Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 4

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160

Moses Graves was accused of attempting to pay (“uttering”) counterfeit currency of various denominations to William Williams and Jonathan Lee. Taken to trial in October 1781 on two indictments at the Supreme Judicial Court in Berkshire County, he was convicted on both counts.

Grand Jury notes

RTP

Berkshire Sup. Jud. Ct. Octr. 1781

Cor. Grand Jury

Commonwealth vs. Moses Graves of Pittsfeild1

Jona. LeeB last Augt. 18th I had occasion to borrow some States money: several days after he let me have 12:8.D. NE Massa. I gave him my note at 6/n1. I put them off to Dr. Wright 6 & 6 to Capt. Strong. I returned them to him & he gave me up my note. Rufus Allen in Augt. after 18th: the same day he gave Graves the bills back again: Graves said he had these of Esqr. Little; afterwds. he sd. he had ’em of one Keys bought them of him: Wm. WilliamsB in Augt. Mr. Graves pd. me a 8 D NE not numberd—Tufton lodged at Graves at the same time: Keyes kept there also, they pretended to be from Philada.—Graves sd. he supposd they were from N.York—he told me Keys was under a fictitious name, Graves sd. his name of Keys was Bush, Graves sd. he had not more of the bad by him for he wd. not be plagued with it & had burn’t it. Tufton was there. Woodbridge Little Esqr. I was Assessr. of Pittsfeild— Graves told me he had the bills of Majr. Jere. Cady Pammy Eason Moses Graves sd. he had burnt 14 bad bills, abt. week before Augt. Ct. Duglass King Eli Dickenson at Albany sd. he had a No. of bad bills which he shard. of Moses Graves. 161 Nichs. Cotterel I told him the money that Keys brought up was Countft, I shewd him the marked he sd. he had a No. of them & wd. put ’em off before people found it out: a fortnt. or 3 wks. before Ct.: he sd. he had put 27 or 28 bills to Eli Dickenson & he was afraid he wd. get in trouble about it: Graves brought Keys to my house. Keys pretended to be a great Whigg Keys counted me out 2400 D. in 8 D. B. NE. I went to Graves & there was Tufton & Dennison Israel Peck after Mr. Cotterel & I came back from dealing horses: talking abt. Keys buying horses with bad money. he sd. he had 15 or 16 bills of the devillish stuff & he intended to push it.

MS .

Moses Graves (1747/8–1813), a 1766 graduate of Yale, lived in Pittsfield, where his family had large landholdings. He was confined in Northampton jail from Apr. to July 1775 for his strong loyalist opinions and was forced to take the oath of allegiance before a public town meeting. His later life was marked by gambling and intemperance, and he eventually became a town pauper. “He was, however, a man of refined tastes and intellectual culture; and the tradition is preserved that he found consolation in being permitted to retain his box of books when he was taken to his last place of abode” (Dexter, Biographical Sketches of Yale Graduates, 3:181–182).