1

Knoxville 24 July 1798

Sir

Yours of the 18th Ins. I rec.^d to day by the hand
of M^r Tiner, stateing [sic] a talk given from
John Watts, concerning the two Cherokees killed
near the mouth of Stones River - The murders
committed on those two Cherokees, I deprecate reprobate
as highly as any man living and wish to god
the perpetrators of the Crime may be brought
to condign punishment; and every measure
has, and will be pursued to have the same effected.

Watts has been told by myself that if the
Murder aggressors could be convicted that they
most assuredly should be punished with death;
I also told him that some persons had been apprehend
ed, but no proof ^sufficient could be obtained sufficient
to convict them- I wish I dont I am at a loss to understand what
is meant by the word satisfaction, if unless it means
that innocent two persons must be put to death
in retaliation for the indians killed Whether those
two were guilty or not of the murder or not, agreably
to their own custom - It ought to be explained
to the indians, and I make no doubt is ^has that our