The Murder of
The Trial of William Wemms ...
for the Murder of Crispus Attucks . . .
Boston: J. Fleeming, 1770
On the night of March 5, 1770, five citizens of
Boston died when eight British soldiers fired on a large and unruly
crowd that was menacing them. Boston's patriots, led by Sam Adams,
immediately labeled the affray the Boston Massacre and hailed
its victims as martyrs for liberty. The troops had been sent to
Boston in late 1768 to support the civil authorities and were
themselves subject to the jurisdiction of the local courts. All
eight soldiers were jailed and tried for murder. They were defended
by John Adams, who later became the second President of the United
States, and acquitted on grounds of self defense. The patriots
used the trial to demonstrate that law rather than mob rule had
been maintained in Boston, and that even the hated redcoats could
receive a fair trial.