Document: Affidavit of Johannes La Montagne, Philip Pietersen Schuyler, Jan Tomassen, and Hendrick Jochemsen that Marten Bierkaecker sold brandy to a Mohawk Indian

Whereas last Sunday, being the 12th of this month of August 1657, during the preaching, some drunken Indians committed many acts of insolence in this place and upon making inquiries a Maquas Indian was found, named Kanigeragae, who declared that he knew a house where the Indians obtained the brandy and offered, if we gave him a beaver, to get brandy in the said house; therefore, we, Johannes La Montagne, officer, Philip Pietersen Schuyler, and Jan Tomassen, magistrates, in view of the seriousness of the matter, on the 13th of the said month, having given a beaver to the aforesaid Indian, followed and accompanied him with Henderick Jochimsen, lieutenant of the burgher guard, which Indian went to the south side of the boundary line, having in his hand an empty kettle, which we had with us, and with this empty kettle, went into the house of Marten Bierkaecker, we together remaining near the said house to watch the result. But as there were strangers in the said house, as we ourselves could hear from the noise, the Indian came back to us with his kettle empty. About three-quarters of an hour later the said Indian again went into the said house and came back to us having in his kettle about three pints of brandy and sugar, which he had obtained for the beaver which we had given him, so that we took the kettle with us and went into the house of the said Bierkaecker, where we found him and his wife quite amazed after we had asked them whether they had sold the brandy that was in the kettle to a Maquaese Indian with a white blanket for one beaver, as we had seen the said Indian go in and out of the house. All of which, we, the undersigned, upon oath declare to be true. Actum in Fort Orange, the 15th of August 1657.

Johannes La Montagne
Philip Pietersen Schuyler
Jan Tomassen
Henderick Jochimsen