man. pray'd with a considerable number of People under that Character Upon which I wrote to the Neighbouring Justice to have him taken up but I heard nothing of him till last Saturday when I receiv'd a letter by a man passing my house from the Sheriff of this County to inform me that two Justices of Rochester had committed a man to Jail on suspicion of his being the man mentioned in my letter his person agreeing with the Description of it Since which one of this Neighbourhood who knows Luke Barington tells me that he saw him in Kingstone Jail so that there remains no doubt with me of his being really the Before he made this Discovery of himself in his Drink he was suspected to be a Romish priest by his frequent meeting in private with numbers of the Irish servants in this neighbourhood who are many of them professed papists but I could never procure any evidence of his being a Priest neither do I believe that tho' he realy were that any of these poplish servants would give any evidence of it. He had to severals in this neighbourhood own'd himself to be of the popish religeon & that he had been in Italy. I am likewise told that he has been in several parts of this Country under different Characters & names that at first he was well dressed & went under the name of Hamilton, while he passed for a Methodist preacher he went by the name of Singleton Sr I believe it is usual for the Romish Church to send forth young men into the Protestant countries in different Characters & for different purposes who are promised preferment upon their return after a certain number of years service according to the Service they do in their several imployments That they choose men of very different characters & some of very bad morals as best fitted for some purposes That these are not acquainted with the whole design of their mission but are from time to time to take their directions from others History gives us several instances of such like plots carried on by the Romish Church & therefor as I before inform'd you I thought it proper that this Luke Barington should be taken up in order to be examin'd & perhaps he may by some means be induced to make some discovery For which purpose I am humbly of opinion that it may be proper now he is in custody that directions be given to the Sheriff to have him carried to New York to be examin'd before you in Council which however is entirely submitted to your Judgement on what I now send I am Sr Cadwallader Colden to the Chief Justice. Same day To the chief Justice [Copy] About this time twelve months or more I inform'd the Governor to the purport of this affidavit a copy of which is inclosed [the rest as in the letter to the Gov3] Cadwallader Colden to Daniel Horsmanden. Same day to Mr Horsmanden [Copy] I was last Saturday inform'd by a letter from the Sheriff that Luke Barington the man of whom at your desire I gave you some account in my last to you was committed to Jail by two Justices on a letter which I wrote about this time twelve month. As I wrote to you in my last the particulars I had against that man I think it needless to repeat them but only to inform you that I have sent a Copy of an affidavit to the Governor & an other copy to the Chief Justice that if they & you think proper the Sheriff may be order'd to have him carried to New York for further examination Cadwallader Colden to the Sheriff of Ulster Co. N. Y. Sr Same day to the Sheriff of Ulster [Copy] I have yours of the 16th of this month & yesterday Schoonmaker told me that he saw the man mention'd in your letter to be in jail & knows him to be Luke Barington I now inclose a copy of an affidavit for your Justification in detaining him in Jail but you must keep secret from him the nature of the affidavit & the persons name who makes it & I write this day to the Governor & chief Justice an account of this matter from whom I expect you will receive orders what to do Honour'd Sr From Villars Roche. KINGSTOWN GOAL Augt the 25th 1742. Relying on yr known principles I Thus let you understand that I am not Such a Person as you are pleas'd to have me Apprehended for, no Spy Sent in by the Pope & Spain, but on the Contrary the Unhappy son of ROCHE Lord Viscount formerly, [?] Note I have been Sent to Nurse to A poor Woman Who had some Yearly Consideration from my Brother Who Enjoys a Remnant of the Estate left by my Father, When I grew to Some Years of Maturity I Expected a Position from Said Brother but was pleas'd to put Me off with Small Trifles, time after time Which I lookt upon As mear Inhumanity, therefore Went with a Complaint to the Honble John Villars, Earl of Grandisson. Where I met every kind Reception his Lordship was pleas'd to bid me Welcome to the Company & Table of his Children As long as I pleas'd to Continue. Woh I thankfully Accepted, & liv'd there upwards of two Years, and Ingratiated my Self into his Lordships favour So far that I [procur'd]? An Oppertunity to Goe to College to England in Company With The Young Mast Where I behav'd indifferently Well the time of Three Years, Then Sought Oppertunities to get out of the College At Unseasonable Hours, delighting in Rude & [torn] But soon discover'd & Expelld cou'd not put on [torn] Lord Grandisson, but Struggl'd in England till quite reduced to Poverty, Having no Refuge or Sanctuary, Was Necessitated to make The best of my Way to Ireland, Visited my Brother Who wou'd Not afford me a kind look, I Then bid him farewell telling that I never Expected to See him any more Went to the County Tippiary In order to bid [torn] Nurse farewel who gave me a little money To Defray Charges on my Journey, Note I set out and Came to the City of Waterford took a Lodging in a Publick House Where in a Short Time I spent all, & became indebted to the Innholder the Sum of Seven Pounds Odd Money, for woh he Arrested me having no friend I must Away to Jayl, Where I lay Some Considerable time &c One Sheriff Roche of Said Waterford was pleas'd to pay Said Debt And gave me Considerable money to help me to my Brother, but Being Born under the Influence of some fatal Planet, I never Inclin'd to do Any thing that might redound to my Service or Advantage, foolishly Staid in Town till I became As poor as When In England, att length heard of Capt Tho' Eels intending to Sail for New York came Where I had an oppertunity to Speake to Him Telling that I had a Great Inclination to Travel in Order to Imbetter my Condition, He immediately told a heap of Notions About N. York and the like With Abundance of talk too tedious To particularize Which so greatly Encourag'd me that I sign'd Indentures, and Came under the Circumstances of A Servt, but to make the Matter Short, after our Arrival to N. York I heard Abundance about the hard Usage that poor Servants suffer & find during their Servitude Which altogether Discourag'd me Thinking that it would Seem very hard to me never being Brought up under any Hardships, So I thought I wou'd Venture to Swim at Night to Shore rather than live under the frowns or rebukes of Strangers, the next night I Safely got to Shore Chang'd my Name lest pursu'd by Said Cap Eels or by his friend and Acquaintance, Mr Henry Lane Who I believe Has kept Said Indentures to this Day, The Great God who Only knows the intents & Secrets of all Hearts Knows that I have Wrong'd no Man any more than Going a Way somewhat Indebted to a few of Y Neighbours So I have no more to Add but beg that I may be realeas'd I rather live in Servitude Seven Years than Suffer this Imprisonment VILLARS ROCHE. [Indorsed] N/B I went by the name of Luke Barrington To CADWALLADER COLDEN Esq' One of His Majesties Honble Councils for the Province of N. York. Att Coldenham Sir From George Clarke. NEW YORK September the 14th 1742. I was upon the point of leaving the Town when I received the favour of yours of the 24th of August which however I communicated to the Council before I went who directed Mr Moore to write to the Sherif to keep Barrington in safe Custody for if he be brought hither, unles it be by Habeas Corpus, it must be (and so he must be returned) at the Expence of the Government and you know I cannot draw for a Shilling, if he be brought by Habeas Corpus he maybe bailed, Mr Horsmanden who is gone to Albany to try a Man, will, if he can, touch at Kingston and examine Barrington who perhaps if he has no other prospect than of remaining in Prision till next Summer, may squeak. |