Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-09-04
From the Delaware Gazette Of esd JaIs

AFFIDAVIT p STEPHEN DREDpEy.
BE it remembered, that on tbs 1915
day Of July, 1917, voluntarily sp.eared
before Nltsou Pepper, one of he lu,.
ees Of the peace. in and tor su>s K coas.
ty, in the STATE Of Delaware, S,easu
Dredden, a free negro Of Broad Creek
Hundred, IN said county, Il belrg swyrl,
10th depo,e and declare, Tha, on Ii.
| 20,h DAY of June last past, tso Of bis
children were stolen, kidnapped 4 tskss
from his house and carried lnto the TAI,
| Of Maryland, aud that he doth beil.r.
| from the information given to him, u:.
that they arr concealed and held by VI
Geoge Dsshield, a negrs trader, RESI-
ing Oh YncomIco river, at the lower is,
nv, unless lie has sent them to the sorl.
ern market. That he has been iniormt.,
and DOH believe, that William ReggL
son VI Isaac, and William Banning, aLd
some others mot necessary TO name, wen
concerned in tie offence That the ci,.
cumstances are nearly as follow: Va.
Regsin aud VIM. Banning, each OF All.
ed warrants from a justice VI the peso
against dCpOnent on pretended c'alHa,
and on the Aforesaid 10Th OF June las,
wa. the day for trial. That previous
said day Resgin aud Banning d.i al! Ii
their power 10 impress upon dePonentts
absolute necessity OF deponent's soinsn
Laurel. That they would obtain jag
uent unless deponent went. That on
Thursday before The day If tiaI, Sala
Moore, who lives about 200 yards trou
depJuent's house, came In and pc suadet
deponent to 90 to Laure', AID ADVISED
deponent's VIE also to g., aud said tia.
unless she went the traders would 81.
tempt to stea! dePonent. The next morn.
ing (trlday) she came in very early, and
agal pressed upon Leponent's vile to gu
aud said she would take the Children u
her house aud keep them. After O'Clock
deponent and wife started for Laurel, and
lett his five children il the care IF Sarah
Moore. And this depoDent's daugh,er,
about nine years old, has Informed depc.
nent, which he doth believe, that in abOg,
one hour after deponent aud wife lett Gi,
housr, she, the said Sarah, went into tie
woods, and when she returned she Orte:-
ed deponent', daughter TO put down III,
child, IA months Old, and leave it in ih.
care Of the next oldest, about 5 years old,
until she, the said Sarah, depuneat,
daughter and two sons should go into Ii.
woods alter fuel Ter the FIRE. The depc-
nent's daughter refused, s then she took
depouent's Two sons into the woods and
returned without them, and remained
until deponeut returned from Laurel,
withou, giving her.elf any concern about
the children, only stating to the depo'
nent's daughter, that she had left then
hunting alter BIRDS nests But depoBea
believes his children we're delivered ors;
to Regsin, Banning, and two Others b!
the SAID Sarah Moore; because they VIE
seen 10 pas. the mill dam Of MIR Qull.ei
about that time ofthe day, going towards
opponents house, and they are all knOHr
to be negro tra~ers. peponent's chiidHh
were taken to woods where they wsr.
concealed until night, when they wee
seen about ten O'Clock to pass towa"'
Ma yiand i'll possession OF the parties
WIll,m Regsin aud William BanD'f3
arrived at Laurel alter the negroes vsE'
scared III tie woods; and before the'
could be ready for trial, were seen pr
vateIy talking wi,h George Moore, a De
gro raider, at which time depsnent BE-
lieves the bargain was made for the sax
of his children. That after the trIsi
were ended. which was about hall a.
hour betnre sunset, land which were "
ten,ionally delayed BY Rigging and B:1
ning) deponent and his wife started 10 :
home, where they arrived about daf
expecting to fDd their children safe, spt
without sny fears about them. But, Wit
what sorrow aud anguish Of soul, VT
found cur child:en gone, we leave to
Their parents to describe. All the consS Z
la,ion offered by Sarah Moore, was "dot Z
grie,e about your children, it is n"
wor Ii while for you will never see ther
any more. The lamentations who /.
we're made brought our neighbors iroH
two miles TO our house, and they wef
unable to resist the feelings which
much excited us-They involuntary
burst forth into lamentation and shed
tears Of grief. They were parents, aha
had children, and they saw that W., too
black, we're parents too, and 's