A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston - photo 1
A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston - photo 2
A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston - photo 3
A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston - photo 4
A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston - photo 5

A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston

Lot 44
25.05.2022 17:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 189 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
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Archive
ID 752762
Lot 44 | A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston
Estimate value
$ 20 000 – 30 000
A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in BostonJames Bowdoin, Samuel Pemberton, Joseph WarrenBOSTON MASSACRE – [BOWDOIN, James, PEMBERTON, Samuel, WARREN, Joseph.] A Short Narrative of The Horrid Massacre in Boston, perpetrated In the Evening of the Fifth Day of March 1770, By Soldiers of the XXIXth Regiment; Which With The XIVth Regiment Were then Quartered there with some Observations on the State of things Prior to that Catastrophe. Printed by Order of the Town of Boston, And Sold by Edes and Gill, in Queen Street, And T. & J. Fleet in Cornhill, 1770. [With:] BOWDOIN, James; PEMBERTON, Samuel; WARREN, Joseph. Letter signed ("James Bowdoin", "Saml. Pemberton" and "Joseph Warren") to Sir Fletcher Norton, Speaker of the House of Commons, Boston, 23 March 1770. Boston's account of the "horrid Massacre," a copy sent to the Speaker of the House of Commons with a letter of enclosure signed by James Bowdoin, Samuel Pemberton and Joseph Warren. Within days of the deadly encounter that resulted in members of the 29th Regiment of Foot firing into a crowd of protesters, a committee consisting of James Bowdoin, Samuel Pemberton and Joseph Warren issued the present report, describing the event in detail together with accounts of incidents that led up to the tragedy. It is considered the most influential among the many pamphlets issued in the Boston Massacre's wake. Drawn on more than ninety depositions, the pamphlet was produced primarily for a British audience. The present copy, the second issue of the pamphlet, has a notice affixed to the pastedown: "The Ten last Pages of this Narrative [preceding the Depositions] were not the Copies that have been sent to England and other Parts. The Reason for that Addition will appear in the 39th Page." The notice on page 39 states that since the first issue of the pamphlet, Boston's Town Meeting had resolved on 26 March to add an appendix with depositions that they feared would prejudice any jury, and "Voted, That the Committee reserve all the printed copies in their hands, excepting those to be sent to Great Britain, till the further Order of the Town." Church 1077; Evans 11581; Howes B-632 ("b"); Revolutionary Hundred, 11; Sabin 80669 (but lacking pages 85 to 88). Accompanying this copy is a lengthy manuscript letter of enclosure from Bowdoin, Pemberton and Warren: "After that execrable deed, perpetrated by Soldiers of the 29th Regiment, the Town thought it highly expedient, that a full and just representation of it should be made to Persons of Character as soon as may be, in order to frustrate the designs of certain Men who, as they have heretofore been plotting the ruin of our Constitution and Liberties, by their Letters[,] Memorials and Representations, are now said to have procured depositions in a private manner, Relative to the said Massacre, to bring an odium upon the town as the Aggressors in that Affair." Complaining of private depositions being taken privately with no consultation with the town's leaders, the committee points out that their own depositions were taken in public ("most of them at Faneuil Hall"), with representatives of the Customs House present "at many of them." The letter concludes with the wish that the King, "in his great Wisdom and Goodness [will act] to order the said Troops out of the Province." Marked “Duplicate,” this would have been one of two letters sent to Norton, each enclosing a copy of this pamphlet—a common practice when sending important mail overseas. In this case, it appears that although the letter was written on 23 March, the authors delayed sending while awaiting a copy with the additional appendix of depositions which was not ordered to be included until 26 March.Pamphlet: Octavo (201 x 130mm). (Light foxing to title page and several others minor chip at bottom margin affecting pages 19-22, mild dampstain along lower margin in second half of volume.) Bound in decorative paste paper wrappers (front wrap and backstrip loose with minor chips to top and bottom of spine, small tear at front joint). Red cloth chemise and slipcase. Letter: three pages, 325 x 201mm. (Partial fold separations mended, light wear along upper portion of right margin). Provenance: Fletcher Norton and his descendants – (purchased by) Bernard Quaritch – (purchased by) A[lfred] T[readway] White (note signed, August 1900) – by descent to Jean V. S. Henry.
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