lingering hope we petitioned the State Legislature then in Session. Unwilling to believe that the virtue and patriotism of the venerable fathers of the Revolution had fled from the bosoms of their illustrious descendants. Unwilling to believe that American Citizens could appeal in vain for a restoration of liberty cruelly wrested from them by cruel tyrants. But in the Language of our noble ancestors “Our repeated Petitions were only answered by repeated injuries.” The Legislature instead of hearing the cries of 15,000 suffering, bleeding, unoffending Citizens sanctioned and sealed the unconstitutional acts of the and his troops by appropriating 200,000 dollars to defray the expences of exterminating us from the . No friendly arm was stretched out to protect us. The last ray of hope for redress in that was now entirely extinguished. We saw no other alternative but to bow down our necks and wear the cruel yoke of oppression and quietly and submissively suffer ourselves to be banished as exiles from our possessions, our property and our sacred homes or otherwise see our wives and children coldly butchered and murdered by tyrants in power.