Letter from Issac Ketham to the New-York Congress: Has important matters to communicate; Hickey and Lynch have informed him of the conspiracy

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JUNE 16, 1776.

To the Honourable Speaker in Provincial Congress:

SIR: I, the subscriber, have something to observe to the honourable House if I could be admitted. It is nothing concerning my own affair, but entirely on another subject. From yours to serve,

ISAAC KETCHAM.

To the Honourable the President and Members of the Provincial Congress.

The Petition of ISAAC KETCHAM,a Prisoner now under confinement in
the old City-Hall, humbly showeth:

That your unfortunate Petitioner, deeply impressed with shame and confusion for his past misconduct, most humbly begs to lay his unhappy case before this honourable House, which is briefly as follows:

Your Petitioner is extremely sorry that upon his first being taken into custody, and after an examination made by AldermanWaddell in the Congress Chamber, concerning the procuring the paper for the purpose of printing certain Bills of Credit, and sincerely wish I could recall the time when he first persisted in this unhappy scheme, as your Petitioner was informed that he was to be admitted as evidence, on which account your Petitioner gave all the information in his power, to the best of his knowledge.

Your Petitioner further implores the consideration of this House in behalf of six poor children, who are now lamenting the loss of a tender mother and the imprisonment of a father. As several of them are at present dangerously ill by sore sickness, without any person to attend or comfort them — as the children are afraid to stay in the house without some grown person in to protect and take care of them, your Petitioner humbly hopes that if he could be permitted to go to them for a few days, in order to provide some proper persons to attend on them, and that your Petitioner will immediately return toNew-York or forfeit his small estate.

Your Petitioner humbly submits his case to this honourable House, and begs that they would please to take it into their wise consideration, which will ever lay an obligation on your distressed humble servant, June 9, 1776.

ISAAC KETCHAM.