At a Court Conveyd hld at the [illegible] on the Ninth Day of June 1756.

Edward McSwain one of his Majesty Justices Assigned to keep the peace within the said County, Issued the Summons for the following Magistrates and Freeholders to sit upon a Tryal Concerning an [asslt] made by a Negro Called Daniel belonging to Littleton Eborne, on the Body of his Mistress, Elizabeth Eberne, Dec'd Late Wife of the said Little Eberne,

[illegible] Made the Above Meet Accordingly by Court Meet Accordingly & Adjourned for one Hour Court Meet According to Adjournment—

Ordered By the Court that the Negro fellow Daniel be [illegible] Court, which was Done accordingly By the Sheriff

Stephen Langley Says on Oath that Some Before Elizabeth McSwain was Married to Littleton Eborn that he heard the Negro fellow Daniel say that if she come there meaning to be his Mistress that she must Mind [her] [illegible]—

Negro Peter upon Examination says that on Tuesday the Twenty fifth Day of May at the [hith] of his Mistress Elizaba: McSwain Sickness, he was at Mr. Littleton Eborns and agoing away he tooke his Leave of the Defendant by Bidding him Farewell no Stop Says he the Defendant I want to Talk with you, he went under a Little Tree then the Defendant told me there an Old [yearling] Dead with Poverty and his Mistress Did not Allow me to Eat no hogg Meat and that his Mistress was as Cross as the Devil and one Day as I was a walking in [illegible] he come a Cross a Great Rattle Snake & Cutt of his Head [illegible] Before he [illegible] himself and that he took the Head of the Snake and Dryed it and [Beat] it as fine as Powder and then gave it to her in her Vittles and Drink and he [said] it was Elizabeth McSwain which was his Mistress Wife and that he would not Give it all at Once to her Because it Would kill her Dead and that he give her Little & Little By Degree and he Told me it Was not the first Mistress he had Serv'd So, and after She, his Mistress Dyed they Called him in Before a Company to touch her and he Stood in the Middle Like a Minister and he Did touch her and no Blood Came out & he was Safe Enough and She Swelled Mightily and further the Deponant Saith not—

Negroe Daniel the Dependant upon Examination Saith that he had no Discourses with the said Negro Peter Concerning ^Poisoning his^ his Mistress Elizh. McSwain Deceas'd and that he Did give her anything for to Poison her & that he had of Timothy Allens Negro Matthew some sort of Root that Would make Women Love him & if they Would not take it of him to Drop or Rubb it upon their Cloths & that he did Rubb it on Some Womans Cloths which accordingly it took some Effect & some other Stuff the said Matthew gave him that he might not Receive any Anger from any Body & that the said Matthew hath Been his Ruin Concerning the Affairs of Woman & that Matthews Advice was to give him to give the Stuff to the Woman and By that Means you may ^he might^ Over come them and that his Other Confession on this was throw fear, and that he hath Belyed himself that he never Put any Poison thing in his said Mistresses Victuals nor Drinks—

Ordered ^by the Court^ that the Said Negro Daniel have thirty nine Lashes on his Bare Back, well Laid on, and that he be Branded with a Hott Iron With the Letters HC, on his Right Cheek, for the Afs'd Crime by he Accusation, and to be Delivered to his said Master Littleton Eborn,

The said Negro is by the Court Vallued to forty five pounds proclamation Money in Case the said Negro should Die by his Receiving his punishments—

Court Adjourned—

Test. Stepn. Downing Cler. Cur