Forwarded from Dutch-Colonies list courtesy of Wayne! WayneLII@aol.com Pat Mount NJMIDDLE list > Abstracts of Wills Vol III 1730-1744 > > page 429 > COMPLAINTS TO COURT OF MAYOR AND > > > ALDERMEN. > > > In Liber 19 B > > [Continued from Vol. ii., of this series, page 466.] > To Sir Edmond Andross, Lieutenant and Governor-General. The Petition of > ROBERT ORCHARD, Sheweth: That ye petitioner going cively about his occasions, > with two other men living in Woodbridge, in New Jersey, and strangers in this > city, to Mr. Otto Gerritsens, a house of entertainment, as they were sitting > together at a table drinking a glasse of wine, without giving offence to any > one. Some Persons whose names are underwritten, without any reason or cause > given yt your petitioner knows of, being at another table, in ye same room. > First, one of them came and affronted your petitioner by turning his hatt > round his head, and speaking rude and angrily to him. Then another in like > manner till his hatt was throwne off his head. When he demanding ye occasion > of ye same, they all fell upon him to ye number of four, and beat, bruised > and wounded him with their knives, in several places on ye head and face, to > ye endangering of his life, as can be made to appear by severall testimonyes. > Notwithstanding which, Mr. John Archer, ye Sheriff of ye city, afterward > meeting him and reviling your petitioner with threatnings: Saying, Much good > may it do you, and, that, wee Duchmen shall meete with you againe. Whereupon > he being in a Passion and exceeding bloody with the wounds which he had > received in ye fray, gave him some reviling language, and spoke (as it is > said) unbecoming words of your Excellency, whereof he is not conscious to > himselfe to have been in > > Page 430 > > ye least guilty, yet he hath been fined in ye Mayor's Court ye sum of Å13. > Wherefore your Petitioner prays yt your Excelency will take his case into > your Serious Consideration. > > Samuel Smith, aged 34, being sworn, Says that on or about the 21st day of > June, 1680, he being in ye house of Otto Gerritsen, in New York in company > with Mr. Robert Orchard, there being in ye same room, a parcell of Dutchmen, > about foor, and they came to ye said Mr. Orchard and offered him some abuse > in words, and gave him a shove upon ye shoulder. And Mr. Orchard said to > them, How now, good fellow, I have noe concerns with you, pray mind your owne > concerns. And then they went away, but came againe and did as before. And one > of ye Dutchmen said: If you fight this man I will take his part. And then I > went to ye back door, and presently ye door was shut, yt I could not get in > to return to Mr. Orchard, but I heard a great noyse of fighting, and soon > after I saw Mr. Orchard wounded in ye head, in ye street at ye door of ye > house. > > Sarah Parker, aged 17, and Hester Dunham, aged 18. They state, That some > Dutchmen came to Mr. Orchard, and beat him down and kicked him, and dragged > him along ye floor, and trampled upon him, and cried out, Slay ye Hound. > > John Lawless, aged 22, Saith, I saw in ye house of Otto Gerritsen, Cornelius > Corsen, Andrew Juriansen, Lambert Durking, and Jacobus Corlee, beating and > striking of Robert Orchard, and ye said Cornelius Corsen took hould of Mr. > Orchard by ye haire, crying, Slay ye English Hound. > > Upon hearing this complaint, Cornelius Corsen and his associates were > sentenced to pay as a fine 40 shillings each, and to pay ye Surgeon for ye > cure of said Orchard, and to pay Sheriff's fees.