Dear Sir:
        We, last night, brought to a conclusion, after a very troublesome term, the Court of Sessions, of the Peace, Over and Terminer, and the General Gaol Delivery held here the 17th inst., for the District of Hillsborough, and have pretty well delivered the jail by trying some and binding over to the Supreme Court the most exceptional characters and by enlisting into the Continental service, pursuant to your proclamation of the 25th ult., most of those less obnoxious.
        During this term, seven have been capitally convicted, to-wit: Samuel Poe for burglary; Thomas Ricketts, Meredith Edwards, Thomas Eastridge and Thomas Dark, for high treason; William Duke and Thomas Hunt, for horse stealing.
        And as I suppose some supplications may be made for mercy, I have though proper to represent to your Excellency, the true point of view, in which the several persons condemned, stood before the Court, the heinousness of their crimes and their moral characters in life, so that if any should be spared, you may be enabled to judge who are the less necessary victims of the policy of law.
        Thomas Dark, a Captain of Fanning's and one of his right hand men, is the principal person convicted. He has been very active and enterprising, and near as dangerous a person as Fanning himself and from his proved inhumanity and cruelties in cutting, hacking and wounding his prisoners, had acquired among those of his own party the name of young Tarleton.
        Thomas Ricketts, though indicted of treason only, it is hard to mention a crime of which he is not accused and I have good reason to belive not wrongfully. Murder, house burning, robbery, etc., are in the black list of his crimes, to which is added a general bad character.
        Samuel Poe is one of eight who set out on the plan of robbery, and in one night broke open six different dwelling houses of men, of property, and entered, sword in hand, and with guns and other arms, and put in fear all in the house, robbed of several hundred pounds, specie worth, of clothes, furniture, etc. Witnesses intended to prove the several charges, being indicted of one, which being so clearly proved by credible witnesses, coupled with his own confession, it was thought needless to indict him on more.
        N. B. - He is the only one of the gang taken except a young lad who appeared as a witness.
        Meredith Edwards and Thomas Eastridge were also indicted for treason. They are both men who appeared to be popular among the Tories and very active, and men of Fanning's gang, though generally kind and humane to the prisoners while in their custody, and seemed much to lament the fate of their particular neighbors whom they had taken with Governor Burke and express some uneasiness at seeing them in captivity. As to the general moral character of those two men, it seems to be pretty good, only great Tories - Eastridge from the commencement of the times.
        Duke and Hunt were both indicted for stealing one horse. The circumstances were complicated, and from the whole of the evidence, I can't help saying that there might be some doubt whether it ought not to have been considered rather as a trespass than a felony. Yet, after a very fair frial, the jury found the prisoners guilty of a felony, though a little contrary to the expectation of the Court, and I really think if any person convicted at the term have a claim to mercy, those two have the first. As to their moral characters, Duke's is tinged, Hunt's is bad, and probably might have been one cause of the jury's finding them guilty.
        The court considering the first three proper victims of policy and the great difficulty there is of keeping them safe in jail, has ordered their execution of Friday, the first of February, only giving so much time as not to shut the door of mercy against them.
        The day of execution for the four latter is fixed to Friday, the first day of March next, and as they have some hopes of obtaining a pardon on condition of their enlisting into the service, I believe there will not be much danger of their escaping.
        At this court, the Attorney General did not attend, and the court got the favor of Colonel Alfred Moore to officiate as Atto. for the State, and without whose assistance, which the Court experienced, in a very essential manner, they could not have carried on the business of the Court, and as he gave up all advantages of a Court, which he might have made very beneficial, I make no doubt that the General Assembly will give it proper consideration.
        For my own part, I have no great encouragement to ask favors of the people, yet, Sir, I shall be obliged to you to give a hint to the General Assembly that it is necessary to point out some way of ascertaining the depreciation of the small pittance granted to Judges and some way for the payment of it. The present collection, I believe, is chiefly certificates and that is a currency which will not pass for expences.
        I have the honor to be, Dear Sir, your most obedient, humble servant.
                John Williams

North Carolina State Records, pg. 931-932
The petition of sundry inhabitants of Hillsborough District on behalf of Thomas Estridge.
To the Honorable, the Assembly of North Carolina:

Gentlemen:
        As Clemency and Mercy have ever been attributes of our Legislature, and your honorable body out of tender compassion to the feelings of humanity, have ever been ready to spare such as are truly penitent of those unhappy Citizens who have been deluded by the artifices of the enemy, we pray your attention to the following favorable circumstances in the character of him who is the object of this petition and is now under sentence of death for high treason.
        He is not charged with felonies or exceptions from the proclamation. The uniforn uprightness of his private character, his surrendering himself within the privilege of the proclamation, his humane treatment and great good services to our citizens who had fallen into the hands of our enemies. Which some of us have experienced, his sincere penitence for his past offences, joined to the consideration of a wife and a number of small children, we hope will induce your honorable body to mark him as an object of mercy.

North Carolina State Records, pg. 914-915
Copy of Reprieve to Prisoners in Hillsborough

        By virtue of the powers and authorities in me vested, I do by these presents reprieve until the first day of April, which shall be in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty three, the following persons who were convicted and sentenced to die at the last Sessions of Over and Terminer and general Gaol delivery held for the District of Hillsborough, at Hillsborough, that is to say: Meredith Edwards and Thomas Estridge for high treason; William Duke and Thomas Hunt for felony, on condition that they shall severally and respectively on or before the first day of March next, enlist as soldiers into the line of the said state in the Federal Army for one year to commence from the said first day of March; and I do further by these presents declare that the said Meredith Edwards, Thomas Estridge, William Duke and Thomas Hunt shall respectively be deemed fully and absolutely pardoned for the offenses afforesaid after the aforesaid first day of April, provided that they respectively produce to the Governor or Commander in Chief for the time being, or one of the Judges of the Superior Courts, certificates from the Commander in Chief or the Adjutant General of the Southern Army or of the Land Forces of the United States, of the due and faithful performs of the terms of enlistment.
        Provided always, and it is hereby declared that if any of the said men shall desert from the service of the United States, or be found from the Army except by permission or command of an officer duly authorized to give such permission or command, this reprieve shall be null and void to all intents and purposes, as respecting such as shall desert or be found as aforesaid, and the sentence shall in each case be in full force.
        Given under my hand.
                T. Burke

        Ira W. Estes and Mary (Ricks) Estes came to the Navajoe community, in 1897. They established their home and began a long active service in that community. At the time of their arrival, several businesses were in operation and the outlook for the town was optimistic.
        The earliest memories of the children centered around the Christmas tree in 1898, when the community assembled to celebrate the holiday. The tree was a local product, cut from a nearby hill. Cedars were very common on and near the Navajo Mountains. The candles that furnished the lights were real.
        The children attended both the Navajoe and the Lone Oak schools. Lone Oak was situated near the present site of the new Navajoe School.
        Mr. Ira Estes was very active in the Methodist Church. Together with two other men, he helped found the church at Friendship. Mr. Van Estes, his son, who now makes his home in Altus, is a charter member of that church.
        Coyotes and bobcats were a problem in the early years but the larger game had mostly moved out by 1900, a time when most of the land had been claimed. A black bear was found in a small cottonwood tree near the Ferris farm which caused a little stir, but the antelope and deer were scarce by this time.
        Disease epidemics swept the country at times. Mr. Estes built over 30 coffins one month for children who had died of the measles.
        Mr. Van Estes had a part in the capture of a gang of outlaws at Navajoe during the early years of that town's existance. He now lives at 515 N. Navajoe in Altus. Their children are all very active in various activities in their respective communities.
        The children of Mr. and Mrs. Estes were Van, Bernice, Alva, Arthur, Otto and Ausie.

        A reunion of the descendants of Samuel P. Estes and wife Amanda Mangum Estes was held at the home of Isaac Newton Estes, his oldest son, in Ball Play community on Friday July 27, 1934, in honor of Isaac Newton's 88th birthday.
        Samuel P. Estes moved to Cherokee County from near Raleigh, NC, in 1849. They raised a family of nine chidlren near Ball Play creek where they settled when the section was a wilderness. All their children married and settled within a few miles of where they were raised.
        Samuel P. Estes helped establish on of the first churches in that section, the Taylor's Chapel Methodist Church. He was a soldier in the Confederate Army, in General Joe Wheeler's Cavalry. Samuel P. Estes lived to be 75 years old. He died Oct. 20, 1899 and was buried in Taylor's Chapel Cemetery.
        "Uncle Newt", as Isaac Newton Estes was called by many, had about 208 relatives and 25 friends joined in for his birthday celebration. Everyone enjoyed the mid-day feast.
        The Rev. Isaac Herbert Estes, the great grandson of Samuel P. Estes is the only preacher in the family, a member of the North Alabama Methodist Conference.
        None of the clan had ever been arrested for violating the laws of the land.
        Of the nine children born into this family, there was seven living and all at the reunion.