tempt of His Majtys Authority, & the Laws of the Land, that he thought, the Aid of the Legislature necessary to prevent them & therefore recommended, in the strongest Terms, to the then Assembly the granting such Aid, by his Speech to them on the 28. Sepr. 1745 ; But, so it hapned, that the then Gov.r the Assembly differed in Opinion as to that Matter. . . .
On the 15th of Janry 1745, the Sheriff of Essex, by Vertue of the Gov.rs s.d Warrant, & in Obedience to the Process of the Supreme Court, issued upon the s.d Record, arrested & took Rob.t Young, Tho.s Sarjant, & Nehemiah Baldwin, three of the Persons that stood convicted, by the Record of View before mentd On the 16th of Janry as he was carrying the s.d Baldwin before One of the Justices of the Supreme Court, agreeable to the Commands of the Gov.rs Warrant, he, & the People whom he had called to his Assistance were assaulted, by a great Number of Men, armed with Clubs & other Weapons, who, in a most violent Manner, rescued & carryed away, the Prisoner, notwithstanding all the Sheriff & his Officers could do to prevent it. The Sheriff then returned to the Goal, in Order to Secure the other two Prisoners, & being Colonel of the Militia, he had posted a Guard, of 30. Men, at the Goal armed with Firelocks for that Purpose.
It appears that, at 2 o'clock in the Afternoon, great Numbers of People came together in a riotous & tumultuous manner in the Town of Newark, that they pay d no Regard to the Commands of the Magistrates to disperse, or to the Procl.n made to them in the Kings Name, according to the Statute of the 1.st of George, but continued together.
It appears that Coll Chetwood sent two Captains, who had the Command of the Newark Companys, with their Drums, to the People, so assembled who, accordingly went, & required those Men that belonged to their Companys, to follow the Drums, but none regarded those Commands.
It appears that one Amos Roberts, a principal leading Man among these Common Disturbers, at that Time, mounted his Horse, & called out, Those who are upon my List follow me, Which all, or the greatest Part, accordingly did, being then about 300. in Number.
It appears that, the s.d Roberts & his Accomplices, met & armed, as before, came to the Goal in a violent Manner, & having beat & broke thro the Guard, & struck the Sheriff several Blows, they broke open the Goal Doors, & took from thence the two Prisoners above mentioned, & one other, confined for Debt, & then, they gave it out, that if they had stayed till the next Day, they should have had three Times the Numbers.
