It is for a gentleman to whom I have done (as the Saying is) Ninety-nine good Turns..."
I sometimes come across a notice in the Maryland Gazette that leaves me scratching my head and wishing I knew the full story behind a piece printed in the Annapolis newspaper hundreds of years ago. Such is the case with this curious little gem in the September 20, 1770 issue:
John Kingsbury of Upper Marlborough wanted to buy “A HORSE of low Price; his Age or Qualities will not be inquired into.” This mount was intended “for a Gentleman to whom I have done (as the Saying is) Ninety-nine good Turns, but not the Hundredth, which I believe the Gentleman desires.” Kingsbury invited anyone who wished to dispose of a cheap, broken-down nag to contact him. If I’m reading the last sentence correctly, Kingsbury cautioned the potential seller that he or she might not be paid promptly, or perhaps ever, by the purchaser.
A modern equivalent of this notice might be a Craigslist want ad for a cut-rate junker of a car, no questions asked. But also no promise of payment.
So what’s the story behind this notice placed in the Maryland Gazette 250 years ago? Again, I wish I knew! My hunch is that John Kingsbury’s intended audience was really the unnamed gentleman for whom he had already done many favors with little or no thanks received in return. The ungrateful individual’s latest request was the last straw, and perhaps this was how Kingsbury decided to catch his attention and make his own displeasure known. Anyway, it certainly caught my attention!
Read the complete September 20, 1770 issue of the Maryland Gazette starting here: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001281/html/m1281-1123.html
Glenn E. Campbell
HA Senior Historian
