first of the October following it consisted of some seventy families. By this time a regular mob had colected strongly armed, and had obtained <​possession of​> a cannon and stationed themselves a mile or two from the . The citizens being nearly all new commers and had to live in their tents and wagons, and were exerting themselves to the uttermost to get houses for the approaching winter. The mob commenced committing <​their​> depredations on the citizens <​by​> not suffering them to pro cure the materials for building, keeping them shut up in the , not allowing them to go out to get provisions, driving off their cattle, and preventing them <​the owners​> from going in sea[r]ch of them. In this way the citizens were drived driven to the greatests extremities, actually suffering for food and every comfort of life, in consequence of which there was much sickness and many died Females gave birth to children without a house to shelter them, and in consequence of the exposure many suffered great affliction, and many died Hearing of their great sufferings a number of the men of determined on going to see what was doing <​there​> accordingly we started, eluded the vigilence of the mob, <​and​> notwithstanding they had sentinels placed on all the principal roads to prevent any relief from being sent to to the citizens and arived safely in and found the people as above stated. During the time we were there every effort that could be made was made to get the authorities of the country to interfere and scatter the mob. The <​Judge of the​> circuit court was petitioned, but without success, and after that the of the , who returned for answer that the citizens of had got into a difficulty with the surrounding country and they might get out it, for he would nave nothing to do with it or this <​was​> answer that the messenger brought when he returned The messenger was a Mr Caldwell who owned a ferry on , about three miles from and was an old settler in the place [p. [3]]