Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/110

82 Upon this second Riot, the Sheriff & those Justices, then present,made a Record thereof, on their own View, ag.t the s.d Roberts & 57. Others by Name, Inhabitants of the Countys of Essex & Morris, & Others, to them unknown, to the Number of 300, at the least. . ..

The Gentn of the Co.11 considering that most of the People concerned in the s.d Riots, are an ignorant People, & greatly imposed on, by a few wicked & designing Men, conceiving that a Gen.l Pardon, for the Crimes past, together with the s.d Riot Act, wo.d be the easiest & most effectual Method, to restore & secure the Peace of the Province, & knowing that Mercy to Criminals, ought to flow from the Crown, Some of them, therefore, interceded with the then Govr.r to grant a Gen.l Pardon, w'ch he seemed inclinable to do. . ..

By Affid.ts taken May 3.d & 8.th 1746, It appears that the Infection of the Riots was spreading into West Jersey ; For that the People settled on that Hundred thousand Acre Tract, in the County of Hunterdon, belonging to those Proprietors in & abot London, called the West New Jersey Society, within a fortnight then last past, had two great Meetings, in Order to stand by One Another in Defence of their Poss'ions ag.t the s.d  Prop.rs  (tho' by the Paper C. No 8, it appears that those People do own the Societys Title to that Tract, & that they themselves had no Pretence of Right to the same ; That they had agreed to a Paper, for that Purpose, & about 70. had signed it, at their Meeting on the 26.th Day of April ; That an Article was, That if any Person, seated on the s.d Tract, sho.d, refuse to sign that Paper, he sho.d be dispossesed, by the Rest, & his Improvem.t sold, by them to the highest Bidder, That sundry People, from Newark, & Eliz.a Town, were reported to have been present at the last of those Meetings, That, about Ten or a Dozen of them observed to be riding, continually, backwards & forwards, to & from Newark, Elizabeth Town & Cohanzey, where the Society have other Lands, & it was believed in Order to unite all, in One Combination. . ..

By these appear, Designs formed by the same Rioters for turning many other People out of Poss'ion by Force. It appears that they had erected Courts of Judicature, & determined Causes, by hearing One Side, but intended for the future, to hear both Sides ; That they had taken upon them to Choose their Militia Officers. By these appears how they buoy themselves up, with their Numbers, Friends & Strength, not only in New Jersey, but in New York, Long Island, Penilv.a & New England ; and that they are not afraid of any Thing the Governm.t can do to them ; And give out that, from their Numbers, Violences & unlawful Actions,