and I believe it was not exceeding two minutes from the time
that I left Mr. Payne to the firing of the guns and farther your
deponent saith not.     JOHN COBURN.

Suffolk, ss. Boston, March 16. 1770. The above-named     John
Coburn personally appearing and being carefully examined and
duly cautioned to testify the whole truth, maketh solemn oath to
the afore-written deposition by him subscribed, taken to per-
petuate the remembrance of the thing.
Before RI. DANA, Just. of Peace and of the Quorum.
JOHN HILL, Just. Peace.

(No. 34.)
I Robert Polley of lawful age testify and declare that on Mon-
day evening the 5th instant as I was going home observed
about ten persons standing near Mr. Taylor's door, after
standing there a small space of time I went with them towards
Boylston's alley opposite to Murray's barracks ; we met in the
alley about eight or nine soldiers some of whom were armed with
drawn swords and cutlasses, one had a tongs, another a shovel with
which they assaulted us, and gave us a great deal of abusive lan-
guage, we then drove them back to the barracks with sticks
only ; we looked for stones or bricks but could find none, the
ground being covered with snow: Some of the lads dispersed,
and myself with a few others were returning peaceably home,
when we met about nine or ten other soldiers armed with a naked
cutlass in one hand and a stick or bludgeon in the other. One of them
said, "where are the sons of bitches ?" They struck at several
persons in the street and went towards the head of the alley.
Two officers came and endeavoured to get them into the bar-
racks. One of the lads proposed to ring the bell. The sol-
diers went thro' the alley, and the boys huzza'd and said they
were gone thro' royal exchange lane into kingstreet. Myself
and some of the boys then went into kingstreet, I saw two or
three snow-balls strike the side of the custom-house, near which
a centinel stood. The centinel kept the boys of with this bayo-
net charged breast-high, which he frequently pushed at them.
I then saw eight or nine soldiers with a leader come from the
main guard towards the custom-house, where they drew up,
three facing up the street and three fronting the street. They
kept continually striking and pushing with their bayonets at
the people who pressed towards them, without offering any
insult as I saw. I then went down royal exchange lane, when
I was in the middle of the lane I heard the discharge of a gun,