that may be Material. Richard Taylor, Sr., a near neighbour to Capt. Lewelling, told me in private that Lewelling had Told him if he could git but ten Men to Joyn him he would fall to work and kill them every one, speaking of Whitmel Hill and others that had threaten'd him as a Tory. This Richard Tavlor told me Long since the Scheeme was begun; also James Mayo, Captain, had threatened Mr. Lewelling. To take him up for a Tory for which Reason Mr. Lewelling Desired Peter Tyler and myself to waylay sd Mayo on the Road to kill him, but when I told him I could not he persuaded, Peter Tyler and lent him his Gun and told him Tarry till he sent him victuals, which Tyler did, but saw Mayo not. This may be prov'd by Tyler and Myself. Again a few days before I made My Escape, Mr. Lewelling said to me it would be no Damage if he were Taken to swear that a Traveling Man brought the writings to My house and that I and that Travelling man Carried the same to his house, by which Means the Beginning would not be Discovered, so that I being a poor man have Reason to fear his power and Influence over others to My hurt, as all the friends or power I have is to declare the Truth and Humbly Crave pardon for having had any hand in sd plot or Scheme, testifying whatever shall Come to my Memory I will make known about the matter.

JAMES RAWLINGS.

Examination of John Clifton taken in the County Court of Bertie at the Court held on the 12th day of August, 1777, present the Worshipful Thomas Pugh, David Standley and Jonathan Jacocks, Esqs., Justices of the said Court and assigned among others, to keep the peace of said County.

The said John Clifton being called before the Court, declared that some time about the middle of May last, being on his return to Anson County, which was the ordinary place of his Residence, from the County of Bertie, he had occasion to call on a certain William Tyler, of Martin County, about private business and accordingly did call at the house of said William Tyler, and did not find him at home; that he then proceded on his Journey, but as a little further distance stopped at the house of John Staten, who was an old acquaintance of his, and whom he had seen for several years; that the said Staten accompanied him a little way on the road out of compliment and in order to show him a path he was to take to carry him to the Main Road, they then being out of it and which it was difficult to find; that before they quite reached this path, they met the above mentioned William Tyler, with whom the said John Clifton spoke aside for some time about the private business above alluded to, and it being necessary to look at some papers concerning it, the said Tyler and the said John Clifton returned to the said Tyler's house and the

said Staten with them; that being come there, after their private business had been discoursed of, the said Tyler spoke to the said John Clifton (they two being private) concerning a secret of which the said John Clifton was at that time entirely ignorant and said, that Staten would accompany him to one James Rawlins, who could inform him of it; that the said Staten, upon their return to him, told him he would go with him to Rawlins', it being late, and that there he would be in the main road, that nothing had then passed in the presence of the said Staten concerning the secret, though the said John Clifton understood from Rawlins that Staten was acquainted with it; that upon their arrival at Rawlins', the said Staten told him that Tyler had been speaking to the said John Clifton of the secret known between them and that he had as good acquaint him with it; that the said Rawlins then took the said Clifton out, carrying a book with him, and told him before he mentioned anything of it, he must take an oath of Secrecy; that the said Clifton then told Rawlins he did not like to swear before he knew what it was for; that the said Rawlins declared it was only to employ a Reader, and he then took the oath, the substance of which was "to keep secret all he had or was to communicate;" that the said Rawlins then made him acquainted with a sign which had been agreed upon by the Parties in this business and which was as follows: A person possessed of the secret was to have a stick with three notches; upon being asked what that was for, he was to answer "A sign"; upon it being enquired "What sign," he was to reply, "The sign of a secret." The enquiry being still continued in these words, "Have you that secret?" the possessor of the stick was to answer, "I have;" that the words "be true" were then to be lettered between them; that this was all which was at that time communicated to the said Clifton, and the said Rawlins told him he should know more from one Lewellin (who lived at a little distance) the next day; that accordingly the next day the said Rawlins, Staten and Clifton, went to see Lewellin, it being settled by Rawlins before they set off, that Staten and Clifton were to wait at a School-house about half a mile from Rawlins' house, while Rawlins should go and bring Lewellin to them; that the said Staten and Clifton waited at the School-house, and some time after Rawlins returned, accompanied by the said Llewellin and his son, all three having guns (the said Rawlins having brought his gun from home with him); that the said Llewellin brought two papers with him, one of which contained an oath, which the said Clifton was to take, the other purporting an agreement to employ a Reader, and for each Man who subscribed is to pay ten shillings a year for that purpose, one half of which to be paid at Easter, the other at Whitsuntide, and also to support King George, and he further understood (but wheth

er from the paper or the information of the said Rawlins & Staten. he does not recollect) that the Business of this Engagement was to oppose Draughts and to be ready, when they had an opportunity, to join any of the King's forces that might come to assist them; that he was also informed each Man was to be provided with half a pound of powder and two pounds of lead; and the said Llewellin & Rawlins declared, they would shoot any Man who divulged the secret; that the purport of the above oath, to the best of his recollection, was to support the terms of the Engagement above specified; that the said Rawlins & Staten gave the above mentioned Paper to the said Clifton, and desired him to get what subscriptions he could to it and to gain over all in his power; that the said Staten then asked them how many they had engaged in that business, to which it was replied, there were not many yet, but it would grow fast; that the said Clifton soon after left them, and disapproving of their purpose, had a great desire to reveal it, but was afraid to do so on account of the oath he had taken; that he never perused the paper but once after and burnt it the next day; that he never showed it to any Person whatever, or attempted to influence any one to join in the Association; that on the twenty-third day of July, following (to the best of his recollection) he went to his Brother's, Mr. Peter Clifton, in Bertie County, and gave him information of the above circumstances, and the next day together with his Brother waited on Thomas Pugh, Esquire, one of the Justices of the said Court and made oath to the same before him. JOHN CLIFTON.

Martin County-Thomas Best being sworn on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God, Deposeth and saith:

*
*

* would get

That John Lewelling said Nathan Mayo was a very Busy Body & he believed was put there to watch and that * killed and that it was a general Taulk that James Mayo was to be killed because he was a man that was very peticular in atacting any that was to be the enemies to the State; and that he, the sd Best, went to James Sherod to Borrow Money to Enable them to go to General How for John Lewelling & James Rawlings was to go and Wm. Tyler was to go if they Could stay while he had a Chance to go. But Mr. Sherrod did not help him to money for that purpose, and the Night after old Tylor was Taken they were at the Gord patch when they heard the Report of a gun at a Considerable Distance, when James Rawlings said he had a Devilish Mistrust, it was at James Mayo, for there was such a Taulk in the company as killing

him for going after them, at the same time Isaac Barbree, David Tailer, Hardy Counsell and James Rogers went from the Company towards Nathan Mayo, as he thote to try what they could spy out, and James Hais said if they were to Bid Isaac Barbree to shoot James Mayo he would do it, and further this Deponent saith not. Given under my hand this 9th September, 1777.

Test: Nathan Mayo, J. P.

THOMAS BEST.

HYDE COUNTY MATTAMUSKEET.

One Friday, August 1777, I understood by Report that a certain James Rawlins was one of the Heads amongst the Tories and that he was expected to pass by the settlement of Mattamuskeet, or to call there about the next day, and as I was Resolved to apprehend him if possible, and keeping a watch out for him, spired a small sail off in the Sound. I fitted out in a Boat with four men along with me, came up with said sail and found it to be the same James Rawlins with his family, upon which I apprehended him and Caried him Before a Majistrate which took the Deposition of the said James Rawlins, August 6, 1777.

Sworn to before me Aug. 9, 1777.

No. Carolina,

James Davis,

ABRAM JONES.

Pitt County-William May, Juner, says on oath, that on or about the 20th and last of May past, a certain William Tylor, of Martin County, did propose on oath to sd May and that he would on takeing the oath, he, the sd Tylor, wood inform him something of importance as a Secret that after he, sd May, had taken the oath the sd Tylor inform'd That he shood stand Ready to keep out popish Religion, if we Could and that the said Tylor did alow that Gentlemen was trying to Bring in popish Religion and that if there was a draft to unite & stand together & Not Turn out nor go in Croop time; and that the sd Tylor said he Thought themselves sofishantly strong to Take any man away that shood be drafted and to oppose any power that shood ofeer the State oath, and those that was sworn in was to Join and stand by each other if the State oath shood be offerd and that if any one was Confined or Imprisoned that the oathers was to Return them. Sorn Before Me June 19th, 1777.

Robt. Salter, J. P.

No. Carolina,

Martin County-William Wallace being sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God, Deposeth and says:

The Night on or about ye 20th of June past, when a body of men met a certain place caled the goard patch in order to take William May out of the custody of Wm. Robinson & Mr. Salter, of Pitt County, by force of Arms if they could not get him sd Mayo without, John Lewelling told sd Wallace as soon as they got a Little stronger they would Confine some of the great men. The next time the sd Lewelling Came to sd Wallace He told him old Tylor was taken with all the papers in his pocket, the said Wallace asked what he would do about it; sd Lewelling answered, we must Try and git them if we can; sd Wallace answered, what if we can't git them; the sd Lewelling said if we can't git them without we must kill some of them.

And further sd Wallace saith it was ordered to git half a pound of powder & two pounds of Led accordingly. There was a quantity of powder brought to the gourd patch for that purpose by one Molon Davidson, which he, sd Wallace, saith he understood sd Davidson got from one Sutherland, in Tarborough, and further This Deponent saith not.

Given under my hand this 8th day of September, 1777. WILLIAM WALLACE.

Test: Nathan Mayo, J. P.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)

BONNER FAMILY OF BEAUFORT CO., N. C.

(CONTINUED).

Issue of Joseph Bonner Bryan and 1st wife Ann Bryan nee Bonner; 1. William Trippe Bryan born Dec. 9, 1858 md. Sallie Crawford; (2), Jessie Bryan born Apl. 24, 1854, died Nov. 5, 1868; (3) Clarissa Bonner Bryan born Mar. 3, 1856, md Burney Piver Dec. 27, 1881, died Jan. 6, 1898; (4) Delzell Crawford Bryan, born Feb. 28, 1861, md. 1st Nov. 15, 1883, Eugene W. Guilford, 2nd Wiley Grist; (5) Charles Crawford Bryan born Oct. 13, 1864, md. Nov. 12, 1890, Mary Carter Bonner, died Oct. 6, 1896. Issue by the 2nd marriage of Joseph Bonner Bryan to Clarissa G. I. Bonner; (6) Sidnie Bonner Bryan born Nov. 5, 1870, died Sept. 25, 1878; (7) Joseph Garrett Bryan born Nov. 8, 1881, died July 27, 1883.

Issue of Charles Cushing Bonner and wife Caroline Gray; Caroline Gray Bonner born Dec. 15, 1851, md Oct. 1, 1872, Alfred Jackson Ellington (P. O. Reidsville, N. C.). Issue (a) Katharine Amanda Bonner Ellington; (b) Jennie Howell Ellington, (c) Richard 1Aexander Ellington born Oct. 20, 1882; (d) Mary Bon