Page:American Archives, Series 5, Volume 2.djvu/84

31 Ordinance, and ordered to be signed by the President; the said Ordinance follows in these words:

"An Ordinance for the Appointment of Justices of the Peace for the State of P "Whereas it is necessary that proper officers of Justice be appointed under the authority of the people only, and deriving no power whatever from the late Constitution: Be it therefore ordained and declared, and it is hereby ordained and declared, by the Representatives of the freemen of the State of P in General Convention met," That "David Rittenhouse, Jonathan B. Smith, Owen Biddle, James Cannon, Timothy Mailack, Samuel Morris" the elder, "Samuel Howell, Frederick Kuhl, Samuel Morris the younger, Thomas Wharton the younger, Henry Keppele the younger, Joseph Blewer, Samuel Miffiin, George Gray, John Bull, Henry Wynkoop, Benjamin Bartholomew, John Hubley, Michael Swoope, William Lyon, Daniel Hunter, Peter Rhoads, David Espy, John Weitzal, and John Moore, Esquires, Members of the Council of Safety, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for this State. "And that Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, George Bryan, James Young, James Biddle, John Morris the younger, Joseph Parker, John Bayard, Sharp Delany, John Cadwallader, Joseph Copperthwaite, Christopher Marshall the elder, Francis Gurney, Robert Knox, Matthew Clarkson, William Coates, William Ball, Philip Boehm, Francis Casper Hasenclever, Thomas Cuthbert the elder, Moses Bartham, Jacob Schreiner, Joseph Moulder, Jonathan Paschal, Benjamin Paschal,Benjamin Harbeson, Jacob Bright, Henry Hill, Samuel Ashmead, Frederick Antis, Samuel Erwin, Alexander Edwards, Seth Quee, Samuel Potts, Rowland Evans, Charles Bensel, and Peter Evans, of the City and County of Philadelphia, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the City and County of Philadelphia. "And that Joseph Hart, Richard Walker, Joseph Kirkbride, John Wilkinson, John Kidd, Robert Patterson, John Clark, James Benezet, Samuel Smith, James McMullen, Theophilus Foulke, Joshua Anderson, George Wickart, and Thomas Long, of the County of Bucks, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Bucks. "And that Alexander Johnston, William Clingen, Evan Evans, Richard Baker, John Sellers, Nicholas Fairlamb, John Jones, John Wilson, William Heslet, Israel Whelin, William Deney, Samuel Bond, and Robert Mendenhall, of the County of Chester, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed. Justices of the Peace for the County of Chester. "And that Emanuel Carpenter, Edward Shippen, William Henry, Michael Hubley, William Bausman, Ludwig Law- man, James Bird, James Work, Timothy Green, John Thome, Moses Irwin, John Ferric, Zaccheus Davis, David Jenkins, John Whitehill, James Clemson, William Brown, James Murray, Robert Thomson, Robert Barber, Thomas Whiteside, Michael Bright, and Christopher Wegman, of the County of Lancaster, Esquires, are hereby made, con- stituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Lancaster. "And that Robert M'Pherson,Martin Eichelberger, Sam- uel Edie, David M' Conaughy, Richard M ' Calister, Henry Slagle, Matthew Dill, William Rankin, William Lees, William Bailey, JVilliam Scott, William Smith, William M' Caskey, Josias Scott, Thomas Latta, William M' Clean, and John Mickle the younger, of the County of York, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Jus- tices of the Peace for the County of York. "And that John Armstrong, John Byers, John Reynolds, Jonathan Hoge, Robert Miller, George Robinson, John Holmes, James Olivar, John Agnew, John Alison, James 'Maxwell, Samuel Lyon, William Brown, James Dunlap, John McClay, William Elliot, Matthew Henderson, and Frederick Watt, of the County of Cumberland, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed. Justices of the Peace for the County of Cumberland. "And that James Read, Peter Spyker, Jacob Morgan, George Douglass, Mark Bird, Henry Chriest, Baltzar Gear, John Patton, Thomas Dundas, Christopher Witman, Richard Tea, and Bastian Levan, of the County o[ Berks, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Jus- tices of the Peace for the County of Berks. "And that Robert Trail, Jacob Moory, Christopher Wag- ener, Henry Kooken, John Weitzel, Peter Traxler, Senior, Nicholas Dupui, Evan Morgan, Robert Forgeman, and Henry Bamet, of the County of Northampton, Esquires, are hereby made," constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Northampton. "And that Bernard Dougherty, William Proctor, George Wood, Abraham Cable, Thomas Smith, Thomas Coulter, Henry Lloyd, John Piper, Samuel Davidson, M^lliam Latta, John Wilkins, JVilliam Todd, Benjamin Elliot, Wil- liam Parker, Evan Shelby, David Jones, Henry Rhoads, William Johnston, William M'Leavy, Gideon Ritchey, John Mellot, Edward Coomb, Hugh Davis, Mattheiv Pat- ton, Robert Ramsey, Benjamin Bird, John Shaver, Samuel Thompson, William Phillips, William Holliday the yoanger, Charles Cessna, John Mitchell, and Richard Brown, of the County of Bedford, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Bedford. "And that Samuel Hunter, James Po'iter, Tt'llliamM' Clay, Robert Moodie, John Lowden, Benjamin Weiser, John Fleming, Henry Antis, and John Simpson, of the County of Northumberland, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Northumberland. " And that Robert Hanna, JVilliam Lockray, Alexander McLean, Providence Mounts, Andrew M'Farlin, James Pollock, James Caval, Samuel Shane, Thomas Scott, Michael Hufnagle, James Wilson, David Allen, Benjamin Davis, Philip Rogers, Joseph Caldwell, James JVilkins, JVilliam Elliot, George Latimore, and Samuel Bums, of the County of Westmoreland, Esquires, are hereby made, constituted, and appointed, Justices of the Peace for the County of Westmoreland. "And be it further ordained and declared, That the said Justices, and every of them, shall have full power and au- thority to take acknowledgments of deeds, and cognizance of criminal offences and breaches of the peace. And in cases of petty larceny, under five shillings, to proceed to punishment. "And be it further ordained and declared, That the laws which were in use before the dissolution of the late Govern- ment, shall be the rule of their proceedings, so far as the same may not be inconsistent with the oath or affirmation hereinafter directed to be taken and subscribed, and that the style of their precepts shall be in the name of the State of Pennsylvania. "And be it further ordained and declared, That the said Justices, and every of them, before they respectively enter upon their office, do take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation : " I do swear or affirm, that I do not hold myself bound to bear allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Bri- tain, and that I will steadily and firmly, at all times, promote the most effectual means, according to my skill and know- ledge, to oppose the tyrannical proceedings of the King and Parliament of Great Britain against the United American States, and to support a Government in this State on the authority of the people only; and that as a Justice of the Peace I will do everything in that office to the best of my knowledge and abilities, consistent with the freedom and i independence of this State. I "And be it further ordained and declared. That the Mem- bers of the Council of Safety above named, do make and subscribe the said oath or affirmation before their President j for the time being ; and that the Justices appointed for the ' City and County of Philadelphia, do take and subscribe the same oath or affirmation before Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, Samuel Morris, Samuel Ashmead, and Alexander Edwards, Esquires, or one of them ; and that the Justices appointed for the County of Bucks, do take and subscribe the said oath or affirmation before Joseph Hart, Joseph Kirkbride, and John Kidd, Esquires, or one of them; and that the Justices appointed for the County of Chester, do take and subscribe the said oath or affirmation before Richard Baker and John Sellers, Esquires, or one of them; and that the Justices appointed for the County o( Lancaster, do take and subscribe the said oath or affirmation before Jfil- liam Henry, John Hubley, John Thome, and Moses Erwin,