STATE OF MARYLAND. TO THE SHERIFF OF BALTIMORE-COUNTY, GREETING:WE COMMAND YOU, THAT YOU TAKE JOHN PERRIGO LATE OF BALTIMORE-COUNTY, YEOMAN, IF HE SHALL BE FOUND IN YOUR BALIWICK, AND THAT HIM SO TAKEN, YOU SAFE KEEP, SO THAT YOU HAVE HIS BODY BEFORE THE JUSTICES OF BALTIMORE-COUNTY COURT, AT THE COURT-HOUSE IN THE SAME COUNTY, ON THE FOURTH MONDAY IN MARCH NEXT, TO ANSWER UNTO JOSIAS GREEN OF A PLEA WHEREFORE HE THE SAID JOHN PERRIGO WITH FORCE AND ARMS...DID TO THE GREAT DAMAGE OF HIM THE SAID JOSIAS GREEN AND AGAINST THE PEACE GOVERNMENT AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND SO FORTH.HEREOF FAIL NOT, AT YOUR PERIL, AND HAVE YOU THEN THERE THIS WRIT. WITNESS, BENJAMIN NICHOLSON GENTLEMAN, CHIEF JUSTICE OF OUR SAID COURT, THE 18TH DAY OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, SEVENTEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE. ISSUED THE 29TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 1792WM. GIBSON CLK

[Baltimore, 1792. Broadside, 6" x 7.75", untrimmed. Underlined text denotes manuscript. Old vertical folds, short closed tear at top along fold [no text loss]. Light blindstamp seal in blank section of writ. Some browning at edges, Good+.  Perrigo was accused of breaking and entering property owned by Green and damaging it. The writ was issued by Baltimore Chief Judge Benjamin Nicholson, who was appointed as such in 1791. He died just one year later. [Scharf: CHRONICLES OF BALTIMORE; BEING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF "BALTIMORE TOWN" (1874), p. 261] William Gibson, who signed the writ, served as both clerk and sheriff in Baltimore. Both Green and Perrigo are listed in the 1790 Federal Census for Patapsco Lower Hundred, Baltimore. A nice example of late 18th century legal documents in Maryland, still using the old English common law phrasing. (Inventory #: 23976)