Wilmington District, North-Carolina.
Peter Simon, of Rhode-Island, maketh oath on the holy evangelists of Almighty God, that he was on board a vessel bound from Dominica to Ocracock, and taken off Hatteras by the sloop General Gage, George Stibbles master, and brought into Cape-Fear about the twenty-fifth of February. That Captain [John] Collett
was on board the said sloop when this deponent was taken, and was very communicative with him, shewing his papers and instructions, and informing what route he was to take, &c. That the said Collett said, he expected to find General Clinton here with fifteen or sixteen hundred men, and that the General was to be reinforced in April with nine thousand. After this junction, they were to march to Cross-creek, by way of Waggamaw, and there join General [Donald] M'Donald. That there was only a sufficient number of men for a garrison to be left at Boston, and that twenty-five thousand men were to be landed in the Jersies, between Philadelphia and New-York, in flat-bottomed boats, and that if they could not possess New-York, they were to destroy it. That the said Collet declared, that he would kill man, woman and child, reserving all the young ladies for his private pleasures. That the night before last, this deponent, with several other persons, made their escape, and came up to Wilmington; and farther saith not.
Peter Simon
Sworn to before me, the ninth of March, 1776.
William Purviance.
John Cooke, Secretary.
