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- . PETITION OF MARY MONTGOMERY of the Twp. of York
To Lord Durham, Geo. Arthur, Lieut. Gov.
Petitioner is the disconsolate wife of John Montgomery, one of those unfortunate men who has been found guilty, on trial before a Special Session in April last ( 1838), of being concerned in the late Rebellion.
She humbly begs to state that all her husband was well known as an honest Reformer, that of Rebellion against the Government never entered his head & the verdict of guilty against him was induced by circumstantial evidence. On the night of December 4 last, herself & Husband was awoke by William Lyon Mackenzie & a party of rebels & on their intentions being made known to her husband by Mackenzie, he strongly reprobated such conduct, whereupon the former drew a Pistol from his breast & threatened to shoot her husband on the spot if he uttered a sentence contrary to what he Mackenzie required of him. Her unfortunate husband was coerced into appearances of acquiesce, that was foreign to his inclination & what ever might be entertained to the contrary, he was too closely watched to have been enabled to make his escape from them, during the 2 days & nights they occupied her husbands premises.
Petitioner further, begs to state that her husband if believing himself guilty, might & would, have privately withdrawn himself from the Province, for which purpose had he chose so to do, he had ample means & opportunity, but conscious in himself of having committed no act that could be construed into treason, he staid by his own Premises, never having gone a mile therefrom, until he showed himself on the strength of Sir Francis Bondhead’s Proclamation, which promised security & indulgence to all those who returned peaceably to their Honor. The guilty was included, with the exception of for whom a reward was offered.
Her husband has now suffered imprisonment of 7 months & a large loss of property, not withstanding his absolute innocence of treason. Should your Excellency be graciously pleased to restore him to the bosom of his suffering & innocent family, 1 member of which is but a few days old & your humble petitioner herself unable to arise, in consequence of her late illness, the most ample security for his future demeanor as a good & peaceable subject will be give.
Signed, Toronto, July 19th, 1838, Mary Montgomery. {Image 1389.
Ref: UCS Index C9824, C600 p110390-418/ Image 1364.
Research & transcription by P J Ahlberg. Thank you. - - - [1]
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