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Scanned Document:

Extraordinary Session Held in Fort Orange
June 12,1660

Present:

Anderies Herpertsen
Sander Leendersen
Jan Verbeeck

La Montagne, in his capacity as officer, plaintiff, against Jan Harmsen, defendant.
The plaintiff complains that the defendant, against the ordinance of the court of Fort Orange and the village of Beverwijck, has ventured to go into the woods and has brought out Indians with beavers.
The defendant acknowledges that he has been in the woods to seek an Indian who had robbed him, but not for the purpose of attracting the Indians with beavers.
The plaintiff requests that the defendant be examined on the following interrogatories:

Interrogatory of Jan Harmsen conducted at the request of the officer

1. Whether on the tenth of this month he has not been in the woods, on the Maquas path?	Answers, Yes.
2. Whether he was not found there by the soldiers with a gun on his shoulder?	Answers, Yes.
3. Whether in the woods he did not speak to some Indians who had beavers with them?	Answers, Yes.
4. Whether he did not urge and request the said Indians to trade their beavers at his house?	Answers, No.
5. Whether he did not acquire the beavers of some of the said Indians by barter?	Answers, Says he does not know.
6. Whether, in coming out of the woods, he did not enter by one of the two gates from the hill?	Answers, No, but through the gate near Lange Maria’s.[1]

To which answers Jan Harmsen refuses to swear, he refusing likewise to sign the statements made by him.
The honorable court gives the defendant respite until the next court day and orders him to obtain at once a copy of his answers to the interrogatory to swear to it at that time.

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C., trans./ed., New Netherland Documents Series: Vol. 16, part 2, Fort Orange Court Minutes, 1652-1660 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press: 1990).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.