224 Assembly Proceedings, November 1-December 20, 1765.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 52
Dec. 11

to Head one of the Companies and on his Refusal they desired him
to acquaint the People at Annapolis that they were coming
10.^th Dec.^r 1765 Evan Shelby
In the Council Chamber
Taken and Sworn before Copy
Henry Hooper

Doctor David Ross deposeth and saith That some Time before the
1.^st of last Nov.^r viz About the 27.^th or 29.^th of last October he was
at a place called Sharpesburgh in Frederick County where M.^r Joseph
Chapline was then making over sundry Lots in that Town to persons
who had purchased them of the said Chapline and that the said
persons being solicitous to get their Conveyances perfected before
the Stamp Act should take Place Col.^o Sam.^l Beall attended as a
Magistrate to take the Acknowledgments of M.^r Chapline that some
Time in the Even^g of that Day when the above Business was trans-
acted M^r Chapline was told that there was an Express come to him
upon which he left the Company and returning in a very short Time
produced a Writing to the people who were assembled and told them
he had received it by Express from Col.^o Thomas Cresap in Order to
get it signed by the People that M.^r Chapline gave the Writing to
Col.^o Beall to read it to the People there met and that it was a Writing
addressed to the Lower House of Assembly in Substance as follows
to the best of this Deponents Memory and Belief Viz It expressed a
Satisfaction of the Conduct of the Lower House in opposing the
Stamp Act and intimated a Reliance that they would endeavour like
the renowned ancient true Roman State to suppress any future
Attempt to deprive them of their Liberty it also expressed that the
Signers were informed that a very large unjust Claim in Tobo was
made against the Public by parlar Gent in Annap.^s preventing the
payment of other just Claims and desiring that if the said unjust
and dishonourable Claims should still be insisted upon that the Lower
House would give speedy Intelligence in Order that the Signers
might come down and cause justice to take Place This Deponent
saith that after the said Writing was read by Col.^o Beall he this
Deponent read it and counted the N.^o who had then signed it to be

p. 326

about 35 but that none of the Company present when the said Writing
was produced did sign it in the presence of this Depon.^t This Depon.^t
rembers that M.^r Chapline jocularly asked Col.^o Beall if he would
sign who answered that he did not like Hanging or Words to that
Effect And this Depon.^t saith that observing the Writing to be of a
threatening Nature he jocularly asked if no more Riffle Men could
be got from above and that it was then said by some of the Company
that it was one of the Old Col.^s Schemes by whom he understood
Col.^o Cresap to be meant
Council Chamber 11.^th Dec.^r 1765 David Ross
Sworn before Henry Hooper