The director-general and council of New Netherland, to all those who see or hear this read, greetings. Let it be known: Whereas we have been reliably informed that some among our subjects once again, as last year, have taken up and circulated false, spurious and self-contrived rumors, dishonoring the high administration of this province and Netherlandic nation; namely, that some members of the high council together with some Dutch inhabitants were to have hired and incited some Frenchmen and Indians to massacre and plunder the English people residing among us; which circulated rumor, although false, unchristian and completely without foundation, was, nevertheless, disseminated so obstinately and impudently by some (mostly English refugees from New England) in order to incite greater turmoil among the good inhabitants; and in order to give more credence to their lies, they abandoned their houses and plantations, most of them going to the village of Gravesande, where some robbers, bandits and pirates have banded together and quartered themselves for some time now, among them being Samuel Brocquet, the leader and bandit who stole the horses. Therefore, for reasons best known to themselves, the director-general and council find themselves duty-bound and constrained, for their own vindication and the maximum security possible for their inhabitants, hereby to order, command and direct all their schouts, officers and magistrates of the respective villages and settlements of this province to apprehend and to deliver before us here, in the most secure way possible, not only the initiators and disseminators of these false, spurious self-contrived rumors, but also those who pass them on to others, whether they be fourth, fifth or sixth hand, so that thereby not only the turmoil may be halted, but also, if possible, through examination and arrest, the initiators may be discovered and duly punished as an example to others. And in order to prevent in the future such turmoil among the good and well-affected [ inhabitants ], the director-general and council hereby declare all persons, of whatever nation or rank they may be, who by reason of such false, injurious and forged reports have fled from or abandoned their property, without making inquiry, as is duty-bound, of the director-general and high council or inferior magistrates concerning the same, to be deprived of their rights of citizenship[99] and abandoned lands, unless the persons who have run away, do, within 24 hours after the publication hereof, return with their families and all their removed furniture and livestock to their abandoned lands, whether they moved or fled to the village of Gravesande near the pirates or elsewhere. Furthermore, if anyone can furnish definite proof and information of the person or persons who may have forged and circulated such fake, slanderous and unchristian lies and deliver them into the hands of justice, he shall receive a reward of 300 guilders, with the promise of the first office for which he may be qualified. Thus done at the session of the director-general and council of New Netherland, 11 July 1654, New Amsterdam; and was signed: P. Stuyvesant, Nicasius de Sille, C. van Werckhoven, La Montagne, Cor. van Thienhoven.
