Robert Haseltine

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J˙ HURD, Jus˙ Peace.

I, Robert Haseltine, of Haverhill, blacksmith, declare that about a fortnight before Colonel Asa Porter was taken up here by the Committees, he called at my shop to have a little work done, when in our conversation he said, that as the Indians were a merciless set of people, "it would be better to send over to Canada, to Burgoyne, for protection than to suffer ourselves to be cut to pieces by them, for we were not likely to get help from below. They' ll do nothing for us." To which I answered him, Why, do you think we should have more mercy shown us from the Regulars? "Oh, yes," says he, "the English are remarkable for their lenity. There was an instance of this sort, the last war, in Lord Fraser, a Scotch Rebel, who, though executed as such and forfeited his estate, yet his son, Colonel Fraser, was like to come in possession of the estate again;" "and I question," added he, "if they would put Hancock himself to death if they were to catch him." I told him, I believed if they were to catch him, they would hang him right offhand without, judge or jury. This conversation we had after Mr˙ Jonathan Hale came home from Exeter, to the best of my remembrance,

Haverhill, August 26, 1776.

Grafton, ss˙, November 29, 1776:

Then personally appeared Mr˙ Robert Haseltine, and made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing Deposition, by him subscribed.

Before me:

J˙ HURD, Jus, Peace˙