On the thirteenth day of August now last past, at Boston aforesaid, in the County of Suffolk aforesaid, unlawfully, maliciously, and deliberately did compose, print and publish, and did cause and procure to be composed, printed and published in a certain newspaper, called the "Daily Commercial Gazette," of and concerning him the said William Apes, and of and concerning his said profession and business, an unlawful and malicious libel, according to the purport and effect, and in substance as follows, that is to say, containing therein among other things, the false, malicious, defamatory and libellous words and matter following, of and concerning said William Apes, to wit: convinced at an early period of my (meaning his the said Reynolds) acquaintance with William Apes, (meaning the aforesaid William Apes,) that he (meaning said William,) was not what he (meaning said William,) professed to be; but was deceiving and imposing upon the benevolent and Christian public, (meaning that said William Apes was a deceiver and impostor,) I (meaning said Reynolds,) took all prudent means to have him (meaning said William,) exposed, and stopped in his (meaning said William,) race of guilt, (meaning that said William had been guilty of immorality, dishonesty, irreligion, offences and crimes;) these men, (meaning one Joseph Snelling and one Norris,) were earnestly importuned to investigate his (meaning said William,) conduct, and enforce the discipline (meaning the discipline of the church,) upon him (meaning said William,) for crimes committed since his (meaning said William's) arrival in this city, (meaning said city of Boston, thereby meaning that said William Apes had been guilty of crimes in said Boston,) though well acquainted with facts, which are violently presumtive of his (meaning said William's) being a deceiver, his (meaning said William's) friends stand by him, (meaning said William's) and will not give him (meaning said William,) up, though black as hell, (meaning that said William was a deceiver, and of a wicked and black character.) When I am informed that he (meaning said William) is ordained, (meaning as a minister of the gospel,) that he (meaning said William,) is by permission of the brethren travelling, and permitted to collect money to build the house aforesaid, (meaning the aforesaid Meeting-house,) for his (meaning said William's,) Indian brethren to worship God in, I shudder not so much because he (meaning said William,) is purchasing Lottery Tickets, (meaning that said William was purchasing Lottery Tickets, and had spent some of the aforesaid money for that purpose,) but because I know of his (meaning said William's) pledge to the citizens of New York and elsewhere, to the great injury, scandal, and disgrace of the said William Apes, and against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth aforesaid.
SAMUEL D. PARKER, Attorney of said Commonwealth, within the
County of Suffolk.
PARKER H. PEIRCE, Foreman of the Grand Jury.
A true Copy.—Attest,
THOMAS W. PHILLIPS, Clerk of the Municipal Court of the
City of Boston.
Subsequently, I entered civil actions against two others, for the same offence, and had them held to bail in the sum of fifteen hundred dollars, with sureties. This soon made them feel very sore. They had put it in my power to punish them very severely for giving rein to their malignant passions, and they asked mercy. I granted it, in order to show them that I wanted nothing but right, and not revenge; and that they might know that an Indian's character was as dearly valued by him as theirs by them. Would they ever have thus yielded to an Indian, if they had not been compelled? I presume it will satisfy the world that there was no truth in their stories, to read their confessions, which are as follows:
Extract from a letter written by David Ayres, to Elder T.F. Norris, dated New Orleans, April 12, 1833.
"I have arrived here this day, and expected to have found letters here from you, and some of my other brethren respecting Apes' suit. I never volunteered in this business, but was led into it by others, and it is truly a hard case that I must have all this trouble on their account."
Extract of a letter written by David Ayers to William Apes, dated July 1, 1833.
"I am, and always have been your friend, and I never expected that any things I wrote about you, would find their way into the public papers. I am for peace, and surely I have had trouble enough. I never designed to injure you, and when all were your enemies, I was your warm friend."
Extract from a letter written by G. Thomas to Rev. Thomas F. Norris, dated New York, July 12, 1833.
"William Apes might by some be said to be an excepted case; but when this is fairly explained and understood, this would not be the fact. My good friends of Boston, and my active little brother Ayres, are to blame for this, and not me. I had no malice against him, I never had done other than wish him well, and done what I hoped would turn out for the best; but knowing he was liable to error (as) others, and the case being placed in such colors to me, I awoke up; and being pressed to give what I did in detail as I thought, all for the good of the cause and suffering innocence; but I am sorry I ever was troubled at all on the subject; I thought that brother Reynolds was a fine catch; but time I acknowledge is a sure tell-tale. And by the by, they have caught me, and eventually, unless Apes will stop proceedings, I must bear all the burthen. Reynolds has got his neck out of the halter, and Ayres is away South, and may never return; and poor me must be at all the trouble and cost, if even the suit should go in my favor. Can I think that Apes will press it? No. I think he has not lost all human milk out of his breast, and will dismiss the suit; and, as to my share of the cost, if I was able, that should be no obstacle. If he will stop it all, if my friends do not settle it, I will agree to, as soon as I am able."
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