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otherwise were they conven'd, which, however, it is not intended they shall be till May next, unless His Majesty's Service or some Emergency should make it necessary to call them together before.

I have the Honor to be, with the greatest Respect, My Lord, Your Lordship's

most obedient & most humble Servant

WM FRANKLIN

P.S. I take the Freedom to enclose to your Lordship a pamphlett publish'd in New York & reprinted at Philad. the author unknown

Affidavit of Stephen Skinner,' relative to the robbery of the East New Jersey Treasury.

[From N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. XCV., p. 46, in the State Library at Albany.] NEW JERSEY, CITY OF

PERTH AMBOY,

}

SS:

Personally appeared before Frederick Smyth Esq. Chief Justice of the Province of New Jersey this twenty fifth Day of July in the year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and Sixty Eight, Stephen Skinner Esq. Treasurer of the Eastern Division of New Jersey, who being duly sworn deposeth and Saith that about six o'clock on Friday Morning the twenty second Instant he was waked up by his Negro boy who told the Deponent that the Office Window was broke

1 Stephen Skinner, Treasurer of the Eastern Division of New Jersey, had his office at Perth Amboy. It was broken open, as above stated, and robbed of £6,570, 9s 4d in coin and bills. There was a protracted wrangle over the matter between the Governor and the Assembly, the latter body imputing negligence, if no worse, to the Treasurer, and using the circumstance as an argument in favor of vesting the appointment in the Assembly, which the Governor conceded to them on the resignation (Feb. 23, 1774), of Mr. Skinner. The Treasurer blamed one Samuel Ford, who had carried on an extensive counterfeiting enterprise in Morris county with being the robber, but could never fasten the crime clearly on him. A detailed narrative of the affair, by Wm. A. Whitehead, will be found in the N. J. Hist. Soc. Proc. for September, 1850; Contributions to East Jersey History, p. 111; Gordon's Hist. N. J., 150; Sedgwick's Livingston, 161-6; Duer's Life of Lord Stirling, 97–101; “Early History of Morris County," by Rev. Dr. J. F. Tuttle, in Proc. N. J. Hist. Soc., May, 1869, in which many important facts are given not elsewhere published.-[W. N.]

open the Iron Chest opened and the Money taken out, and that this Deponents Sword was drawn and laid on the table in the Same Room, upon which this Deponent immediately went down the stairs, found the East Window of the same Room open and some marks of Violence on the Shutter, the Chest carried from its Place to the said Window and there opened with a Key that this Deponent hath never used, but always Kept locked up in a Private Drawer of a Desk that stood in the same Room, which Key was delivered to this Deponent by the Executors of Andrew Johnston Esq. the late Treasurer some time after he received from them the Iron Chest aforesaid. That the Money in the said Chest amounted to about Seven Thousand eight Hundred and fourteen Pounds, nine Shillings all in Paper Money except about seven Hundred Dollars in two Baggs. That the said Paper Money was the Remainder of a larger Sum this Deponent had bundled up Sometime in February Last, all which said Paper Money was stolen & carried off, except one hundred and Seventy Pounds left in the said Chest. And further this Deponent saith that the said Desk which stood in the said Room as aforesaid, was broke open and every Drawer searched, that in the said Desk was about forty Pounds in ragged Money and five or six Half Johannes which were also Stolen. And this Deponent further saith that the Key with [which] he always opened the said Chest was commonly and in the Night in which the Robbery was committed locked up in an Escretoire in a back Room: That the Bills Stolen are of different Denominations from six Pounds and under but most of fifteen Shillings & upwards signed by Richard Smith John Johnston and this Deponent, and are as this Deponent believes of the Emissions of One Thousand seven Hundred & Sixty three and One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty four Except about five or Six Hundred Pounds of said Bills which had been current and were a little worn and bundled up in

said Chest. That among the Bills left in the said Iron Chest after the Robbery aforesaid there was only one Bill of three Pounds the Remainder left of lower Denominations and mostly small Bills. This Deponent further saith that the Money stolen was bundled up twenty Bills in a Bundle and tied or Pinned round with a Piece of Paper and further this Deponent saith that he keeps the Public Money in Sheets as delivered him by the Signers. That from these Sheets he the Deponent usually cut the Bills from Time to Time and when so cut bundled the same up twenty in a bundle as aforesaid and for greater security hath always put the Money so bundled up in the said Iron Chest. That the said money as aforesaid stolen was by this Deponent so put in the said Chest in February last as aforesaid.

STEPHEN SKINNER. Sworn the 25th day of July 1768, at Perth Amboy, Before me

FRE: SMYTH.

Proclamation of Governor Moore, of New York, regarding the Robbery of the East Jersey Treasury.

[From N. Y. Col. MSS., Vol. CV., p. 48, in the State Library at Albany.]

SEAL

By his Excellency Sir Henry Moore Baronet Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over the Province of New York and the Territories depending thereon in America, Chancellor and Vice Admiral of the same.

A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas it appears on Oath, that in the night of the twenty first day of July last, the House of Stephen Skinner Esq: Treasurer of the Eastern Division of the

Province of New Jersey, was broke open and upwards of Seven thousand Pounds feloniously taken and carried away from thence, by some Person or Persons unknown, part of the said money consisting of Dollars, a small part of Gold and the Residue chiefly of New Bills of Credit of the Colony of New Jersey. And Whereas his Excellency the Governor of that Province, hath requested that I would give Directions to the Civil Officers within this Government to use their endeavors to discover and apprehend the Perpetrators of the said Felony, and for this purpose to examine all Persons who from the Possession of an unusual Sum of the Currency of the Colony of New Jersey, or other Circumstances, may be suspected of being concerned therein. I have therefore thought fit, by and with the advice of his Majesty's Council of this Province, to Notify the Premises by this Proclamation, Hereby also strictly enjoining and requiring all Magistrates, Justices of the Peace, Sherifs and other Officers within the same, diligently to exert themselves in order to discover the Perpetrator or Perpetrators of the Burglary and Felony aforesaid, and if found, him or them to apprehend and commit or cause to be apprehended and committed to the next Jail, there to remain to be dealt with according to Law.

Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms at Fort George in the City of New York, the third day of August one thousand seven hundred and sixty eight, in the Eighth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith and so forth. H. MOORE

By his Excellency's Command

GEO BANYAR D Secry.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

It appears by Governor Franklin's Proclamation of the twenty sixth of July that the Person who shall dis

cover and bring the above Offenders or either of them to Justice will be entitled to Fifty Pounds from the Government of New Jersey, and to a farther Reward of One hundred Pounds to be paid by M: Skinner, and that any Accomplice making such Discovery, will also be entitled to his Majesty's most gracious Pardon. (The whole endorsed)

3 August 1768. Proclamation for Apprehending Persons Concerned in Robbing the Treasurer of East New Jersey.

An order of the King in Council, repealing an Act passed in New Jersey in June, 1767, appointing Commissioners for supplying the Barracks, etc., and directing that the Governor should be admonished for having passed that Act contrary to an Act of Parliament.

[From P. R. O., B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 9, K. 73.]

AT THE COURT AT ST. JAMES's the 12th Day of August 1768.

PRESENT.

The King's most Excellent Majesty in Council

WHEREAS there was this Day read at the Board a Report from the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council for plantation Affairs dated the 9th of this Instant in the words following Viz!

"Your Majesty having been pleased by Your Order "in Council of the 29th of June last to refer unto this "Committee a Representation from the Lords Com"missioners for Trade and plantations Dated the 10th "of the same Month in the words following Viz

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