Edward might need your help. You stay. Edward’s moans stir up the crowd. They throw sticks and stones at the guard.
A mob comes up the street swinging bats and clubs. A large, dark-skinned man armed with a club leads the group. “That’s Crispus Attucks,” someone says. “And there’s Sam Gray,” another adds. “He fought with some soldiers at the ropeworks on Friday.”
Crispus Attucks was at the front of the Boston Massacre protesters.
More people pour into King Street. Some carry buckets to fight what they believe is a fire. Others carry bats, swords, or clubs. One man rips the leg off a market stand to use as a weapon. You stand in the middle of the crowd, unsure of what to do.
Private White calls for help. “Turn out the Main Guard!”
Captain Thomas Preston arrives with a small group of soldiers. As they try to cross King Street, they disappear into the crowd. They finally reach White at his post.
White falls in with the other soldiers. Preston tries to march them back to the Main Guard building. But the crowd blocks them. “Fire!” the townspeople yell at the soldiers. “Fire your guns!”
You turn away, ready to run. “Don’t be afraid, lad,” a man says to you. “They dare not fire.”
Then a gun goes off. Boom!
The crowd pushes toward Royal Exchange Lane and down King Street. You have no choice but to flee with them. As you look back, you see several coats lying in the snow. Then you realize that they aren’t coats. They are the bodies of the men shot by the British soldiers.
You feel sick. You’ve lost track of Edward and Bartholomew. Are they among the dead?
The bodies of the victims looked like coats tossed into the snowy street.
When you get back to your lodgings, the other boys are already there. You sigh with relief, but your heart is heavy. Eleven men were shot, and at least three died. Your taunts may have been partly to blame. Edward says that it was bound to happen. You only tossed pebbles and ice. The soldiers were the ones with guns.
The next day, some of the Sons of Liberty stop by the barbershop. They want to take statements from everyone who saw the shootings. You’re not sure if you saw enough to give an accurate account.