Petition To Congress
In a March 5, 1785 petition to Congress, Fraunces stated that the Revolutionary War had left him "on the precipice of Beggary." He sought compensation for his service to the country in foiling the assassination plot against Washington, providing intelligence on British troops, and supplying provisions to American prisoners:
That he was the Person that first discovered the Conspiracy which was formed in the Year 1776 against the Life of his Excellency General Washington and that the Suspicions Which were Entertained of his agency in that Important Discovery accationed a public Enquiry after he was made a Prisoner on which the want of positive Proof alone preserved his Life.
Congress's response acknowledged his role as "instrumental in discovering and defeating" the assassination plot. For debts incurred during the Revolutionary War, Congress awarded him L2000, and a later payment covered accumulated interest. The State of New York awarded him L200, and Congress paid $1,625 to lease his tavern for two years to house federal government offices. Two weeks after the lease was signed, he sold the tavern and retired to Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Read more about this topic: Samuel Fraunces
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