ther'd in
Kingstreet ; immediately I left
them and came to-
wards the town-house, when I saw a number of people go
round the
Brazen-head corner, some crying, they are this way,
and I run in amongst them, and came down before the custom
house, and there I saw a centinel walking
backwards and for-
wards before the door. Soon after I saw the centinel retreat
back upon the stone of the custom house door,
waving his bay-
onet breast high all the way. When he got on the stone he
drew his cartridge to load his gun; whilst he was loading his
gun, I saw Thomas Greenwood a waiter to the
commissioners,
run out from the people where I was, and run behind the cen-
tinel, and knock at the door of the customs, and was soon let
in : By that time the centinel had his gun loaded.
Then the
people cry'd, you dare not fire ; and others said,
fire and be
damn'd ; then the boys gave two or three cheers.
Upon that
I saw Capt. Preston marching and leading down from the
main
guard eight or ten soldiers, with their bayonets fix'd, swinging
their guns. When they passed me, I followed them down to
the custom house. In about two minutes,
Capt. Preston or
some other person ordered them to load, which they did ; then
I went towards
Quaker-lane, when I saw the flash of a gun
from the soldiers at the custom house, and a man
fall before
me; the guns being repeatedly fired, I looked round and saw
two or three men lay down on the snow. When I found there
were three dead and a number of others wounded, in about
ten or fifteen minutes afterwards, I saw the soldiers march to-
wards the main guard -- the snow being at that time near a foot
deep -- And I further say, that I did not see any insult offered
to the centinel from the inhabitants ; and at the
time the guns
were fired, there were not above sixty or seventy persons standing
before the custom house door. -- And further I
say not.
DIMOND MORTON.
Suffolk, ss. Boston,
March 17, 1770. Dimond
Morton
above- named, after due examination, made oath to
the Truth of the above-written Affidavit, taken to per-
petuate the remembrance of the Thing.
Before, RI: DANA, Just. of Peace
& of the Quorum.
And, JOHN HILL, Jus. Peace.
(No. 63)
BENJAMIN Frizel, of
Pownalborough, in the County of
Lincoln, mariner, of lawful age, testifieth and saith, that
in the evening of the 5th day of March current, going to
Capt. Joseph Henshaw's at the south part of
Boston, in his
way thither, under Liberty-Tree, exactly at eight o'clock of