TUMULT IN THE CITY. 269 fearing that the soldiers had risen, flew to arms in all directions, while a number ran to summon the lieutenantgovernor, who thereupon reproached Preston with firing upon the people without authority from the magistrates. A number of citizens went to the town house and demanded that Hutchinson order the troops back to the barracks. This, however, Hutchinson refused to do, but, going out upon the balcony, made a speech to the assembled citizens, assuring them of his great concern over the event and entreating them to retire to their homes in an orderly manner before some further outrages occurred.* Accord At this moment, Captain Preston came up, and a violent blow was aimed at him by Attucks, but the captain parried the blow with his arm, though the bayonet of one of the soldiers was knocked out of his hand.* This bayonet was instantly seized by Attucks and a struggle for its possession took place, in the midst of which someone in the rear of the crowd called out: "Why don't you fire, why don't you fire?" Thereupon the enraged soldier, springing to his feet, shot Attucks on the spot; five other soldiers also fired, killing three of the mob and seriously wounding five others, while a number were slightly hurt. At this the mob fell back, carryingly, most of the crowd dispersed and ing off the dead and wounded.† Throughout the whole city the tumult now became fearful. At 10 o'clock the alarm bell was tolled and drums began to beat. The citizens, It is said that young Henry Knox implored Preston not to allow the soldiers to fire, but that while the agitated Preston listened to the remonstrances of Knox, one of the soldiers, struck by a citizen, fired without orders. See Noah Brooks, Henry Knox, a Soldier of the Revolution, pp. 7-8; Hosmer, Samuel Adams, p. 163. See Kidder, History of the Boston Massacre, which contains reprints of the reports of the town committee entitled A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston, and Additional Observations to a Short Narrative, etc., also The Trial of the British Soldiers of the Twenty-ninth Regiment of Foot for Murder, etc.; Fortescue, History of the British Army, vol. iii., pp. 35-45; Niles, Principles and Acts of the Revolution, p. 15 (ed. 1876); Holmes, Annals, vol. ii., pp. 166–167; John Adams, Works, vol. ii., p. 229; Gordon, American Revolution, vol. i., pp. 282, 298 (ed. 1788); Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., p. 489 et seq. John Adams, Works, vol. i., pp. 98–99. peaceably returned home; the troops retired to the barracks, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of Preston, who quietly surrendered himself and was committed to prison with several of the soldiers to await trial. The citizens now determined that the soldiers should be removed from the town immediately, and a committee was appointed (headed by Samuel Adams) to inform the governor and the royal commander that, unless the troops were marched out of Boston at once, a fearful collision would certainly occur. Hutchinson and Colo Hosmer, Samuel Adams, p. 165; John Adams, Works, vol. i., pp. 100-101. Bancroft, vol. iii., pp. 368-375; Fiske, American Revolution, vol. i., pp. 55-67; Brooks Adams, The Emancipation of Massachusetts, pp. 350-352. See Frothingham, Sam. Adams' Regiments, in Atlantic Monthly (June and August, 1862 and November, 1863); Fisher, Struggle for American 270 TRIAL OF PRESTON AND THE SOLDIERS. nel Dalrymple were exceedingly loath to comply with the demands of the citizens, but finally deciding that such a course was best for all concerned, ordered the troops to move to Castle William.* The "Boston Massacre " caused wide-spread excitement, not only in the immediate vicinity, but throughout the colonies. Hence the funeral of those who had been killed in it was attended by thousands of persons. For a long time afterward, the anniversary of the event was celebrated as marking the first bloodshed in the struggle between the colonies and the mother country.t When the cases of Preston and the soldiers came before the court for trial, in October, 1770,‡ John Adams|| and Josiah Quincy, Jr.,§ had the courage to face the wrath of public opinion by acting as counsel for the accused. It was an honorable step that these two patriots took, for at this time the voice of public clamor was so loud Independence, vol. i., pp. 140-141; Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. i., pp. 90-91; Hosmer, Samuel Adams, p. 167. * Bancroft, vol. iii., pp. 375-378; Fiske, vol. i., p. 68; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. i., pp. 490-491; Brooks Adams, The Emancipation of Massachusetts, pp. 353-354. The proceedings are given in Hosmer, Samuel Adams, pp. 167-175. See also John Adams, Works, vol. i., pp. 101-103. Fisher, Struggle for American Independence, vol. i., pp. 143–144. Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. i., pp. 91-92. See Adams, Works, vol. i., pp. 97-114, vol. ii., pp. 229-233. See the correspondence between Josiah Quincy and his son regarding the latter's acting as counsel for the soldiers in Memoir of Josiah Quincy, Jr., pp. 26-27, extracts from which are quoted in Brooks Adams, The Emancipation of Massachusetts, pp. 311–313. and persistent that only those possessing remarkable breadth of character would have had the courage to risk their reputation and good standing in the community by defending the cause of the soldiers, so extremely unpopular in the colony. The trial continued for six days, resulting in a verdict of acquittal for Preston and six of the soldiers, while two were convicted of manslaughter (though even these were not subjected to any severe punishment).* The judge himself is reported to have said: "I feel myself deeply affected that this affair turns out so much to the shame of the town in general." Adams in his Diary speaks as follows regarding the insinuation that he had been bribed to act as counsel for the defendants: "Twenty guineas was all I ever received for fourteen or fifteen days' labor in the most exhausting and fatiguing cause I ever tried, for hazarding a popularity very general and very hardly earned, and for incurring a clamor, popular suspicions, and prejudices, which are not yet worn out, and never will be forgotten as long as the history of this period is read. Although the clamor has been long and loud among some sorts of people, it has been a great consolation to me, through life, that I acted in this business with steady impartiality, and conducted it to so happy an issue."† *Fiske, American Revolution, vol. i., p. 72; Fisher, p. 142. † See Memoir of the Life of Josiah Quincy, Jr., pp. 31-66; John Adams, Works, vol. ii., p. 231. DISPUTE WITH GOVERNOR IN MASSACHUSETTS. Meanwhile the Assembly had met at Cambridge, where they had been convened by Hutchinson; but immediately upon assembling, they protested that the convening of their body in that place was against their rights, at the same time asserting that a radical change in the management of public affairs was imperative and that the grievances under which the people were groaning should be settled immediately. In November the General Court, after having passed resolutions to encourage the use of domestic manufactures throughout the province, was prorogued. A committee of correspondence was appointed to communicate with the colonial agents in Great Britain and with the other committees of correspondence throughout the colonies.* The first resolution to discourage the use of foreign articles by the colonists had been adopted because a For a general review of the proceedings see Howard, Preliminaries of the Revolution, pp. 245248 and authorities cited. According to Mr. Hildreth, the exports of Great Britain, for the year 1770, from New England, 271 number of Boston merchants during the present session of the General Court had determined to alter a formal agreement made against importing English-made goods by adopting the plan then in vogue in Philadelphia and New York, where all the articles of trade except tea were allowed to come in, though smuggling of tea into the country was permitted. On the very night on which the "Boston Massacre " occurred, Lord North, who had recently been appointed Prime Minister, brought forward a motion* to repeal the whole of the Townshend Act, and that act, with the exception of the section applying to tea, was repealed on April 22, 1770. It was asserted that the duty on tea was retained in order that the colonies might see that Parliament was not relinquishing their right to place a duty on any article they saw fit. As the Americans would be the gainers in this arrangement by being able to buy their tea nine-tenths per pound less than it cost in England, it was hoped that they would 272 COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE ADVOCATED. readily yield to the measure, and thus the contest might be brought to a close. Thomas Pownall, however, who was probably better acquainted with American affairs than anyone else in England at the time, boldly assured Parliament that the Americans would not be satisfied in such a way, and that even the repeal of all the obnoxious acts might no longer restore peace and order in the colories. He said: "The Americans think that they have, in return to all their applications, experienced a temper and disposition that is unfriendly, and that the enjoyment and exercise of the common rights of freemen have been refused to them. Never, with these views, will they solicit the favor of this House, never more will they wish to bring before Parliament the grievances under which they conceive themselves to labor."* Matters drifted along slowly for the next year, during which nothing of any moment occurred in the colonies. In the spring of 1771 Hutchinson was appointed governor of Massachusetts, and in 1772, when the Assembly convened, he informed them that henceforth his salary and the salaries of the judges would be paid by the crown, and therefore, that they Mr. Johnson of Connecticut, however, said: "The people appear to be weary of their altercations with the mother country. A little discreet conduct on both sides would perfectly re-establish that warm affection and respect towards Great Britain for which this country was once so remarkable." - Quoted from Trevelyan, American Revolution, vol. i., p. 97. need make no appropriations for such * purposes. This reopened the old controversy, which at that time was most unfortunate, and the members of the Assembly told Hutchinson that they considered this a violation of the charter. In an elaborate paper submitted to the Assembly, Hutchinson repudiated this view of the proceedings, and in October (shortly after the Assembly adjourned) a town meeting was held at which a reply to Hutchinson was prepared. The first draft of this paper was prepared by Samuel Adams, and it is supposed that it was afterward revised in committee by John Adams, in order to be sure that it conformed to the legal and constitutional arguments of the patriots.† It was prefaced by an address and sent to the various towns, and a copy finally found its way to London, where Franklin caused it to be republished with a preface written by himself. This paper suggested also that committees of correspondence be formed in every town for the purpose of keeping the patriots of everywhere abreast of the situation. These committees of correspondence proved a valuable adjunct to the propaganda work carried on by the chief men of the colonies, as they were thus kept informed of the effect of |