Lexington,
April 23 d, 1775.
WE JOSEPH BUTLER and EPHRAIM MELVIN, do
testify and declare, that when the regular troops fired
upon our people at the North-Bridge, in
Concord, as related in
the foregoing depositions, they shot one and we believe two of
our people before we fired a single gun at them.
JOSEPH BUTLER, EPHRAIM MELVIN.
MIDDLESEX, ss.
April 23d, 1775.
THE within named Nathan Barret, Jonathan
Farra, Jo-
seph Butler, Francis Wheeler, John
Barret, John Brown,
Silas Walker, Ephraim Melvin, Nathan
Butterick, Stephen Hosmer,
Samuel Barrett, Thomas Jones, Joseph
Chandler, Peter Wheeler,
Nathan Peirce, and Edward Richardson,
appeared, and made so-
lemn oath to the truth of the above depositions by them
subscrib-
ed. Before us,
Jonathan Hasting, John Cummings,
Duncan Ingraham,
Justices of the Peace.
Concord,
April 23 d, 1775.
I TIMOTHY MINOT, jun. of
Concord, on the nineteenth
day of this instant April, after that I had heard of the regu-
lar troops firing upon the
Lexington men, and fearing that hos-
tilities might be committed at
Concord, thought it my incum-
bent duty to secure by family : After I had secured my family,
sometime after that, returning towards my own dwelling, and
finding that the Bridge on the northern part of said
Con-
cord was guarded by regular troops, being a spectator of what
had happened at said Bridge, declare that the regular troops
sta-
tioned on the bridge after they saw the men that were collected
on the westerly side of said bridge, marched towards said Bridge,
and formed themselves as I thought for a regular fight, after
that they fired one gun, then two or three more, before the men
that were stationed on the westerly part of said bridge fired up-
on them.
TIMOTHY MINOT, jun.