house where the said Asenath resided, and, made diligent and faithful inquiry of her, of her mother, and of her grandfather, and sister of Mr. Perry Clark and his family, and of the neighbors, and could find nothing to my disadvantage; but that the story was wholly without any foundation in truth, and ought not to be regarded; and so they reported to the church, which report was unanimously accepted; and voted that my conduct had been perfectly unexceptionable. During all this time I was in Hebron, a di-tance of about 30 miles, and knew nothing of what was going on.

Halsey and Downer being thus foiled in their plan, resolv ed upon one expedient more, and that was to frighten and compel her to swear her supposed child, for she never had one, not upon Dr. George Downer, but upon me, and for this Halsey entered a complaint against her, before a federal presbyterian justice, of their party, and induced Eleazer B. Downing to swear that about seven months before that time he had delivered the said Asenath of a dead fœtus, and then threatened her, if she did not swear it upon ine, she should be whipped at the public post; that she should be stripped naked, set upon a gallows with a rope about her neck, &c. and that she should be arrested on the next Monday. On the next day she left the county, and went privately to a friend's house in Hampton. about 14 miles. Within a few days I was informed what was done and where she was. I went to the house where she was, and she then communicated to me the foregoing statement of what was said and done, and then wrote the following deposition, and gave it me in her own hand writing, viz.

1, Asenath C. Smith, of Griswold, county of New-London, and state of Connecticut, of lawful age, depose and say, that in the forepart of the summer of 18 7, and for a long time before, I was in the habit of keeping private company with Dr. George Downer, of Preston, and on or about the first day of July, 1817, and not long before he went his journey to the westward, he came to our house and staid all night; that I then, in the hope and expectation of honorable marriage with him, gave myself up to him, and was on that night, &c. by him and by ng other person. I testify, that I never made my

ligent: randfat and of ge; burd truth.

the chee ded dar uring ai

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lan,

frighten

ver hade for this ieral pre er B. De time her then thr Ould be a ed naked

and that.

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was infor -house v regoing the fol

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a long ti Ompany at the first Durney to night; th marriage

night, &c. ¿a

doctor would return and by honorable marriage prevent his
and my disgrace. I testify, that continued pregnant by
I
him, ntil about the 28th of October, when I was teliv-
ered of a dead child; which I have always thought was oc-
casioned by being very weak, unwell and having fits;
and further the deponent saith not.
ASENATH C. SMITH.

Dated Hampton, May 28th, 1818.

The foregoing deposition was delivered to James Lannian,
Esq. as evidence at the binding over of me for trial, and was
kept by him, but on trial was wickedly and unjustly withheld
and concealed, though demanded, and the court proceeded in
the trial without it. Will any body say that this was a just
and fair trial, before an impartial tribunal? Here was evi-
de ce to prove, in her own hand writing, that she had two
years before charged her supposed child upon another man and
that she had lost it hy being very weak, unwell, and having fits.

From Hampton the said Asenath went in the stage to her
uncle's, in Deerfield, in Massachusetts, and some months af
ter her arrival there, she wrote the following letter to James
Cook, Esq. who was one of the committee of the chu.ch, in
Poquatanic, to inquire into the truth of the report of rialsey
and Downer, as before stated, and who now reported that I
had advised and assisted in getting her away, which was ut
terly false, for I was not within 30 miles of her, and knew
nothing of what was said and done until after she was gone.
To James Cook, Esq. Preston, New-London county.
Deerfield, August tth, 1818.,
I do hereby certify, that I never have known any thing in
the conduct of the Rev. Ammi Rogers unbecoming the gen-
tleinan, the Christian or the clergyman, and that he is no way
justly liable to reproach in any of those matters, which some
people have laid to his charge respecting me. They certain-
ly have mistaken the person
I was advised and assisted in
leaving the county of New-London, not by Mr. Rogers, but
by some persons who now reside there; and whatever mis-
fortunes may have befallen me, they are not justly chargea-
ble to him, but to them, and I think it no more than just and
fair to clear him of every thing, of every name and naturc,

The foregoing communication, James Cook, Esq. received from the said Asenath by mail, and was delivered to James Lanman, Esq. the county attorney, as evidence at the binding over, and by him kept for the trial; and on trial he withheld and concealed it, though it was called for, and the court proceeded in the trial without it. Here were honor, character, profession, liberty, every thing depending! Will any person say 'that this was a just, and a fair and honorable trial? for officers of public justice to arraign any man as a criminal, Conceal the evidence of his innocence, and proceed to conand what was the demn and ruin him, what can be worse? cause? Answer--see page 39. Under these accumulated afflictions and persecutions, what ought my feelings to be? what ought I to do? what should be my conduct? Shall I, like St. Peter, draw the sword? shall i, like the vicar of Wakefiele, take my Bible in one hand, and my gun in the other, and demand justice or death? shall I, like St. Stephen, pray for my persecutors and murderers? Or, shall I, like my blessed Saviour, open not my mouth to them?

O, Almighty and most merciful God, be pleased, I beseech thee. to direct and assist me in all my doings, and in all my sufferings, with thy most gracious favor; give me all such things as are necessary and profitable for me; defend me from all such things as are hurtful, either to my body or to my soul; and finally, by thy mercy, receive me into everlasting life, through Jesus Christ my Lord, in whose most holy name, and all prevailing form of words, I sum up these and all my prayers, saying as he has taught and expressly commanded me, that when I did pray I should say, " Our Father who art in Heaven," &c.

CHAPTER IX.

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH CONTINUED.

In the month of March or April 1819, Asenath C. Smith
Griswold. Her mother for many months had

. recen to Ja the birt

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C. Smit

been sick with a hectic fever. which was a family complaint, and soon afterwards died. Doct. Avery Downer, was their family physician was very unfriendly to me, and by misrepresentations had made favourable impressions on their minds, and particularly Maria was willing to go all lengths. Soon after Asenath returned. Col. Halsey and Doct. Downer went to the house of Elisha Geer, for the purpose of inducing her to charge that supposed child upon me, which she had before justly and truly charged upon the son of the said Doctor, and to go still farther, by saying it was destroyed by me. The whole story was contrived, planned and laid out. They took Asenath into a private bed-room alone, conversed with her in private, they said as friends; they staid all night; the next morning Halsey dictated the whole story which he wished the said Aseneth and Maria to testifiy. Doct. Downer wrote it, and they learnt it by heart. They were promised. riches, honor, friendship, universal respect, safety, secrecy, and indemnity. Col. Halsey, was an old experienced lawyer, and knew what would do, and how to contrive.

Doct.

Downer was a learned, se sible man, and much looked up to
Bishop Hobart's neglect of my parishes. had raised a hue and
cry against me; other denominations were all alive, one word,
or even a hint was enough to set them in motion, and parti-
cularly the Presbyterians in Griswold and Preston, consid-
ered me their political and religious enemy. I had built up
the Episcopal church where the service had never been per-
formed before, there cause was failing, jealousy and animosi-
ty were on the alert. Halsey pledged to those girls, before
witnesses, his life, and his honor, that it never should hurt
them, it should cost them nothing, they should be protected
against all prosecution, and it would be the best and most
honorable thing that they could do. And Mr. Lauman a
senator of the United States, and a state's attorney, would
take their part, would befriend and protect them.
Within a
few days after, Mr. Lauman himself came from Norwich to
old Mr. Geer's, 8 miles, took Asenath into their east chamber
alone, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, and was there
shut up
with her until nine or ten o'clock at night; and she
sava: what he said and did • that be there and then made her

the same promises, and gave her the same assurances which Halsey and Downer had done before. be also said to Mr. Perry Clark, that for Asenath to testify against me, would be the best and most honorable thing that she could do; that she should be protected against ali prosecution, that it never should hurt ber, or cost her any thing, a id that she need not, and should not be called upon to testify publicly in this case, but only before a justice and a few friends. Haisey had before promised her, that if she would testify against me. if I had a cent of property in the world, he would get it, and she should have it. All this is solemnly sworn to by their own witnesses. Let any young woman hike Asenath C. Smith, be courted for two or three years by a respectable young physician, like Doct. George Downer; let her meet with a misfortune, and have it known and sworn to; and let such men as Col Halsey, noted for his intrigues with women; let such a man as Doctor Downer, who was then of respectable standing in society,of great art.intrigue,and affability; let such a man as Jamies Lanman. Esq. a senator of the United States.a noted lawyer, a state's attorney and a strong Connecticut presbyterian.-Let three such men try their skill upon such a girl as Asenath C. Smith: let them engage her unprincipled sister, Maria, to assist them; and who can tell what they might not induce her to say or do? Who can tell what they might not induce her to testify? During all this time, I was in Hebron, a distance of 0 miles, and was not informed that she had returned from Massachusetts. I was wholly ignorant of the, all-night visit, of the private bed-room contrivance, and of the east chamber conference and agreement. The whole business was kept from me a profound secret, until I came to Poquatanic on my regular business; when a friend suggested to me, that he understood that Col. Halsey and Doct. Downer had a plan of some kind in operation against me, relative to Asenath C. Smith; that Mr. Lanman was engaged in the business, and advised me to call on him for information. I soon went to Norwich, called on him, and found that a business of some kind relative to her, was already prepared, process was form ed and L

to