1811 Abuse of A Horse/Mare Sheriff's Warrant-Pawtuxet Rangers
This is a sheriff's warrant from 1811 for the arrest of a Ray Martin (misspelling of last name) a con man who, according to the warrant, has several aliases. He is listed as a yeoman (small farm owner), alias a husbandman (free tenant man below a yeoman), alias a labourer, alias a Spinner (part of the weaving trade), alias a Gentleman, so definitely a con man.
He is accused of asking to loan a horse/mare from Cranston to Providence, RI and back to the plaintiff's home. Stephen Fenner (the Plaintiff) asked the defendant to ride the horse/mare with moderation but Ray Martin instead is accused of mistreating the horse/mare so roughly and riding so hard and over four times the distance agreed upon (without a saddle), that Stephen Fenner is asking for $20.00 compensation because the horse/mare has been so 'grievously wounded and injured' by 'beating, bruising, and whipping' that it is of no or little use to Stephen Fenner.
The wording of the warrant and the reason for the issuing of the warrant is so long that an extra piece of paper has been inserted into the normal warrant form.
The Plaintiff, Stephen Fenner, was a Revolutionary War soldier from Cranston, RI and was also a Justice of the Peace in Cranston, RI.More importantly, is the name of the Justice of the Peace, Thomas Remington. Remington was a member of the little-known 'Pawtuxet Rangers' who were a small brigade of Rhode Island soldiers who protected the seaport of Pawtuxet from invasion by the British. One of the forts that were used was called Ft Cranston Neck and was built on land owned by Thomas Remington's father, Captain Thomas Remington, a well-known sea captain. As the war progressed, they also took part in the Battle of Rhode Island and the Battle of Saratoga.
The Pawtuxet Rangers still exist today as one of the oldest chartered militias in the country. They retain the independent status of their charter while also available on a voluntary basis to assist in certain State functions if so requested.
This is a rare historic document from Rhode Island signed by a patriot who was a member of the Pawtuxet Rangers in the Revolutionary War.
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