The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-09-18 00:00:00, page 1

Mr. Watson,
SIR,'
fl ^THOUGH I esteem it improper to introduce perfona,l
/ K ° r p ar ty controversies, in which the public are no ways
i.ucrefted, into a public news paper, much more so, for any man
or body of men, anting in a public character, under the malk
of that chamber, to gratify their own private pique, or raise
fufpidons and * jealousies of their neighbours, Nevertheless, as
vpu have been pleased to insert in your papers, two letters from
the ' lommirr.ee o Correspondence for the town of Killingworth,
to CC. G. Sa'/opdaH, Essy of New-London, with his aniwers,
and abb aletter 1 had wrote to that worthy gentleman who has
long honoured me with L friendihip, in answer to one I re
ceived from him, inclofing a copy of his second letter to our
committee, whi-h they very demurely tell the world providentially
fell into their hands, which letters I make no doubt you infert
e V mere to comply with tne preffing importunities of feme of your
Killing-worth cifomers, than with any expectations of gratifying
the main body ofy 4 r readers---! therefore think I have a right
through the fine channel, to date to the public, thejuft grounds
and reasons I had for wrirng in the manner I did---the way
and manner by which the fame came into their possession, which
&y are pleated to terra providential---by what method the aEling
part of the committee were introduced into the important flation
they sustain---the power and authority with which they are
tefced---and the honorable motives which influences their conduct
---all which 1 shall execute in as concise a manner as pcffible,
: ^nd as soon as my j ufinefs will permit. As the committee had
difeovered by my second letter to Col.°Saltonfta!l, which fell
into their hands in the like-providential manner, that I Had no
copy of my firft, they took the liberty to omit certain passages
which would by no means serve their designs if made public,
and for that rea'fon prudently omitted them, and to excuse
themselves by faying, those passages did net concern the public,
and no doubt hoped I never should be able to deted their im
position on the,public, having by my second letter discovered I
had no copy of my firft. There can be no doubt the design of
the committee, in their public character was to represent me to
the public in a suspicions and odious light, as unfriendly.to my
country, and an enemy to American liberty---Their attempt,
however, to execute their design, is very awkardly and bunglinly
exprefs'd, and will not succeed, I presume, but with the weak
;,nd unwary part of mankind. Had they inserted my whole
^letter; without omissions or alterations, I would have fuffered
the imputation of the barbarous Englif aud falfefuelling, crowd
ed into my letter, without troubling either them or the public
with a reply ; as Col. Sal ton stall's letters with regard to spelling,
had fuffered the fame, although they have not presumed to
corrupt or alter them, as their own publications, would have'
evinced to the world, what I had wrote was true, viz. that the
a^in? part of the committee conld not write with coherency, good
fafe, or good manners.
- As lab now furnifhe.l with a copy of my letter, which I pre
sume is the hand writing of one of that committee, who fub
feribes himfefin his late publicationsCcMmif^ Clerk, & for that
frafon mult be presumed t< be the most learned of th?t refpe&a
ble body, and that full faith and credit is to be given co it, as it
is inserted at the top to be a true copy of an intercepted letter,
dated zzd July 1775. I ffiall only at this time insert some of
those passages from their copy which they fay is a true copy of
my letter, which they thought proper to omit, that the public
may judge, whether those passages which they thought proper to
suppress, do not as much concern the public as any other parts
of my letter which they thought proper to publilh, viz. " I fe
ver wanted to fee you so mu™ch in my life, what do you thi:.k ?
Can America again unite with Great- Britain, unless a revolution
takes place ? Can they ever yield obedience to the present reign
ing family who have wantonly died the blood of Americans ?
' Will Americans be fatisfied without damages and costs ? --It is
very evident all their measures (meaning ministerial measures)
are disconcerted, and operate the reverse from their intentions,'
' and it is evident, an infidel muff give in to it, that God in a
signal manner has crownedour attempts, even those that were
concerted with the greater improbability of success---to him
'be the glory," &c. &c. These were some parts of my letter,
which our committee, who would be thought to act upon the
most delicate points of honour, thought proper to suppress, with
what views! leave the public to judge. Had I thought when I
penned these sentiments, my letter which was wrote to an inti
mate friend, and in great haste, would have been piratical^ seiz
ed, and unjufly detained from rae, and the person to whom it was
direfted, and in such a manner held up topublic view, I should
The Cendeßicut COURANT, and Hartford WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER.
MONDAY, September 18, 1775.
have wrote them with greater circumfpedion---But all my inti
mate friends with whom I cbnverfe, know and can fay, a date
of independency is not what I wife, but what Ifear.
I am really sorry I am obliged thus to expose the mean trairf-^
aliens of our committee, as it reflects diffionour on the town in
which I live : but! think it my duty to let thd'public know,
that the greater part of the present anting committee, were cho
sen at a town meeting warn'd on the 22a of June last, great part
of cur most fnbftantial farmers not approving cf the meeting at
that tnfy season of the year, did not attend--.net more than a
fourth part of the legal voters being present--- the committee
were doubled, to serve particular putpofes and designs, which
I think myfelf bound to make public as soon as my business will
permit. Your inserting thus much at this time, will oblige
your humble servant, Benja, Gale..
To the Friends 0/ American Liberty.
WE the committee of infpedion of the town of Windsor
being fully persuaded that unanimity and similarity of
sentiments and practice appears to us absolutely necessary for the
fafety of this country and the defence of cur just rights and IL
berties, against the most unjust and wicked attempts to deprive
us of them ; and as the resolutions of the continental congress
is the united voice of America,and a sacred regard to the fame,
the grand cement that forms our union which give, us our great
est importance in the cause of liberty, and which llrikes terror
into the inmost fouls of the infamous tools of despotism ; it ap
pears to us that every one that publickly contemns or fyeaks
Lightly of the gentlemen that form, the congress in their congres
sional character, or of their resolutions, ought not to pass unno
ticed by the friends of American liberty, especially by those
whose particular business it is to infpc& the conduct of their
neighbours—lmpreffed with these fentiments,we were inform
ed by Sundry persons that Sihvnus Griswold of this town, and his
family (by his orders) laboured'on the day of the continental
faft, and that he spoke very difrefpeafully of said epngfefe and
their resolutions. We thereupon duly certified the said Grifoold
to appear before us,and he appeared accordingly, and after three
days /pent in hearing him and examining into the fame,theftate
of the case (as it was fully proved to us) is as follows, viz.
That on the morning of the day of said faft, he the said Sil
vanus ordered one Thorn, then living with him, to take his team
and fetch home a small load of wheat, which he did according
ly ;---that Grifadd himfelf went to Sheffield between five and fix
miles and put his cattle out of one pasture into another--- took
up about twelve rods & a half of flax, and then returned home
ward with a horse which he fetched from said pasture and upon
his return terne called at the house of Isaac Owen in Suffield,
and being there enquired of whether the people at Windsor kept
said faft or not, said Griswold replied he supposed feme would and
some would not, but as for his part be bad ordered his people togo to Work
in the forenoon and told them they might go to meeting in .be c^ternoen if
they were a mend to, but that he looked upon it a curjed thing in the
congress to appoint a faft in barvf time---and then came home and
found his Negro man and one. Mather not to have laboured in
the forenoon agreeable to Jiis orders which he gave in the morn
ing, which greatly offended him, and in the afternoon he sent
said Thorn and his (the said Griswold's) Negro man with the
said horse bro't from Suffield about 14 miles to the northwest
part of Simfbury to reap.---This is the t: ue date oi the case but
we being desirous to reclaim an offender by the most tender and
humane treatment, rather than indiEt the righteous punishment
that his offence deserved, readily accepted of his declaration
and confeffion. as published in the Connecticut Courant No.
557, which he declared he freely fubferibed & defiredit might be
madepublic ;---and we were greatly furprized to fee in the said
news paper the publication of said GQfaold, explaining the said
confeffion which was intirely foreign from the truth, for we of
fered him to date the wholes a&, which he refufed tp do, but he.
was desirous that such a falfe one might be made as he has jub
lilhed, which was refufed by us ; which publication ofhis, hav
ing wholly destroyed his former confeffion, we lacked upon
ourselves obliged to call him Kfore us and deal with him as his
conduct deferved.---A.nd we thereupon duly notified the said
Griswold to appear before us this day, and he appeared accord
ingly and the depositions of several of the witneffrs duly taken,
were read, and it was proposed to the said Griswold to make
fatisfadion to the public for his cilice by confeffing his fault
and promising reformation, upon ®ii& he made the following
confeffion. ,
I Silvanus Griswold do hereby confefs the fa&s abovefated by the
committee of infpeElion of the toiu* of Windsor is the truth, except the
curbing the congrtfs,which Ido f^ remember, but ts Idid,l confeJs it to
[Number 560.]