The Conduct of the Paxton Men Impartially Represented - 18
(m) ABRAHAM NEWCOMER, of the County of Lancaster, one of the People call’d Menonists, and by Trade a Gun-smith, hath personally appeared before the Chief-Burgess of Lancaster, and upon his solemn Affirmation hath declared. “That divers Times within these few Years, BILL SOC and INDIAN JOHN, two of the Canestogoe Indians, threatened to scalp him, for refusing to mend their Tomahawks, and swore they would scalp him, the Affirmant, as soon as they would a Dog.”
He further affirms, “that a few Days before the Indians were killed in the Mannor, Bill Soc, aforesaid, brought a Tomahawk to him to be steel’d, which this Affirmant refusing to do, the said Bill Soc threatened and said, you will not you will not!---I’ll have it mended to your Sorrow.---From which Expressions this Affirmant hath declared, that he apprehended Danger from said Soc.”
Mrs. T---P--N, a Lady of Character, of the Borough of Lancaster, also personally appear’d before the Chief-Burgess, and upon her solemn Oath on the Holy Evangelist, hath declared, “That sometime in the Summer of the Year 1761, Bill Soc came to her Appartment, and threaten’d her Life, saying, I kill you, and all Lancaster cannot catch me; which put her into great Terror. And this Lady hath further depos’d, that said Bill Soc added, this Place (meaning Lancaster) is mine and I will have it yet.”
CAPT. JOHN HAMBRIGHT, a Gentleman of Reputation, and an eminent Brewer of the Borough of Lancaster, personally appeared before ROBERT THOMPSON, Esq; one of the justices of the County of Lancaster, and made Oath on the Holy Evangelist, that “about August, of the Year One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Seven, he, this Deponent, being an Officer in the Pay and Service of the Province of Pennsylvania, was sent with a Party from Fort Augusta to Hunter’s, for Provision for that Garrison: That on his way down he halted, under cover of the Bank of the River Susquehannah, to rest and refresh his Men, at M’Kee’s old Place, having a Centry fixed on the Bank, behind a Tree, to prevent a Surprize: That the Centry, after some time, informed that there were Indians coming up the Road; upon which this Deponent crawled up the Back, and discovered two Indians, one of which he knew to be Bill Soc (one of the Indians lately killed at Lancaster:) That he suffered them to come pretty near, and then discovering himself, called to Bill Soc to come to him, imagining he was going, as usual, to Fort Augusta, where he had often seen him among the Indians: That the Indians then immediately halted, and after consulting about a Minute, ran off with their Greatest Speed, which at that Time much suprized this Deponent, as the said Soc had always pretended Friendship, and no Violence
