The Writings of Samuel Adams, vol 2, page 79 by Samuel Adams
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lite & humane gentleman, upon another late occasion, a malignity beyond what might have been expected from a Barbarian.
It was also sworn, that this same Kilroi was with a party of soldiers in the affray at the Ropewalks a few evenings before the 5th of March, --and that they had clubs & cutlasses--That Kilroi was of the party of soldiers that fired in King-street--that as the party came round before they form’d, Kilroi struck a witness upon his arm--and after the firing began, Kilroi struck at the same witness, tho’ he had hear’d nothing said, nor seen any thing done to provoke the soldiers. --Another witness declared, that he saw Kilroi there, that he knew him well before, and was positive it was he--that he heard the word fire, twice, upon which he said to the soldiers, damn you, don’t fire, and Kilroi fired at once, and killed Gray, who had no weapon, and his arms were folded in his bosom. Gray fell at the feet of this witness, and immediately Kilroi pushed his bayonet at the witness, which pass’d thro’ all his clothes, and came out at his surtuit behind, and he was oblig’d to turn round to quit himself of the weapon--the witness suppos’d he designed to kill them both.--How long is this furor brevis, this short hurricane of passion to last in the breast of a soldier, when called, not by the civil magistrate, but by his military officer, under a pretence of protecting a Centinel, and suppressing a Riot? who had taken with him weapons, not properly of defence, but of death, and was calm enough in this impetuosity of anger, to load his gun, and perhaps with design, to level it, for it killed one of the very men with whom he had had a quarrel but a few evenings before: He had now a fair opportunity, which he had wished for, and resolved never to miss, of firing upon the inhabitants. It was said upon the words he uttered, that if all the unjustifiable words that had been spoken by the inhabitants of this town, were to be bro’t in judgment against