Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

Apology of the Paxton Volunteers - 11

Lancaster Borough to witt

Before me the Subscriber chief Burgess of the Borough aforesd. personally appeared Anne Mary Le Roy of the Borough aforesd. & made Oath on the holy Evangelist, that in the year 1755, when her Father John Jacob Le Roy & divers others were murdered by the Indians at the great Makanoi, She this Deponent & her Brother with others were made Prisoners, & taken to the Kittitannian an Indian Settlement, & that she remained a Prisoner with the Indians untill the year 1759, in which year she with three other Prisoners made their Escape.

That during her Captivity with the Indians; the French Officers were furnished with the Pennsylvania Gazette weekly, or once in two Weeks; so that a frequent Correspondence was carried on: That she saw strange Indian messengers come with Intelligence; & that the French Officers and Interpreters, with whom she was employed, told her this Deponent, that these Messengers were the Conestogoe Indians, & that the English had not one Indian in their Interest but one, & that was Isaac, & farther added that all the Conestogoe Indians were willing to take up the Hatchet against the English when the French requested them.

And this Deponent farther deposed & saith, that since the Time of her Escape from the Indians, Bill Sock’s reputed Mother came to her at Lancaster, & after some Enquiry about the Indian Family the was Prisoner with, she this Depont. enquired, whether she the sd.Bill Sock’s Mother had been out in any of the back Parts, who replied that she never had, but that her Son Bill had been out often & would go out again, & that he was good for Nothing, or Words to the Purpose.
That some Time during this Deponent’s Captivity aforesd. an Indian named Jo Compass appeared at the Kittitanian aforesd. having two Children of one of Peter Leek’s Prisoners, & told her that he had killed both their Father & Mother; & this Deponent farther deposeth, that she knew the sd. Peter Leeks & his Wife before they were killed, & knew their Children aforesd. before they were made Prisoners; and that the sd. Jo Compass frequently went out to War from the same Kittitanian whilest she was Prisoner there, & was said to be sent out against Swatarrah, Taulpahakin, Canegogie, & the South Branch; & that she saw the same Indian Jo Compass at the Last Indian Treaty held at Lancaster.---

Sworn before me at Lancaster aforesd.
This 25th Day of February 1764
Anna Marie Le Roy
James Bickham

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