WHEREAS on Friday Morning of the 5th inst. eloped from the House of the subscriber, Inholder in Plymouth, JOHN MOREY, of NORTON, of tall stature, & round shoulder'd. Had on when he absconded, a shabby claret coloured coat, adorned with patches, and a pair of dirty smoak'd coloured breeches; without knee-buckles; and an old flopped hatt, defaced with grease.
As he appeared to be an enterprising genius, without abilities, politeness or honesty, and went off in an abrupt and clandestine manner; a reward of Sixpence will be paid, to any person or persons, who will persuade or induce the said Morey to make his appearance once more to the subscriber.
Figure 60.—An advertisement of Benjamin Warren in The Plymouth Journal & Massachusetts Advertiser. Photos courtesy The American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts.
It is obvious that Warren was not considerably concerned about the return of John Morey, for the reward offered was scarcely conducive to obtain the public's cooperation. Warren's first ventures with public sales must have been successful, for early in the next year, in the issue of January 3, 1786, he announced that
Benjamin Warren,
PROPOSES to open a convenient AUCTION-ROOM, over the Shop he now trades in, next week. Any Gentlemen that will furnish him with goods of any kind for Public or Private sale, on Commission, shall be served with fidelity, and the smallest favours in that way gratefully acknowledged.
The next notice of the auction-room appeared on February 21, 1786, when the newspaper advertised that
To-morrow
will be SOLD, by
Public Vendue,
At
WARREN'S
Auction Room,
A VARIETY of articles, viz. Nails, Bar Lead, Glass
Pewter, Buttons, Buckles, Chairs, Stands, &c., &c., &c.
*** The SALE to begin at 10 o'Clock, A.M.
No other notices of public sales appeared in the Journal for the next several months. The last notice of this period was another announcement of a sale, which was published in the issue of May 30, 1786: