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
PARDON P. BRATON.