(No. 89.)
I William Rhodes, of lawful age, testify and say, that on
Tuesday
March 6, 1770. the morning after the affair
in
Kingstreet, some of the seamen
belonging to the Rose man of
war, laying in the harbour of
Boston, came to my shop, and
after my asking them if they had heard of the affair that hap-
pened, they answered me yes, and that all their boats were sent
on shore manned, and that the master of the ship had kept them
up all night, or the greatest part; I then asked them whether
they were kept to their quarters, they answered no ; I then asked
whether they had loaded their guns, they likewise answered
no, but that they had been filling powder ; some time after, I
enquired of these same people whether their people when they
came on shore on Monday night 5th March, were armed, they
told me that the only person that had any arms was their mas-
ter, who came ashore in the barge, and that he had only a pair
of pistols, and that when they had got on the wharf that the
said master gave the pistols to the Coxswain of the barge, and
further saith not.
WILLIAM RHODES.
Suffolk, ss.
Boston,
March 21. 1770. William
Rhodes,
abovenamed, after due examination, made oath to the
truth of the aforesaid affidavit, taken to perpetuate the
remembrance of the thing.
Before JOHN RUDDOCK, Just. Peace
and of the Quorum.
JOHN HILL, Just. Peace.
(No. 90.)
MAry Russell of lawful age, declares that John
Brailsford, a
private soldier of the 14th regiment, who had frequently
been employed by her (when he was ordered with his company
to the castle, in consequence of the
murders committed by the
soldiers on the evening of the 5th of March), coming to the
deponent's house, declared that their regiment was ordered to hold
themselves in readiness, and accordingly was ready that evening upon
the inhabitants firing on the soldiery to come to the assistance of the
soldiery : on which the deponent asked him if he would have
fired upon any of the inhabitants of this town, to which he
replied, yes, if I had orders, but that if he saw Mr. Russell
he
would have fired wide of him--he also said it's well there was
no gun fir'd by the inhabitants, for had there been,
we should
have come to the soldiers' assistance. And further saith not.
MARY RUSSELL.