Petition of the Committee of Machias

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To the honourable the Council and House of Representatives for the Colony of MASSACHUSETTS-BAY:

Whereas your Honours were pleased to issue an order in April last, empowering the Committees of Correspondence, Safety, and Inspection, in the several towns and plantations in this Colony, to lease out the real estate of all persons that have been aiding and assisting the enemies of the United Colonies of America: And whereas Ichabod Jones, late of this place, did aid and assist the Ministerial Fleet and Army, by supplying them with lumber, &c˙; and as the said Ichabod left a considerable property in this place, both real and personal: In obedience, therefore, to your Honours' commands, we, the Committee of Correspondence, Safety, and Inspection, for Machias, have taken a true inventory of all the estate of Ichabod Jones in this place that has come to our knowledge, some of which real estate we have leased out, as mentioned in said inventory, a copy of which we herewith lay before your Honours.

About the 1st instant one Stephen Jones appeared and exhibited to us an instrument of joint copartnership between Ichabod Jones, Stephen Jones, and John Coffin Jones, demanding two-thirds of all said estate in this place, both real and personal, (although he could not bring any thing to prove the fee of said real estate to be in any person besides said Ichabod,) for the use of himself and said John Coffin Jones; but as the said Stephen Jones did, some time in November last, kill about fourteen oxen, all which he sold and converted to his own use, together with four horses, being part of said estate; and it appearing to this Committee that the said Stephen Jones was using every means in his power to get all said personal estate into his own hands, we therefore passed a resolve, of which the following is a copy, viz:

"Whereas a great part of the personal estate of Ichabod Jones, late of this place, has been secreted, wasted, or otherwise embezzled the year past; and whereas this Committee have offered all said personal estate to Stephen Jones, provided he will give this Committee a true inventory of all the personal estate which belonged to Ichabod Jones in June last, with sufficient security to see the same forthcoming when required by the General Court of this Colony, or this Committee, which said Stephen Jones has utterly refused to comply with:

"Therefore, Resolved, That this Committee will forthwith take charge of all the real and personal estate in this place belonging to Ichabod Jones, and will pursue the directions of the Court in said matter."

Having thus given a true state of facts, we humbly pray your Honours will be pleased to order how we shall conduct in this affair.

By order of the Committee:

BENJA˙ FOSTER, Chairman.

Machias, June 19th, 1776.