60 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1733/4.

Lib. M.

His Excellency lays before this Board the following Depo-
sitions taken before Robert Gordon Esq^r One of His Lordships
Justices of the Provincial Court the fifth Day of this Instant
February

The Deposition of Thomas Cresap of Baltimore County
Planter Aged about Thirty One Years

This Deponent being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of

p. 100

Almighty God deposeth and saith that on Tuesday the
Twenty Ninth Day of January last about two Hours within
Night, a Considerable Number of Men (some of them this
Deponent heard Declare there were fifty) Came on horse back
& on foot to this Deponents house and Ordered the Door to
be Opened, and some of them Swearing that if he Did not Im-
mediately open the Door and Surrender himselfe to them they
would Oversett the House, others that they would Burn it and
the People in it. That this Deponent being Apprehensive
that the said persons Intended to do him some Mischief
Barred and Secured his Doors in the best manner he could,
that some of the said Persons Attempted to pull some of the
Clap boards off this Deponents house, And with an hand spike
or some other Instrument forced the Door off the hinges &
Endeavoured forceable to get in. That this Deponent Dis-
charged a Gun amongst them after they had forced the Door
off the Hinges. That afterward some of them got by force
into this Deponents house, and one of them Assaulted him,
and that he verily believes that one John Hendrick a neighbour
of this Deponents & his Servants were among the said Persons,
And this Deponent further Deposeth and Saith that one of
the said Persons had like to have killed a Young Child in this
Deponents house, and that he [is] afraid of being Murthered
in his house by the meanes or procurement of the said John
Henderick. That one Ross an Inhabitant of Donegall one
John Nicholls of Prince Georges County & William Lin-
ville were among the said Persons. That some of them
were Armed That one of them Dropt a Pistol near this De-
ponents Door w^ch one of the People in the house with this
Deponent took up, and which Pistol one of the Persons
who came in the Violent manner before mentioned to
this Deponents house Attempted to discharge into this De-
pon^ts house against this Deponent or some of the People who
were with him in his house, That this Deponent Talking with
the said Hendrick some time since in a friendly manner de-
sired him to take up his Land under the Lord Baltimore and
live peaceable. To which the said Hendrick Answered that he
valued not the Lord Baltimore, for that he the said Hendrick