upon twice, and wounded in the Face and Back before he swam ashore." (September 11, 1721, p. 4)

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