To his Excellency Thomas Burke, Esq., Governor, &c., in & over
the State of North Carolina.

The Petition of Adam Smith humbleth sheweth, that on the Sixteenth day of this present Instant, six armed men, one of which was named William Doak, & five others who your Petitioner did not know, came to his house and demanded three horses, & on your Petitioner informing them that he had no horses such as they required, they drew their swords & said they were liberty men & that he was a dam’d Tory & if he would not give them horses that he shou’d give them a hundred pounds hard money or they wou’d immediately kill him; and on your Petitioner also informg. them that he had no hard Money they replyed, then dam your Soul, you Tory villain, Your bond with security for that sum; and Your Petitioner being apprehensive of the Consiquencies sho’d he refuse complying, apply’d to his Father-in-Law who became his security for that sum, to be paid the 26th of this Inst. Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that he may be redressed in such manner as your Excellency shall deem best, as he is very Ignorant himself & knows not the manner of applying for redress, but humbly conceiving that your Excellency will contrive some method of redressing the grievances of a poor old distressed man. And your Petitioner in duty bound will ever pray.