Province M Bay Taunton June 12. 1765 Sr.,

Tho' I am a Stranger to you yet I think it not amiss to send you an acct. of the Following perticulars which tho' disagreable in their Nature yet such as you will choose to be informed of.

Some time abt. August last a young Man named John Ingham came to this place in the charecter of a clothier and entered into a Contract with one of that Business here, with whom he continued till some time in the Winter when his behaviour was so very unaccountable as produced a disagreement & they parted. After that he was backward & forward for some time till his disorderly Conduct was such as obliged the Officers of the Town to warn him out. He Still continued Trespassing on Peoples a Lot of Land by digging & insulting the Owner till he was legally carried Out of Town by a Constable, Notwithstanding which he presumed to return & continue his insults & trespasses by which he Subjected himself to be proceeded against as a Vagabond but the Authority were dispos'd to treat use him with all possible Tenderness & neglected treating him in that manner as Such hoping he would either Mend his Ways or go away depart peaceably when to our Surprize, one Morning a valuable Mare belonging to a gentleman here was missing & no news could be found of Ingham whereupon a permit was Lodged till after 24 hours the mare was was stopd at the distance of near thirty miles in the hands of Ingham & both were brought to Taunton & Ingham was thereupon unavoidably proceeded against as a Theif & now stands on the 7th. Current was committed for the same in order to take his Tryal at Court of Sessions to be held On the third Tuesday of Augt. next, upon his Examination he confessed the fact & described yr. Self to be his father, he is utterly against my writing to you on the subject, but as I think it to be What I shoud expect of any one in the like case I cannot excuse my self from giving you this Notice that so if you are dispos'd to Come or Send to his Relief or Comfort you have the Opportunity.

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You may depend great tenderness has been shown to him & will be continued as far as is consistent with the Safety of the Community, but his Conduct here has been such as made the People apprehensive of worse evils than being thefts. Our punishment here for Theft the first time is pecuniary. How far he will be able to comply the Sentence without help I don't know; I am really sorry for the occasion of this Letter & at present know no better way of expressing it than by Giving you Notice of it by this first Opportunity & would further observe that it is thought by some that his behaviour proceeds from a degree of Distration of wch. there is some appearance. I rest yr. Unknown freind & hble. Svt.,

Dft ; addressed: "To Jonathan Ingham Esq. at Solebury in Pennsylvania Government. To the Care of Mr. David Hall Printer there." Enclosed with RTP to David Hall of the same date. Both letters probably miscarried. See RTP to Richard Smith, Sept. 13, 1765.