_To all whom it may concern_.
This may certify, that _John Reynolds_, once an inmate
of Vermont State Prison, and since a professed Episcopal
Methodist, and also a licensed local preacher in Windsor,
Conn. came to this place about June, 1830, recommended by
Brother J. Robbins, as a man worthy of our patronage; and of
course I employed him to supply for me in Ware and Hopkinton,
(both in N.H.) in which places he was for a short time,
apparently useful. But the time shortly arrived when it
appeared that he was pursuing a course that rendered him
worthy of censure. I therefore commenced measures to put him
down from preaching; but before I could get fully prepared for
him, he was gone out of my reach. I would however observe, he
wrote me a line from Portsmouth, enclosing his license, also
stating his withdrawal from us; and thus evaded trial. We
have, therefore, never considered him worthy of a place in any
Christian church since he left Hopkinton, in May, 1831. And
I feel authorized to state, that he does not deserve the
confidence of any respectable body of people.
E.W. STICKNEY, Circuit Preacher,
In the Methodist Episcopal Church.
His wrath was enkindled and waxed hot against me, because I thought
him scarce honorable enough for a high priest, and could not enter
into fellowship with him. I opposed his ordination as an elder of
our church, because I thought it dishonor to sit by his side; and he
therefore tried to make me look as black as himself, by publishing
things he was enabled to concoct by the aid of certain of my enemies
in New York. They wrote one or two letters derogatory to my character,
the substance of which Reynolds took the liberty to publish. For this
I complained of him to the Grand Jury in Boston, and he was indicted.
The following is the indictment:
The Jurors for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on their
oath present, that John Reynolds of Boston, Clerk, being a
person regardless of the morality, integrity, innocence and
piety, which Ministers of the Gospel ought to possess and
sustain, and maliciously devising and intending to traduce,
vilify and bring into contempt and detestation one William
Apes, who was on the day hereinafter mentioned, and still is a
resident of Boston aforesaid, and duly elected and appointed
a minister of the gospel and missionary, by a certain
denomination of Christians denominated as belonging to
the Methodist Protestant Church; and also unlawfully and
maliciously intending to insinuate and cause it to be
believed, that the said William Apes was a deceiver and
impostor, and guilty of crimes and offences, and of buying
lottery tickets, and misappropriating monies collected by
him from religious persons for charitable purposes, and for
building a Meeting-house among certain persons called Indians.
On the thirteenth day of August now last past, at Boston
aforesaid, in the County of Suffolk aforesaid, unlawfully,
maliciously, and deliberately did compose, print and publish,
and did cause and procure to be composed, printed and
published in a certain newspaper, called the "Daily Commercial
Gazette," of and concerning him the said William Apes, and of
and concerning his said profession and business, an unlawful
and malicious libel, according to the purport and effect, and
in substance as follows, that is to say, containing therein
among other things, the false, malicious, defamatory and
libellous words and matter following, of and concerning said
William Apes, to wit: _convinced at an early period of my_
(meaning his the said Reynolds) _acquaintance with William
Apes_, (meaning the aforesaid William Apes,) _that he_
(meaning said William,) _was not what he_ (meaning said
William,) _professed to be; but was deceiving and imposing
upon the benevolent and Christian public_, (meaning that said
William Apes was a deceiver and impostor,) _I_ (meaning said
Reynolds,) _took all prudent means to have him_ (meaning
said William,) _exposed, and stopped in his_ (meaning said
William,) _race of guilt_, (meaning that said William had been
guilty of immorality, dishonesty, irreligion, offences and
crimes;) _these men_, (meaning one Joseph Snelling and one
Norris,) _were earnestly importuned to investigate his_
(meaning said William,) _conduct, and enforce the discipline_
(meaning the discipline of the church,) _upon him_ (meaning
said William,) _for crimes committed since his_ (meaning
said William's) _arrival in this city_, (meaning said city of
Boston, thereby meaning that said William Apes had been guilty
of crimes in said Boston,) _though well acquainted with
facts, which are violently presumtive of his_ (meaning said
William's) _being a deceiver, his_ (meaning said William's)
_friends stand by him_, (meaning said William's) _and will not
give him_ (meaning said William,) _up, though black as hell_,
(meaning that said William was a deceiver, and of a wicked and
black character.) _When I am informed that he_ (meaning said
William) _is ordained_, (meaning as a minister of the gospel,)
_that he_ (meaning said William,) _is by permission of the
brethren travelling, and permitted to collect money to build
the house aforesaid_, (meaning the aforesaid Meeting-house,)
_for his_ (meaning said William's,) _Indian brethren to
worship God in, I shudder not so much because he_ (meaning
said William,) _is purchasing Lottery Tickets_, (meaning that
said William was purchasing Lottery Tickets, and had spent
some of the aforesaid money for that purpose,) _but because I
know of his_ (meaning said William's) _pledge to the citizens
of New York and elsewhere_, to the great injury, scandal, and
disgrace of the said William Apes, and against the peace and
dignity of the Commonwealth aforesaid.
SAMUEL D. PARKER, Attorney of said Commonwealth, within the
County of Suffolk.
PARKER H. PEIRCE, Foreman of the Grand Jury.
A true Copy.--Attest,
THOMAS W. PHILLIPS, Clerk of the Municipal Court of the
City of Boston.
Subsequently, I entered civil actions against two others, for the
same offence, and had them held to bail in the sum of fifteen hundred
dollars, with sureties. This soon made them feel very sore. They had
put it in my power to punish them very severely for giving rein to
their malignant passions, and they asked mercy. I granted it, in order
to show them that I wanted nothing but right, and not revenge; and
that they might know that an Indian's character was as dearly valued
by him as theirs by them. Would they ever have thus yielded to an
Indian, if they had not been compelled? I presume it will satisfy
the world that there was no truth in their stories, to read their
confessions, which are as follows:
_Extract from a letter written by David Ayres, to Elder T.F.
Norris, dated New Orleans, April 12, 1833_.
"I have arrived here this day, and expected to have found
letters here from you, and some of my other brethren
respecting Apes' suit. I never volunteered in this business,
but was led into it by others, and it is truly a hard case
that I must have all this trouble on their account."
_Extract of a letter written by David Ayers to William Apes,
dated July 1, 1833_.
"I am, and always have been your friend, and I never expected
that any things I wrote about you, would find their way into
the public papers. I am for peace, and surely I have had
trouble enough. I never designed to injure you, and when all
were your enemies, I was your warm friend."
_Extract from a letter written by G. Thomas to Rev. Thomas F.
Norris, dated New York, July 12, 1833_.
"William Apes might by some be said to be an excepted case;
but when this is fairly explained and understood, this would
not be the fact. My good friends of Boston, and my active
little brother Ayres, are to blame for this, and not me. I had
no malice against him, I never had done other than wish him
well, and done what I hoped would turn out for the best; but
knowing he was liable to error (as) others, and the case being
placed in such colors to me, I awoke up; and being pressed to
give what I did in detail as I thought, all for the good of
the cause and suffering innocence; but I am sorry I ever
was troubled at all on the subject; I thought that brother
Reynolds was a fine catch; but time I acknowledge is a sure
tell-tale. And by the by, they have caught me, and eventually,
unless Apes will stop proceedings, I must bear all the
burthen. Reynolds has got his neck out of the halter, and
Ayres is away South, and may never return; and poor me must be
at all the trouble and cost, if even the suit should go in my
favor. Can I think that Apes will press it? No. I think he has
not lost all human milk out of his breast, and will dismiss
the suit; and, as to my share of the cost, if I was able, that
should be no obstacle. If he will stop it all, if my friends
do not settle it, I will agree to, as soon as I am able."
* * * * *
I hereby certify, that I have copied the foregoing passages
from the letters purporting to be from David Ayres and G.
Thomas, respectively, as above mentioned, and that said
passages are correct extracts from said letters. I further
certify, that, as the Attorney of said William Apes, I acted
for him in the suits brought by him against said Thomas and
Ayres for libel, that while said suits were pending, said Apes
manifested a forgiving and forbearing disposition, and wished
the suits not to be pressed any further than was necessary to
show the falsehood of the statements of said Ayres and Thomas,
and contradict them; and, that he expressed himself willing to
settle with them upon their paying the cost, and acknowledging
their error, in consequence of which, by direction from him,
after he had perused said letters, I accordingly discharged
both suits, the bail of said Thomas and Ayres paying the
costs, which amounted to fifty dollars.
I further certify, that during my acquaintance with said Apes,
which commenced as I think, in March last, I have seen nothing
in his character or conduct, to justify the reports spread
about him, by said Thomas and Ayres; but on the contrary, he
has appeared to me to be an honest and well disposed man.
HENRY W. KINSMAN, No. 33, Court Street. _Boston, November 30,
1833_.
I, the subscriber, fully concur in the above statement.
JAMES D. YATES, Elder of the Methodist Protestant Church.
The original confession of Reynolds being lost, I trust that the
following certificate will satisfy the reader that it has actually had
existence.
_To whom it may concern_.
This is to certify that I have repeatedly seen, and in one
instance, copied a paper of confession and _retraction_
of Slanders, which the writer stated he had uttered, and
published in papers of the day, against William Apes, the
preacher to the Marshpee tribe of Indians, signed, John
Reynolds, and countersigned as witness, by William Parker,
Esq. The copy taken of the above mentioned confession by the
subscriber, was sent to the Rev. T.R. Witsil, Albany, N.Y.
THOMAS F. NORRIS, President of the Protestant Methodist
Conference, Mass.
Attest,
JAMES D. YATES.
_Boston, May 7, 1835_.
Nevertheless, lest this should not be sufficient, I am prepared to
defend myself by written certificates of my character and standing
among the whites and natives, (the Pequod tribe,) in Groton. They are
as follows:
We the undersigned, native Indians of the Pequod tribe, having
employed Rev. William Apes as our Agent, to assist us, and to
collect subscriptions and monies towards erecting a house to
worship in, do hereby certify, that we are satisfied with
his agency; and that we anticipated that he would deduct
therefrom, all necessary expenses, for himself and family,
during the time he was employed in the agency, as we had no
means of making him any other remuneration.
By permission, FREDERICK X[Note: sideways X] TOBY,
LUCRETIA GEORGE,
By permission, MARY X[Note: sideways X] GEORGE,
By permission, LUCY X[Note: sideways X] ORCHARD,
WILLIAM APES,
By permission, MARGARET X[Note: sideways X] GEORGE.
I, Pardon P. Braton of Groton, in the County of New London,
and State of Connecticut, of lawful age, do depose and say,
that I was present when the above signers attached their names
to the above certificate, by them subscribed, and am knowing
to their having full knowledge of the facts therein contained;
and further the deponent saith not