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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Message from Thomas Burke to a committee of the North Carolina General Assembly
Burke, Thomas, ca. 1747-1783
April 20, 1782
Volume 16, Page 292

TO THE COMMITTEE RESPECTING MAJOR CROFTON FROM GOV. BURKE.
[From Executive Letter Book.]

Hillsborough, April 20th, 1782.

The Governor presents his compliments to the Committee, and is entirely uninformed as to their proceedings.

Major Crofton is a Military officer, amenable to a Court Martial, and belonging to a Corps of which the Governor and Commander-in-Chief is by Act of Assembly Commanding Officer. How he comes to be triable before a Committee of the General Assembly, the Governor is utterly at a loss, nor until he received your Chairman’s card had he any knowledge of such proceedings. It must be better explained to the Governor before he will produce any charge or take any further step in the business.

He begs leave to suggest that Committees of the General Assembly are very inadequate to such inquiries, because they must always want time and means for information, and if they take upon themselves such business, they will enable the guilty often to escape, and perhaps punish the innocent without intending either, and must utterly destroy all Military discipline.

The Governor will not release the Major from arrest until tried by a proper Court Martial, which shall be appointed as soon as a sufficient number of officers can be convened.

THOS. BURKE.