Thirty or forty persons, mostly young boys, had gathered in King Street. British officer, Captain Preston, and his soldiers came through the crowd to get to the Commissioner's house. As they came through they were using their bayonets and crying, “Make way”. Once they took their place by the Commissioner’s house and the Custom House, they continued to push to drive off the people and even pricked some of the people with their bayonets. After a while the crowd began to throw snowballs at the soldiers. When that happened Captain Preston said, “Fire, and whatever happens, will happen.” One soldier then fired. A townsman hit the soldier’s hand with a stick so he would drop his gun. His same person then rushed forward and tried to hit the Captain in the head. The blow only touched the Captain’s hat and then landed on his arm. Still the soldiers continued to fire until seven or eight or, as some say, eleven guns were fired.
