Framingham (Mass.) Coroner and Jurors Partially Printed DS, October 28, 1797

Middlesex ss.

AN INQUISITION, taken at Framingham within
the said County of Middlesex the twenty eighth Day
of October in the Year of our LORD One thousand seven hundred and
Ninety seven before before John Fisk Gentleman, one of
the Coroners of the said County of Middlesex upon the View of the Body of
A Black Man Name unknown there lying dead, by the Oaths of
Eighteen yeoman good and lawful Men Eli Rutland
Peter Clayes Uriah Rives Matthias Bert Jnr.
John Bert John Bert Junr. Joseph Bennet
Micah Fisk Micah Stone Abner Stone Josiah
Stone Andrew Brown Ebenezer Brown William
Hasting Abel Stone Thomas Rives Benjn. Dudley
Caleb Drury Yeomen,
good and lawful Men, who being charged and sworn to inquire for the Commonwealth,
when and how and by what Means the said Blackman unknown
came to his Death, upon their Oaths do say, that the said Black Negro man
within about two months now last past being in a deranged insane
State of Mind wandered into a Tract of Woodland in said
Town and there being in a State of Insanity with a Silk
Handkerchief noose around his neck, and and tied
to one other cotton Handkerchief and that made
fast to the limb of a Pine tree then and there
Standing unfortunately hung himself

And so the Jurors aforesaid upon their oaths say
that the said Negro Man in Manner aforesaid came
to his Death By Misfortune

In Witness whereof, the said Coroner and Jurors to this Inquisition have set their Hands
and Seals, the Day and Year abovesaid.

{the signatures and seals are in two columns. In this transcription, they are rendered as a single column}

John Fisk Corroner
Eli Rutland Foreman -
Peter Clayes
Uriah Rives
Mattias Bert Jr
John Bert
John Bert Jr
Joseph Bennett
Micah Fisk
Micah Stone
Abner Stone
Josiah Stone
Andrew Brown
Eleazer Brown
William Hasting
Abel Stone
Caleb Drury
Thomas Rives
Benajmin Dudley