Petition of Elisha Hedge, of Marlborough, in the County of Essex

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To the honourable Council and House of Representatives of the State of MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, in General Court assembled:

The Petition of ELISHA HEDGE, of MARLBOROUGH, in the County of MIDDLESEX, in said State, most humbly shows:

That in consequence of a late resolve of the honourable Continental Congress giving full liberty and approbation to all persons in the American States to buy and sell the article of tea, your petitioner, about the 1st of July last past, sent forty pounds lawful money to one Mr˙ Jonathan Danford, of Hardwick, in order for the said Danford to purchase a quantity of tea for your petitioner; which tea the said Danford did actually purchase, and brought the said tea to Hardwick aforesaid, for your petitioner; but when your petitioner applied for the said tea, the Committee of Correspondence for the aforesaid town of Hardwick had seized the said tea and all the rest of the said Danford' s estate which they could find, without ever convening the said Danford before them, to give him any hearing in his own defence, or even without proving any crime against him whatever; all which proceedings of the said Committee are directly contrary to the resolves of the Congress aforesaid; and supposing the said Committee had ever so good a right to seize the said Danford' s estate in manner as aforesaid, surely they have no right to withhold and detain the property of your petitioner in their custody. Therefore your petitioner humbly prays your Honours to take his case into your consideration, and give him some directions how he shall proceed, in order to obtain his property aforesaid out of the hands of the aforesaid Committee, as said Committee have refused to let the aforesaid tea go out of their hands, but unjustly detain it in their own custody, greatly to the damage of your petitioner. All which is humbly submitted. And as your petitioner, in duty bound, shall ever pray.

ELISHA HEDGE.

Marlborough, September the 7th, 1776.

The Committee on the Petition of Elisha Hedge have attended that service, and beg leave to report that this petitioner have leave to withdraw his Petition.