The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-04-02 00:00:00, page 1

WILMINGTON Dikrid, North-Carolina.
PETER SIMON, of Rhode-Ikand, maketh oath
on the holy evangelists of Almighty God, that he was
on board a vessel bound from Dominica to Ocracock,
and taken off Hatteras by the sloop General Gage,
George Stibbles maker, and brought into Cape-Fear about
the twenty-fifth of February. That Captain Collett was on
board the said iloop when this deponent was taken, and was
very communicative with him, (hewing his papers and in
ftruftiohs, and informing what route he was to take, &c.
That the said Collett said, he expected to find General Clin
ton here with fifteen or sixteen hundred men, and that the
General was to be reinforced in April with nine thousand.
After this junction, they were to march to Cross-creek by
way of Waggamaw, and there join General M'Donald.
That there was only a fufficient number of men for a garri
son to be left at Boston, and that twenty-five thousand men
were to be landed in the Jerfies, between Philadelphia and
New-York, in flat bottomed boats, and that if they could not
possess New-Yoik, they were todeftroy it. That the said Collett
declared^ that he would kill man, woman and child, referr
ing all the young ladies for his private pleasures. That the
night before last, this deponent, with several other persons,
made their escape, and came up to Wilmington ; and farther
faith not. PETER SIMON.
Sworn to before me, the ninth of March, 1776.
WILLIAM PURVIANCE.
(Copy) JOHN COOKE, Secretary.
NEW HANOVER county.
WILLIAM RADDON, of the city of Philadelphia,
mariner, maketh oath on the holy evangelists of Al
mighty God, that he failed from Philadelphia, the eleventh
of February l^ft, as maker of the iloop jofeph, bound for
South-Carolina or Georgia. That on the thirteenth follow
ing he was taken by the sloop General Gage, on board of
which was Capt. Collett, and brought into Cape-fear. That
Lieutenant Pitcairn informed this deponent, that every trans
port vessel that was to come from England was to bring one
or more flat bottomed boats. That this deponent has seen
the deposition of Peter Simon, made this day, and was in
formed by Captain Collett of the several circumkances
therein mentioned. That Lieutenant Osborne, of the Raven
iloop of war, informed this deponent, that there were to be
sixty fail of armed vessels, of different sizes, stationed on the
coak, and twenty fail of twenty gun Grips and sloops of war
were to be on the coak from England in April; and that
bomb-ketches were to be brought out, to throw bombs into
those places where drips of war could not go up, and were
particularly intended againlt Philadelphia, because the Con
gress fits there; and that he made his escape with Mr. Simon,
and others. WILLIAM RADDON-
Sworn to before me, the fifth of March, 1776,
WILLIAM PURVIANCE.
(Copy), JOHN COOKE, Secretary.
WILLIAM RADDON, within named, fattier depofeth,
and faith, that on or about the 27th of February, this
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Vol. lI.J
Price only Pico Coppers. Published every Puejday, Phurfday, and Saturday Evenings.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1776.
165
deponent being then on board the Falcon Iloop of war, Capt.
Lindsey, and Lieut. Wright, who commands an armed iloop,
declared that they had intended that night to go up to the
town of Brunswick, with about an hundred sailors, to set the
town on fire in front, kation their men on the back of the
town, and destroy man, woman and child, that escaped from
the flames ; but the reason they did not put their design in
execution was, that the sloop commanded by Lieut. Wright
got aground when ihe went out to examine what vessel the
iloop General Gage was, and that afterwards Lindsey told
Wright that the inhabitants had left the town, and therefore
it was of no use to burn it. WILLIAM RADDON.
Sworn to before me the ^th of March, 1776,
John Cooke, Secretary.
WILLIAMSBUR G, March 22.
Last Tuesday General Clinton, and the troops he carried
out with him a few weeks ago, arrived in Hampton road
(from North Carolina it is supposed, where his presence is not
now necessary, since the defeat of the Tories) and this day,
we hear, he went out of the c&pes again, but upon what ex
pedition time only can unravel. We wiffi it may prove as
fortunatgas his Carolina excursion.
While'a couple of tenders were on their way up James river, r
last Thursday night, which was very dark and stormy, one of
them got faft aground below Jamekown, within a small dis
tance of the shore ; and the crew, finding it impracticable to
get her off, flayed on board till next morning, when all hands
left her, and rowed to the other tender, leaving behind a
number of cannon balls, a quantity of salt, some sailors clothes,
&c. They then proceeded up to a plantation of Mr. Har
rison's of Brandon, from whence they dole eight steers out of
a cart, and twelve lean cows, which they kaughtered and
took with them, for the use of Lord Dunmore's hungry fleet
and army, robbing the overseer likewise of all his household
goods, Gripping the Negro cabbins, and carried with them,
by force, two valuable Negro men, as recruits, we suppose,
for the royal regiment of black fufileers.
About ten days ago, a koop tyound from Hispaniola to
Philadelphia, the property of Mr. Beveridge, merchant, in
that city, and commanded by Capt. Forrester, was taken in
the bay by a tender belonging to the Roebuck man of war ;
and one Rogers, a midshipman, with five seamen, were put on
board to conduct her to Norfolk; at the fame time taking,
outall the hands, except the mate and a boy. In her voyage
thither, one of the calks of wine in the hold becoming leaky,
ty some accident, the midklipman and his party went down
to kop the leak, when the mate and boy, with great address,
ffiut down the hatches and secured the prisoners, and then
pushed for the Eastern Shore with the vessel and cargo, the
latter worth at leak four thousand pounds kerling. Captain
Hammond, on hearing of this affair, ordered Captain Forres
ter, who was on board the Roebuck, up to the prison klip at
Norfolk, in a pilot boar, under the escort of a midshipman
and fix hands ; but the vessel running aground on an oyster
bank, two miles below Lord Dunmore s kr-p, the midmipman
ordered one of the fcamepjato a canoe to do Something, for
[Num. 187