Arizona republican., 1914-03-12
TRIAL FOLLOWING
 BOSTON MASSACRE

The collision between the British soldiers and certain citizens of Bos- ten on the evening of March ,, ITO. resulted in three trials of those en- gagged in it. The first was that of Captain Preston; the second of the soldiers under his command, and the third of those who were supposed to have fired from the custom house windows.
 On this eventful night-which was the actual beginning of the Ameri- can revolution-a party of soldiers, of his Britannic maJesty's twenty ninth regiment of foot. fired upon collection of citizens of Boston and caused the death of five individuals. Quartering soldiers among the colo nies was never a popular measure in America, and the citizens of Bos- ton, in particular. resented it from the first. Outrages had been com mitted by some of the soldiers. which were promptly resented, and quarrels were frequent.
 Early on the evening of March , it became apparent that an unusual excitement prevailed in Boston. Clusters of citizens were observed in earnest conference. About eight o'clock one of the bells was rung as 1T for fire, and soon after large bands of men were seen in motion. hurry ing forth with clubs in their hands and uttering the fiercest imprecations against the soldiers.
 There were many slight clashes between the citizens and soldiers. n- cluding an attack on the sentry be- fore the custom house, while on duty Captain Preston, the officer of the day. sent a corporal and six men to protect the sentinel, and followed them himself. The mob had now re- ceived a great accession of numbers end the soldiers on their way were hooted at and pelted with snow, ice land sticks. They were then ordered to load.
 After the soldiers had taken their station before the sentinel at the custom house, and were pushing off the people, one of them received blow with a club which brought him to the ground Rising immediately. he fired, and the rest, with one or two exceptions, followed his example The citizens fled from the scene, and intense excitement at once pre- vailed. The streets were filled with people. and there was danger of 9 general and bloody conflict court composed of justices of the peace was immediately held and a search was made for Captain Preston. After 1 several hours he surrendered himself and was committed to prison at 3 o'clock in the morning on the charge | of murder. The soldiers also sur | rendered and were committed to 1 prison the next day
 | The regular time for. holding the superior court was the next week after the tragedy in Boston The grand jury found bills of indictment against Preston and his eight soldiers for wilful murder, but the court l thought fit to continue the trials to the next term. when the people would probably be more free from excitement and a more dispassionate hearing might be expected.
 The case of Preston first came on for trial before the superior court of judicature on the twenty fifth of October. ITO. There were five in- dictments against him. A few wit nesses testified that he ordered his men to fire but their evidence was encountered by that of several other
 witnesses to the opposite, and the judges, in summing up their charge
 to the jury. were unanimous in theii
 opinion that he cid not order his
 men to fire. The jury soon agreed upon verdict of not guilty.
 i The trial of the eight soldiers com
 menced on Saturday. November 12
 before the superior court. There
 were also five indictments agains
 them. The prosecution was conduct
 ed by Robert Treat Paine and Sam
 uel Quincy. The counsel for the
 prisoners were John Adams, Josial
 Quincy and Sampson Salter Blowers 1 Every juryman from Boston havinl
 been challenged for cause and sci
 aside of that city.
 | large number of witnesses Wer. called to prove the allegations in tn,
 indictment. and that the circum.
 stances were not such as to iustif,
 the soldiers in firing Josiah Ouinc, opened the case in behalf of the
 prisoners with most eloauent plea and he produced fully fifty witness
 es to prove the facts alleged in his
 ce1ense Their examination occupied
 four days. John Adams also made le stirring appeal for the prisoners
 when the case was being summed UT
 Tor the jury, and the case wa
 clcsed by Robert Treat Paine on th,
 part of the crown. The charge wa,
 made to the jury by Justice Trow | bridge
 The jury deliberated two and ,
 haif hours and returned a verdict O. i'ot guilty as to all the prisoners ex.
 cept kilroy and Montgomery, wht
 were found guilty of manslaughter
 The third and last trial began O,
 December 12, in which four men wer
 charged with having fired on tn
 crowd from the custom house win
 dows The jury acquitted all the prisoners without leaving their seats