If, sir, I am to risk any thing on this occasion, it shall be in defence of the liberties and the property of the citi zens, and in support of the honour and independence of my government: and I hope the measures taken and advised by me will not be found adverse to the views of the executive or to the interest of the United States.

I am, with respect, yours,

(Signed)

ROBERT WILLIAMS.

The Hon. JAMES MADISON, Secretary of State.

AFFIDAVIT, No. 1.

Wilkinson County, Mississippi Territory.

PERSONALLY appeared before me, one of the justices of the peace for said county, Arthur Cobb, jun. and being duly sworn, according to law, on his oath deposeth, that: on the night of the 3d of September, 1805, being at the house of Samuel Kemper, or otherwise the tavern of the Kempers, between the hours of eleven and twelve, he wak.! ened from his sleep by the cry of murder and robbers. On leaving his bed, he saw a man in actual contest with Samuel Kemper-on proceeding further, he saw another man and afterwards one more, and all being armed with instruments of death, such as guns and pistols, he thought proper to retreat to call assistance; that afterwards a pistol was found, which must have belonged to one of those men, and from every appearance he believes it to belong to Ira Cook Kneeland.

LIKEWISE, as sheet No. 1. appeared William Westbery, and deposeth, that at the same time being awakened from his sleep by the breaking open the door-that on rising he saw he thinks five men in the act of beating with a stick Samuel Kemper in the town of Pinckneyville-that he saw them drag him by the hands, heard the men give orders to

tie his hands with a rope-that said Samuel Kemper gave the ery of murder, and that was the last he saw or heard of them.

(Signed)

WILLIAM WESTBERY.

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 3d day of Sep.

tember.

(Signed)

JOSHUA BAKER, J. P.

AFFIDAVIT, No. 3.

LIKEWISE at the same time appeared before me James Latta, who deposeth on oath, that at the same hour, being just awakened by some man requesting to see Samuel Kemper, he heard them ask for whiskey, and being asked who he was, said a friend; that they then being in the house, broke open the door of said Kemper's private lodging room, that he, Latta, attempting to rise, was thrown back on the bed by two men, who said they would take his life if he spoke That there appeared to be five men in number, and all disguised in black paint, that after some short time he got an opportunity of escaping-when he went for assistance, and before his return, they had borne off the said Samuel Kemper, and he saw them no more.

(Signed)

JAS. LATTA. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 3d day of Sep

tember.

(Signed)

JOSHUA BAKER, J. P.

AFFIDAVIT, No. 4.

Wilkinson County, Mississippi Territory.

PERSONALLY appeared before me, one of the justices of the peace for said county, John Atkinson, Henry Gamheart, Richard Richardson and John Whitaker, who, being duly sworn according to law, on their oaths depose, that on the night of the 3d September, 1805, being at the house of Nathan Kemper, in the vicinity of Pinckneyville, between the hours of eleven and twelve, they heard some person hail the house, and on being asked two or three times who

they were, they steadfastly affirmed it was captain Abrams. Immediately afterwards they opened the door, which swung on the inside of the house and was fastened by a string on the inside-immediately on this Reuben Kemper, appeared to be only at that moment awaked from his sleep, asked who was there? when they immediately seized him, dragged him out of the house, and tied him, after bruising him very much with a club or clubs.

Almost at the same time they dragged Nathan Kemper from the bed wherein he lay with his wife, and tied him also, but did not beat him as much as they did Reuben, Said Nathan Kemper, requesting to see his wife, was refused in very rough language; she likewise was refused in her request of seeing her husband. On Nathan Kemper's asking what they had done to deserve such treatment, was answered, God damn! you have ruined our country, which he, Atkinson, believes to be the American territories of Spain. That the said Nathan Kemper's wife received considerable injury from the violence of these men, who all appeared armed with guns, pistols or clubs.-That in the act of confining the above two men, they cocked and uncocked their guns a great many times, and ordered every man in the house to tell his name, and kept a strict guard at both the doors of the house, and would not admit of any one of the family or any one that did not belong to their party passing and repassing, as they frequently presented their guns cocked, and said they would blow the first one through who attempted to oppose them.-That they then gave a regular military word, forward march, and at the second word of command they proceeded on their way, and bore off both Reuben and Nathan Kemper.

That the next morning they saw a considerable quantity of blood apparently issuing from the wounds of Reuben Kemper. JOHN ATKINSON,

(Signed)

HENRY GAMHEART,

RICHARD RICHARDSON,

JOHN WHITAKER.

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this third day of

September.

(Signed)

JOSHUA BAKER, J. P.

AFFIDAVIT No. 5.

Territory of Orleans, county of Point Coupee, Sept. 5,

1805.

On this day appeared before me, Ebenezer Cooley, a justice of the peace, for the county of Point Coupee, Nathan Kemper, who, being duly sworn, declared:

That on the night of the 3d instant, as he believed, between the hours of 11 and 12, the doors of his house were forced open by a party of armed men, amounting, as well as he could ascertain, to the number of eighteen or twenty; that as soon as the party had entered, they cried surrender, seized his brother Reuben, and dragged him out at the door. After a struggle, during which they had beat him with a club, and so choaked him that he had barely power to say, I surrender. During this time a part of the same party seized the deponent by different parts of the body, and dragged him from his bed, where he lay with his wife and child, out through the door; after which, he heard some of the party who remained in the house, cry out, if the bitch utters another word, put her to death. Whereupon he heard a blow given at the bed, and though he frequently called to his wife, to know if she was still alive, could get no answer. After the deponent and his brother Reuben had been fast bound, they were conducted along the road leading to Pinckneyville, as far as the plantation of Mr. Abraham Haton, being still within the limits of the Mississippi territory; and thence down the main road leading towards the line of demarcation. At some small distance above the line, they were conducted a short way into the woods, where they halted a considerable time, until he heard a detachment of the same party coming along the main road, to which they were again led back from the wood, and discovered their brother, Samuel Kemper,in the custody of the said detachment. From thence they were conveyed across the line of demarcation, and delivered to Capt. Solomon Alston, by whose party they were put on board a piroque at Tunica landing, under a guard of six

armed men, who said, their orders were to take them to Baton Rouge, and there deliver them at the fort. From Tunica they departed about day break, and as they passed along by the shore of Point Coupee, called out that they were American citizens, and clandestinely taken from their habitations within the Mississippi territory. After which they were rescued by lieutenant Wilson, commandant of the garrison at Point Coupee. The deponent farther says, that among those who surrounded his house, he recognised the following persons: Minor Butler and his brother-inlaw Ritchie, Abraham Horton, and several of said Horton's negroes, all inhabitants of the Mississippi territory.

(Signed)

Sworn before me this 5th day of September, 1805.

(Signed)

NATHAN KEMPER.

EBENEZER COOLEY,

Justice of the Peace.

AFFIDAVIT, No. 6.

Territory of Orleans, County of Point Coupee, Sept. 5, 1805. On this day appeared before me, Ebenezer Cooley, justice of the peace for the county of Point Coupee, Samuel Kemper, who being duly sworn, declared:

That on the night of the 3d inst.about the hour of 12, as he believed, being at his house in the town of Pinckneyville, in the Mississippi territory, he heard a knocking at the door, and asked who was there? An answer was made, which he did not understand, and the outer door burst open. The door of the bed room was then forced, and a blow made at the bed with a double-barrelled gun. Deponent was then seized, and dragged out of the bed by a number of men, who drew him into the room which they had first entered, and from thence after a struggle, into the street. He was then thrown on the ground, and a rope was tied round his neck, by which he was dragged about one hundred and fifty yards. He was then suffered to stand upright, and attempted, by crying out, to give an alarm, upon which he received a stroke of a pistol on the head, by which he was stunned. The rope being removed from his neck to his arm, he was