Boston Massacre

taxes are at the root of the rioting in Boston today but those scores of impromptu speeches in every section of the town give a clear indication of how far beyond taxes the resentment of the people has swollen King's tyranny the Sons of Liberty cried send the lobster back Soldiers Home the day advances it seems a miracle that no lives have been lost no blood has been spilled in the riots so far that the crowds are larger and the bumping bruising incidents are increasing we take you now to King Street where deck Joy is standing by at a position you are there this is Dick Joy speaking to you from King Street near the custom house outside Murray's Barracks across the square where a Detachment of British troops is quartered about 50 men have been standing for more than an hour shouting at the soldiers inside and cursing and hurling snowballs at the building all at once as if by command from somewhere the crowd came across the square past our position here and turned off King Street the moment the street is deserted back just a minute what's this down the rain the te ah dirty lobsters but there they higher I'm warning you boy I such a bleeding MK I Lobster brains what time you got here your cat knows my master of money for a hair oh so that's who you are e The Barbers boy and I know where you can find a dirty job sir Lobster back sweeping up the street come on get back your fky master my master won't have me back in until I bring your Captain's money for his head money eh so I'll give you money hold for Al I'm not out afid let him come this is what I do to lobsters your Colonel give you medals now for beating boys his captain 's my master money I offered him a job so he could pay the same job Sam gray told him Friday he bully boy hey bloody back you want to earn a little extra money we're marching down the Boston train St a stupid King with lobster bags and lobster brain and lobster everything pretty swine you c a boy will you stand back I'll kill you with my hand you taste lead first careful now as much it's loaded claing a boy you haven't got the guts to fire don't that try me YY where come on we Pi the board to Sam Adams you clouded the Barber's boy You' seen him I saw him for sure I won't forget his face I'll change that ugly face just one step forward stop it Alex he's mad enough and fool enough to fire in spite of his orders now come on we have MS of our own you're no Ed to us Dead come on Bo you'll hear from this tonight bloody back just a minute soldier soldier I'd like to ask a question this incident undoubtedly will be reported with others like it all over town to Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty everyone knows these incidents are only the beginning do you know where it will all end well it appears our soldier is in no mood to talk with us we take you now to harlo Wilcox in the governor's office in the State House harlo Wilcox reporting this is the governor's office in the State House the two men you see have been in emergency conference most of the day the man in uniform is Colonel d commanding the British troops in Boston and the other gentleman is former Chief Justice Thomas Hutchinson now acting governor of the colony local disturbances amount to Rebellion now I will not declare martial law legally or otherwise you're no longer chief justice you're acting governor of this Colony despite your opinion of our people Colonel there are shrewd legal Minds here as in all American colonies men who would leap at the opportunity to show that I had labeled these Petty brawls Rebellion some Province lawyers like John Adams I spoke don't underestimate John Adams he's an able barister he's a traitor to the king not yet but if we're not careful he and others like him may be driven to it no I was thinking more of his cousin Sam Adams and of James Otis and of the Sons of Liberty Sam Adams and his drunken mob of this whole thing you know it and I know it why don't you let me arrest make martys of them colonel besides how long do you think you could hold them they have friends in every Colony very well G you're the Civil Administration here but Boston is seizing with violence and brawl now you told me what you won't do what will you do I don't know I don't know perhaps if you withdraw all your soldiers from the streets you couldn't mean that your soldiers are the source of all this irritation you know that I know this my soldiers were sent here to keep the king's peace that is our mission subject of course to the Civil Administration General governor for the last time I'm requesting you to grant me permission to command my soldiers to defend themselves permission for your soldiers to fire on the citizens the request is denied colel very welcome however in as much as Boston is now in the state of rebellion and disorder and in as much as I can find no civil Administration competent to deal with the emergency I must advise you that henceforth I will take any action I deem necessary to restore order and the King's peace colel L I promise you Colonel any soldier who fires on a citizen of this Colony will be tried in our civil courts on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and attempt to commit murder my soldiers will restore order to Boston sir good day Governor Hutchinson yes it is said sir that your sympathies lie with England said by whom Sam Adams I am a civil servant of the king I am also acting governor of this Colony therefore my loyalty is to the king but my sympathies are with the people of Massachusetts in these Restless times then you feel such a divided Allegiance is possible it is possible only to a rational man sir you spoke of your admiration for John Adams admiration is the wrong word he's a good barister too good sometimes for the king's best interest is that why you tried to appoint him Advocate General of the admiralty John Adams made a mistake when he declined that appointment Sam Adams believes you made a mistake Governor when you accepted your appointment this is no time to be discussing personalities I have official responsibilities to attend to you will excuse me Grant hul at the South End of Boston is standing by with Mr John Adams come in Grant hulc hul reporting and the wig gentleman coming up the street is Mr John Adams the eminent Boston Barrister he's one of the few men who still has the respect of both wigs and Tores in this town of violent loyalties and he's consented to a brief interview I'm must be quite brief I understand sir your wife is ill and you're anxious to get home to her as soon as now with Boston in this sort of temper I'm indeed anxious about all our wives and children Mr Adams what's happening in Boston today what does it really mean that's R I think uh what's Happening Here is the inevitable result of a long series of mistakes Mutual misunderstandings in the part of both England and the colonies then you don't agree with Governor Hutchinson when he says these are only Petty brawls and minor local disturbances and that's the governor's true opinion I consider it to be another example of misunderstanding presumably we Colonials are free men you know that when I go through my own gate this evening I'll be challenged by a British Sentry free men I suggest are capable of policing their own communities is there any wonder that Pennsylvania's Mr Benjamin Franklin wrote from London only the other day that he's been in constant Panic since he heard of troops assembling in Boston the British commander Colonel Dal rle has said that your cousin I I'm quoting him now he says that your cousin Sam Adams and his drunken mob are behind all this would you care to comment on that sir as we all know there always routs and rians will join anything for the sake of a riot and some of these have joined the so-called Sons of Liberty an organization whose membership is principally composed of honest sincere Colonial citizens Farmers shopkeepers laboring men I I must confess that my uh cousin Sam and I disagree on many issues including some of the activities of the Sons of Liberty you see he's a politician I'm a barrister yes I know but just one one more question The Colony sir they petitioned London have they not for the right to send Colonial representatives to Parliament they have indeed repeatedly would you like to hear England's latest reply to our petition I'd like to hear it very much sir from the new prime minister Lord North himself pressed me so deeply I've committed it to memory Lord North said and I quote the drunken ragans of a vociferous mob are exalted into equal importance with men of judgment moral and property I can never acquest in the Absurd opinion that all men are equal are those fire G sir oh Sons of Liberty more likely I'm sorry I really must go I lose all sense of time when I'm on this subject well thank you Mr Adams now we've just received a word here that Mr Adam's brother ex me sorry one last word What's Happening Here in Boston is not casual or superficial it's Dreadful in its significance and implications England's lack of understanding is rendering the colonial position untenable once American blood is shed I fear I fear it may be too late again thank you sir now we just received word that Sam Adams has been located at an inn in the north end of town so we switch you there Todd Hunter reporting this is Todd Hunter we're in a rear room in a North End Tavern called the salutation behind that closed door we've been told Mr Sam Adams is meeting with with some of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty and we sort of hope that yeah you want somebody we were told Mr Sam Adams is in that room well maybe he is you told he might answer some questions more than one Sam here maybe I get some answers for you I'm Sam gray oh Sam gray the Rope Walker that's right I'm him I'm the one that beat up them three Lobster backs Friday and oh you're the one oh excuse me it's all right I think I've had all I had to say about them three dirty Lobster backs every time I think of it it makes my well never mind oh a reporter everything all it's all [Music] [Applause] right sorry thatx come [Applause] on Qui the repor would like to oh well come on in I'm Sam Adams what's on your mind oh excuse me Mr Kon M Captain M all gentlemen in the sight of their creator and Sons of Liberty in the sight of men don't forget Sam gray oh our a gladiator who can forget Sam gray and those thumps he struck for Liberty last Friday his country won won't forget him nor three English soldiers either aan that's right I hope my country never forgets me because i' bash those dirty Lobster faces in that's good Brick Church Alex accomplished his mission yes that will turn the NorthShore out with fire bags and buckets Governor Hutcherson his Imperial Grace will climb into his night shirt pull the bed clothes up over his head I'm certain Mr Adams the differences between you and governor Hutchinson have been BR I don't like pus men the governor claims his sympathies are with the people of Massachusetts Hinson cets position sir the personal glorification of Hutchinson but he did protest the Stamp Act a public show of protest a political gesture only I'll tell you sir for one perfumed shilling from the king's own hand this elegant Thomas Hutcherson of ours would sell the honor of the entire state of Massachusetts reflection and arrogance is unbearable here yes but not in London he struts through our streets but he crawls before the king in these times there are only two causes no man can describ them both the colony's Freedom or the king's Tyran uh Mr Adams about your cousin John John is an honest man however as a barister he has at different times appeared in the Boston Court sometimes pleading cases for the colonies sometimes pleading cases for the crown has he not he has and both with equal skill you see John and I look at things through different eyes occasionally I think his vision is too limited as he must think mine is too broad John will fight for the right wherever he thinks he sees it he'd plead for Satan himself in the court of Heaven if he thought the cause was right turn out there it is yes what's beginning what's beginning Mr Adams who knows Mr Adams did the Sons of Liberty plan any organized resistance to the soldiers this is not Rebellion sir your cousin John Adams says this activity in Boston tonight is Dreadful in its significance and implications it is well whoever's behind it must certainly realize the weight of that responsibility free men are responsible for these demonstrations sir freedom is always a heavy responsibility have trouble with li dick Joy has moved to a new position on King Street near the custom house come in dick Joy this is Dick Joy you can see a crowd is gathered outside the custom house on King Street focusing its attention on the only English soldier in sight the man inside that stand you got a Lo the Cor in there come on them out there out of come on the one thing is certain although no other soldiers are in sight this spectacle is being observed from Murray's Barracks across the way attachment of British troops is quartered cleet Roberts is now set up in Murray's Barracks we take you to Cle Roberts this is Cle Roberts a small Detachment of the main guard quartered here is under the command of the officer you see standing in the background Captain Preston away from the window all the bil that away come on pressing the Sentry box closer sir throwing rubbish and stuff I was Montgomery in there I Billings support only what you see there you are snowballs Adam and silly won't fire on Dy won't fire and neither will any of you if we go out there if we go out there I said if then Prest we can't stand at a window watching a soldier of the king torn into bits by a m of stinking mohir God save us why the all right sir keep a sharp eye out there Bings we go out when the first rer lays a hand on the senty thanks fam yes sir listen to me all of you no man under any circumstances will fire into the mob is that clear Captain Preston sir you hear your orders Billings yes you want to help Montgomery get back to your window Captain sir the mob's moving in on him M we take you back to Dick Joy at the custom house this is Dick Joy again don't think any further comment from me is necessary hey who want to beat up the board out the god out the God had a fun time of Longo but go home without go home your wife you listen to me we want to go back to you want us out of here off the I'll tell you what they won't fire it us I'm done with these I'm done with them back to your home you don't D fire stupid they won't L come back God save us Captain Preston yes brother God save us March 5th 1770 the Boston Massacre a night as John Adams said Dreadful in its significance and implications for American blood was shed that night in the Sons of Liberty thought and hundreds strong they surged back into Boston Square where five men lay in the know before the custom house four of the men were dead the fifth was dying at least two of the Dead had names well known among the Sons of Liberty Crispus attics and Sam gray the Rope Walker Governor Hutchinson was cursed by name that night as he was led through the streets and taken into the state house and finally pushed out onto the State House balcony he stood there looking down on the seething roaring crowd the angry upturned faces the crowd fell silent when he announced that Captain Preston would be arrested and then the crowd's voice lifted in a great thund under a shout of approval when he promised that Captain Preston would be tried for murder the night of the Boston Massacre Governor Hutchinson promised the Sons of Liberty that Captain Preston would be tried in a Boston Court for murder there developed one difficulty in fulfilling the governor's promise no one could find any Tory lawyer in town who was willing to defend Captain Prest finally one young lawyer not a Tory said he was half willing young Josiah quiny said he'd be glad to defend Captain Preston if John Adams would act with him Sam Adams must have known his cousin John very well he'd plead for Satan himself if he thought the cause was right John Adams with young Mr Quincy defended Captain Preston and Captain Preston was acquitted nor did John Adams reputation in the colony suffer for defending a soldier of the king scarcely six years after the night blood was shed in the Boston Massacre John Adams was appointed one of a committee of five men in Philadelphia to compose and prepare for submission to the Colonial Congress a declaration of Independence March 5th 1770 the day of the Boston Massacre what sort of a day was it a day like all days filled with those events that alter and illuminate our time and you were there