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The Deposition of James Gaddes Aged 31 Years or thereabouts
being sworn deposeth and saith, That upon a Supposition of his
being the informer, in Consequence of which a Seizure was made
on the Sloop Speedwell, Charles Allen Commander — a certain George
M.cCall & many others broke open this deponants House and Daniel
Shanibrooke, and M.r Middleton (a Store keeper under M.r Thomp-
son) Seized him and tore from off his Back this Deponant's Cloaths,
Tar'd and feather'd him, and a certain James Smith (son of W.m)
threatned to Murder him, if this Deponant should attempt to men-
tion any of their names, tho' at the same time they were all dis-
guised, That Mordecai Gist, Capt. Button [?], Samuel Owens,
Nathaniel Smith, Dominick Ireland, Capt. John Jones, Isaac Grist,
M.r Hollingsworth and many others, then drove this Deponant be-
fore them thro' Baltimore Town, in a Cruel and Barbarous Man-
ner, and Compelled him this Deponant to Swear "Damnation to all
Informers or Informers Mates" and threatened to Hang him if he
Attempted to make any Resistance — That they the afsd Persons
obliged this Deponant to knele known [sic] under the Gallows and
beg his Life, and then beat and Abused him a Cruel and most Inhu-
man Manner — That they then carried this Deponant to Thomas
Jones Esq.r Pump, and pumpt water on him still continuing to Beat
and Abuse him put a Bible into his Hand and wanted him to Swear
that he should leave his Wife and Family in three Days from that
Time — and upon this Deponants refusing to do so, they then asked
if he had given the information to the Custom House Officer relative
to a Brig that was Supposed to have some Contraband goods, that
this Deponant declared he had not, they then made him swear to
that effect on the Holy Evangel, and bid him run Home — That
the Day following the afsd Persons came to his House while he lay
Sick in his Bed (occasioned from the Beating and Bruises as afsd)
and ord.d him to go to Capt. Elliotts Coffee-House in Fells Point,
where he this Deponant went, and was told by Jan[?] Venbebber a
Justice of the Peace for Bait City, Nath.l Smith & many others
(whose names he cannot recollect) that if he this Deponant did not
leave Baltimore Town by the Saturday week following, they would
either hang or burn him & further saith not —
James Gaddes
The aforegoing Deposition sworn to this tenth Day of May 1773
before Us the Subscribers two of the Right Honourable the Lord
Proprietary of the Province of Maryland his Justices of the Peace
for Ann Arundel County.
R Ghiselin
Wm Steuart
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MS Vertical
File, Md.
Hist. Soc.
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