The+Bloody+Massacre!

The Bloody Massacre! BOSTON,MA By Kamron Horton Yesterday, on the 5th of March in the year 1770, an incident hath occurred in Boston near the Old State House. The incident hath taken place between those blasted Redcoats and some Americans. Among the Americans that died were fellow rope maker Samuel Gray, mariner James Caldwell, and a mixed race sailor named Crispus Attucks. Samuel Maverick, an apprentice ivory turner of age seventeen, was struck by a ricocheting musket ball at the back of the crowd, and died a few hours later, in the early morn’ of today. It all started with Private Hugh White, a British Sentry, standing outside the Custom house. Edward Gerrish, a wigmakers apprentice, told a British officer, John Goldfinch, that he hath not paid his bill to Gerrish’s master. Goldfinch had paid him off, so he ignored Gerrish’s remark. “You should be more respectful to an officer,” White told Gerrish. Gerrish and White exchanged insults. White then proceeded to challenge the boy and struck him on his head with his musket. While Gerrish cried in pain, one of his companions, Bartholomew Broaders, argued with White, who had left his post. The crowd around them began to grow in numbers. “If you fire, you will die for it,” Henry Knox, a 19 year old bookseller, warned White. As yesterday eve went on, the crowd grew, throwing things at White and challenging him to shoot. White had taken a safe position at the steps of the Custom house, and he sought for assistance. The nearby barracks were alerted, along with Captain Thomas Preston. According to his report, he sent out and non-commissioned officer and eight or nine soldiers, with fixed bayonets. Among these soldiers were Corporal William Wemms (apparently the non-commissioned officer mentioned in Preston's report), Hugh Montgomery, John Carroll, Naisa Kim, William McCauley, William Warren and Matthew Kilroy. Henry Knox warned White again, “For God's sake, take care of your men. If they fire, you must die." The captain responded, “I am aware of that.”  Richard Palmes, a local innkeeper with a cudgel, asked Preston if their guns were loaded. Preston assured him they were, but they wouldn’t fire unless he ordered them to. An object then struck Hugh Montgomery, knocking him down and causing him to drop his weapon. He then got up, recovered his weapon, and fired a shot into the crowd. Palmes then proceeded to swing his cudgel at Montgomery, but he missed his head and hit his arm instead.  There was a pause, at least a few seconds, a maximum of two minutes. The Redcoats then proceeded to fire their guns, without orders from Preston. The shots hit eleven men, 5 of which died.  Hutchinson investigated the incindent, and Preston and his eight men were arrested. On March 27, Preston, his eight soldiers, and four civilians who allegedly fired, were indicted of murder.