sent ; and interrogated the deponent. Taken to
per-
petuate the remembrance of the thing.
Before, JOHN RUDDOCK, Jus. Peace
and of the Quorum.
And, JOHN HILL, Jus. Peace.
(No. 59)
GILLAM Bass of lawful age testifies and says, that being
in
Kingstreet on monday night the
5th instant, after
nine of the clock, he saw about an hundred people gathered
about the custom-house, and presently came a
party of armed
soldiers, with bayonets fixed from the main guard keeping on
the south side of
kingstreet, 'till they came nearly opposite the
custom-house, and then passed over driving
through the people
in so rough a manner, that it appeared to the deponent that
they intended to create a disturbance. They posted themselves
between the custom-house door and the west
corner of it ; and
in a few minutes began to fire upon the people. Two or three
of the flashes so high above the rest, that the deponent verily
believes they must have come from the Custom-house windows :
And further saith, that he observ'd no violence
to the soldiers at
or before the firing, or to the custom-house, by
the people.
GILLAM BASS.
Suffolk, sc.
Boston,
March 16, 1770. Gillam Bass
above-
named, after due examination, made oath to the truth
of the above affidavit. Taken to perpetuate the re-
membrance of the thing.
Before, RI: DANA, Just. of Peace,
and of the Quorum.
JOHN HILL, Jus. Peace.
(No. 60)
BENJAMIN Alline, of lawful age, testifies and says, that
on Monday evening the 5th current, hearing the bells
ring after nine o'clock, he came into
Kingstreet, and saw the
custom house centry
standing quietly in his place. About 4
or 5 minutes after, the boys in the street came up near to him,
and made a noise, on which the soldier returned to the custom
house steps. The deponent quickly after this saw the
custom
house door open, and the centry turn that way,
and soon shut
again. The centry then faced the boys and waved his
gun a-
bout as if to keep them off, and in a few minutes 8 or 9
soldi-
ers came down with an officer at their head, and placed
them-
selves round the centry, and in a few minutes
after, he heard
the word Fire, and they fired in succession, one after the other.
The deponent further saith, that when he first arrived at the
custom house, there did not seem to be more than
30 or 40