Volume 01, Pages 248-249
3 December 1677.
First the occasion of their secureinge the Records & imprisoning the Presidt is, that thereby the Countrey may have a free parlemt & that from them their aggreivances may be sent home to the Lords, wch are
breifely these; In the first place (omitting many hainous matters) hee denied a free election of an Assembly and hath positively cheated the Countrey of one hundred and thirty thousand pounds of Tobacco which hath raised the levie to two hundred and fifty pounds of Tobo per head more then otherwaies it would have beene besides neer twenty thousand pounds of Tobo charge he hath brought upon us by his pipeing guard & now Capt. Gillam is come amongst us with three times the goods hee brought last yeare but had not beene two houers on shore, but for the slip of a word was arrested for one thousand pounds sterling & many affronts and indignities thrown upon him by ye Presidt himselfe, in somuch that had hee not beene earnestly perswaded by some hee had gone directly out of the Countrey and the same night (about midnight) hee went aboard with a brace of pistolls and presenting one of them cockt to Mr Geo. Durants breast & wth his other hand arrested him as a Traytour and many other Injuries, mischiefes and grievances hee hath brought upon us, that thereby an inevitable ruein is comeing (unlesse prevented) which wee are now about to doe and hope & expect that you will joyne with us therein, and subscribe this 3d day of 10ber 1677.Willm Crafford, Willm Bird, Edwd Wells, Jno Halford And 30 more wch for brevitie I omitt to insert
ALBEMARLE IN CAROLINA.
Edward Wade aged 34 yeares or thereabouts, who deposed, saith that the within said writeing is a true Coppy of that which this Deponent (as Marshall Generall at that time of the Country aforesd) com̄anded and seized from Samll Pricklove about the fourth or fifth of Decembr 1677 who was comeing upp therewith (as yor deponent supposeth) to publish itt in the precincts of Pyquomons, after hee had drawne itt wth his own hand writeing from the originall Remonstrance (soe called by and) from the Pasquatanckians, wch they sent out upon their Rebellious riseing in armes, breaking sundry locks, stealing the publicke Records & then seizeing & and imprisoning Mr Tho. Miller then Presidt & Comander in cheife undr the Honble Governr deceased his Majts Collecr & deputie for the Rt Honble the Earle of Shasbury &c. with two more of the Lds Proprs deptyes wch originall Remonstrance was written by one John Culpeper as the sd Samll Pricklove told mee and further saith nott.
Sworn before me this 22 of Agust 1679.
The rebbells first paper called a Remonstrance and Mr Wade's testymonye dated 10ber 3d 1677.
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