■ OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 131 



had settled by a Maryland Claim so far to the Northward by near thirty 

 . miles, we concluded them to be men of desperate fortunes, who would 

 rather defend their actions by force than trust them to the law, and that 

 opinion hath since been corroborated by others following their example,, 

 and settling on that side the river, Avho, when charged with oftcnces or 

 debt, would screen themselves under the same pretence, yet those men 

 Avould fly to our laws for redress against their own party, and they who 

 had fled from their creditors and the Laws of Maryland into this Pro- 

 vince, when such creditors pursued them hither, have refused obedience 

 to our officers and cried Maryland. Thus they proceeded to play booty, 

 disturbing the peace of the Government; carrying people out of the 

 Province by violence; taking away the guns from our friends, the In- 

 dians ; tying and making them prisoners without any offence given ; and 

 threatening all who should oppose them, and by underhand and unfair 

 practices, endeavoring to alienate the minds of the inhabitants of this 

 Province, and draw them from obedience to their party. Their insolence 

 increasing, they killed the horses of such of our people whose trade with 

 the Indians made it necessary to keep them on that side of the river, 

 for carrying their goods and skins; assaulted those who were sent to 

 look after them, and threatened them highly if they should come there 

 again. 



" This usage obliged James Patterson to apply to us for a Warrant to 

 apprehend and bind to the Peace two young men, who had been the most 

 active. We, well knowing that according to the agreement lately made 

 between our Proprietors and Lord Baltimore, and by the explanatory 

 Maps thereon struck, those settlements were above twenty miles to the 

 Northward of the place of the intended line, therefore believed it our 

 duty as conservators of the Peace to use legal authority for the security 

 of His Majesty's subjects, and curbing the insolence of lawless and unruly 

 offenders, and accordingly issued a Warrant to apprehend Daniel and 

 William Lowe. The manner of executing thereof will best appear by 

 the affidavits herewith sent. 



" When they were brought before us they were used with all the lenity 

 the case would bear, and dismissed on the security of their own friends 

 for their future good behaviour and appearance at our next Court of 

 General Quarter Sessions. 



"Could Ave have supposed such a procedure would have given the 

 least offence to Lord Baltimore, or that he would have looked upon 

 those persons as his subjects, and under his protecton, who in his own 

 opinion (according to the testimony of Thomas Cressop) live beyond 

 the bound of this Dominion, we should not have acted herein, but have 

 represented the case to the Governor, and waited the direction of his 



