4 About the middle of June, 1776, mobs were raised by John Lasher, John and Joshua Hett Smith, Peter Van Zandt, and other leaders of the extreme revolutionary faction, in the dry of New York, by whom several citizens who were of the Opposition, but not of the Eebellion, were seized by these revolutionary "patriots," who placed them on "sharp "rails," and carried them on men's shoulders, around the City, amidstthe huzzas of the mob. The progress of one of these parties was said to have been stopped by General Putnam ; but not until the victim had sustained serious injuries, (Jones's History of New York during the Revolutionary War, i., 101-103 ; de Lancey's Notes on Jones's History, i., 596-598.)

Peter Kiting, a brother-in-law of Richard Varick, wrote of these transactions, "Wehad some Grand Toory Bidesin thisCity thisweek ftinpar- " ticular yesterday. Several of them were handeld verry Roughly Being " Caried trugh the streets on Rails, there Clooths tore from there backs " and there Bodies pritty well mingled with the dust Amongst them

" were Q , Capt. Hardenbrook, Mr. Rapllje, Mr. Queen the Poticary,

"and Lessly the barber. There is hardly a toory face to be seen this "morning." (Peter Eltingto Captain Richard Varick, "New Yobk, 13th "June, 1776.")

On the twelfth of June, in the afternoon, Generals Putnam and Mifflin, who bad evidently witnessed the outrages to which Elting alluded, " complained to the Provincial Congress of the riotous and disorderly " conduct of numbers of the inhabitants of this City, which hadledrhis " day to acts of violence towards some disaffected persons ; " but what had shocked Israel Putnam, by reaBon of its b arbarism, even while the "complaint" of those two Officers urged the Congress to condemn the offenders, one of whom was then occupying a seat in the Congress, that body winked at, and, at the same time, it screened the offenders, and qualified the offense-- its words were these : " Re60lveu ; That thiB Con- " grese by no means approve of the riots that have happened this day ; " they flatter themselves, however, that they have proceeded from a real " regard to Liberty and a detestation of those persons who, by their " language and conduct, have discovered themselves »o be inimical to " the cause of America.