Deposition of John Carnaghan

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WESTMORELAND County, ss:

Personally appeared before me, the subscriber, one of his Majesty' s Justices of the Peace for the County aforesaid, John Carnaghan, Esquire, High Sheriff for the County aforesaid, who being duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, doth depose and say, that, yesterday morning, he hearing that there were a number of armed men breaking the jail, he went to see whether it was so, and coming up to the Jail, he saw a number of armed men, (by name, as the party themselves gave them in,) Benjamin Harrison, David Vance, Samuel Newal, Robert Newal, James People, Thomas Bays, Joseph Marshall, Charles Clark, Isaac Justice, David M' Kaw, John M' Kaw, William Bays, Charles Kyle, Hugh Newal, (Samuel Warden, Samuel Wilson, John Neil, the three prisoners,) George Watt, who having broke two of the Jail doors, (both being locked,) upon which he, the said Carnaghan, demanded to know by what authority they broke those doors, they made answers, and told him that they had their authority, upon which he demanded to see it, when one Benjamin Harrison, who appeared to be their commander, told him they had their orders from Major William Crawford, and that he could shew them, if he pleased, upon which he told him, (the said Harrison,) that a civil question deserved a civil answer, upon which the said Harrison, shewed him, the said Carnaghan, a paper, and read to this effect, or near to this substance: For them, the party aforesaid, to press horses, and what was necessary, and to go to Hanna' s Town, and to open the Jail, and let the prisoners go out; and signed by William Crawford. And the said John Carnaghan further saith, that the party aforesaid shewed a warrant signed by one Dorsey Penticost, as they told him, who acts as a Magistrate under the Colony of Virginia, to take one Captain James Smith, and one Edward Murray, for executing warrants, and taking one of the people, which the party aforesaid took out of Jail, (for committing a riot, and throwing down a man' s house, and, almost killing a woman,) and acting as Constables, under the Province of Pennsylvania, and upon which warrant, signed by Dorsey Penticost, (as they said,) they took the aforesaid James Smith and Edward Murray along with them to answer for the crime aforesaid, (as they called it,) and the said John Carnaghan further saith, that one of the aforesaid party, (David Vance by name,) told him that he would be taken soon, and that he, the said Vance, had positive orders, that if any Pennsylvania officer would offer to take him, or any of them, with precepts under the Government of Pennsylvania, to shoot them, and that he would do it; and further this deponent saith not.

JOHN CARNAGHAN.

Sworn and subscribed before me, this 8th day of February, 1775.

ROBERT HANNA.