Teritory of Florida
   Alachua County	Personally appeared before me Sam’l 
                       Harevell one of the acting Justices of 
the Peace in and for said County Mr Britton Knight and 
after being sworn in due form of law deposeth and saith 
that he has been intemately acquainted with Cap’t Gabriel 
Priest for the span of twenty years last past during which 
time said Priest has acted his part as an honest indust
rious upright citizen of east Florida, and that the said 
Priest has lived for seven years last past on the 
Wacahootia hammock in the County aforesaid and on 
the 29th day of November 1835, the said Priest afore
said were obliaged to retire in much haste from 
his resedence with his family in order to save their 
lives from the hostile Indians and provedentially 
escaped from the savage rage and tyranny carying 
little else but his wearing apparrel and bedding and 
this deponent further saith the evening after said Priest 
left his dwelling house crops household furniture and 
implements of husbandry, he and eleven men
others came to the plantation and dwelling houses 
of said Priest and staid all night being on 
a scout or guard against the Semanole Indians 
and this deponent further saith that on the sixth 
day of December at night he with sundry other 
persons came near said Priest plantation aforesaid 
and saw the house and out houses all on fire 
advancing within two hundred paces of said dwel
ling several of the men said they saw Indians around 
the flames of said consuming houses out houses 
granery and barns and this examinant verally 
believes with the most ***** required to truth that 
every Item in said Priest bill of Charges against the 
United States for **** takings and depredations