A paper having been printed in
Boston, representing that one
of the British troops killed at the bridge at
Concord, was scalp-
ed, and the ears cut off from the head, supposed to be done in
order to dishonour the
Massachusetts people, and to make them
appear to be savage and barbarous, the following deposition was
taken that the truth may be known.
WE the subscribers, of lawful age, testify and say, that we
buried the dead bodies of the King's troops that were
killed at the North-Bridge in
Concord, on the nineteenth day of
April, 1775, where the action first began, and that neither of
those persons were scalped, nor their ears cut off, as has been
re-
presented.
ZECHARIAH BROWN, THOMAS
DAVIS, jun.
Concord,
May 11 th, 1775.
ZECHARIAH BROWN, Thomas Daviss,
jun. personally ap-
peared before me, and made oath to the above declaration.
Duncan Ingraham, Justice of the
Peace.
HANNAH ADAMS, wife of Deacon Joseph Adams,
of the
second precinct in
Cambridge, testifieth and saith, that
on the nineteenth day of April last past, upon the return of the
King's troops from
Concord, diverse of them entered our house,
by bursting open the doors, and three of the soldiers broke into
the room in which I then was, laid on my bed, being scarcely
able to walk from my bed to the fire, not having been to my
chamber door from my being delivered in child-birth to that
time. One of said soldiers immediately opened my curtains
with his bayonet fixed, pointing the same to my breast. I
im-
mediately cried out for the Lord's sake do not kill me, he
repli-
ed, damn you, one that stood near said, we will not hurt the
woman, if she will go out of the house, but we will surely burn
it. I immediately arose, threw a blanket over me, went out, and
crauled into a corn-house near the door, with my
infant in my
arms, where I remained until they were gone, they immediately
set the house on fire, in which I had left five children and no
o-
ther person, but the fire was happily extinguished, when the
house was in the utmost danger of being utterly consumed.
HANNAH ADAMS.
MIDDLESEX, ss.
Cambridge, Second Precinct
17 th May, 1775.
HANNAH ADAMS, the subscriber of the above
deposition,
personally appeared, and made oath to the truth of the
same. Before me, Jonathan Hastings, Justice of
the Peace.