Hutchinson, although
remaining nominally lieutenant governor, became acting chief magistrate.
He now appeared the most conspicuous figure among the royalists, and
Samuel Adams became more distinctly the leader of the patriots.
Neglecting all other affairs, he was content to live on a pittance,
which he was enabled to do by a frugal and helpful wife.

Affairs were now approaching a crisis. A consignment of goods from
England, sent in defiance of the non-importation agreements, was not
allowed to land and had to be returned. One importer, a Scotchman, would
not sign the agreements, so after much remonstrance, Samuel Adams arose
in town meeting and grimly moved that the number present, about two
thousand, should resolve itself into a committee of the whole, wait upon
the obstinate merchant and use such persuasion as should be necessary to
secure a compliance. But no vote was needed, for the Scotchman was
present, and rushing to the front with knees trembling and in a
squeaking voice, rolling his r's like a well-played drum, exclaimed:--
"Mr. Mode-r-r-rater, I agr-r-ree, I agr-r-ree!" greatly to the amusement
of the people.

It was early in the next year, 1770, that the hostility between
towns-people and soldiers led for the first time to the shedding of
blood. In February a boy, Christopher Snyder, was shot and killed during
a disturbance, and in March occurred the "Boston Massacre." The story has
been many times told. Quarrels had grown frequent between the soldiers
and the rope-walk hands, the soldiers usually getting the worst of it.
On the evening of the 5th, an altercation began just below the Old State
House, between the sentinel of the guard and a crowd of townsfolk. An
alarm was rung from one of the steeples, and many citizens hurried to
the place, most of them thinking that a fire had broken out. A sentry
was at the corner of King and Exchange streets, where the Custom House
stood, and he was assaulted by the boys with snowballs. Captain Preston
with seven or eight men rushed to the scene, loaded their muskets and
made ready to fire. The mob hooted, struck their muskets and dared them
to fire. At last a volley came. Three were killed and eight wounded.
At once there was a tumult. The bells were all rung and the populace
hurried to and fro. The bodies of the slain lay on the ground which was
sprinkled with a light snow, serving to plainly reveal in the clear
moon-light the stains of blood.

[Illustration: OLD S