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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William McCawley and Abraham Allen to Thomas Burke
Allen, Abraham; McCawley, William
February 10, 1782
Volume 16, Pages 191-192

TO GOV. BURKE FROM WM. McCAULEY AND AB’M ALLEN.
[From Executive Letter Book.]


New Hope, February 10th, 1782.

May it please your Excellency:

I take the pleasure in writing to you, in the first place giving you joy for your deliverance out of the hands of the Enemy and also taking the reins of government that through you peace may be handed down to us and our children after us upon honorable terms.

I shall further take the liberty of petitioning your Excellency concerning four unhappy persons now in Hillsborough jail under condemnation, who are to be executed the first day of next month unless your Excellency should interfere.

I shall ever hope that as long as your Excellency is pleased to hold out a day of grace through a proclamation to those who endeavored to violate the rights of your subjects in this State, that you will with your Honorable Council lend an ear to the cries of those unhappy persons now in this situation. Your armies, Sir, are in want of men in the field and they are willing to sacrifice their all even their blood in defence of that which they once opposed. There are two Eastridge and Edwards who are condemned. The first lives within about three miles of me and until the coming of the British in these parts, Eastridge behaved well and gave every encouragement in his power both by money and other ways for men to turn out in defence of this Country, but through the inducement of some he was made to believe this Country would fall a sacrifice.

I can further assure your Excellency that since his giving up he has behaved well and has turned out after several of those who were so cruel to your Excellency and others when made prisoners by them. I have the fullest assurance that if your Honorable Board would be pleased to grant them pardons, they would give you pleasure of having such soldiers in the field and afterwards subjects in your State. I shall leave it to your Honors in hopes that those who look to you for mercy in so favorable a view as I think they do, that you will not make sacrifices of them.

Therefore, I beg leave to subscribe myself,
Your Excellency’s
Ob. & very H’ble Servt.,
WM. McCAWLEY.

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P. S.—Captain Allen begs to be remembered to your Excellency, and also his wound has got well, and would further say that if it had not been for Eastridge, Horn and others would have killed him that day your Excellency was taken.

Therefore, he subscribes himself,
Your Excellency’s
Very Humble Servant,
ABRM. ALLEN.