PA Bill Number: SB99
Title: In county boards of elections, further providing for expenses of county boards and of primaries and elections to be paid by county, expenses of ...
Description: In county boards of elections, further providing for expenses of county boards and of primaries and elections to be paid by county, expenses of ... ...
Last Action: Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS
Last Action Date: May 8, 2024
Stand Your Ground: Lethal Force At The Boston Massacre, Kent State, And Today :: 10/09/2015
Two hundred and forty-five years ago, on Oct. 24, 1770, Captain Thomas Preston entered the Queen Street Courthouse in Boston to stand trial for murder. Soldiers under his command had fired into the crowd surrounding them on March 5, killing five and wounding six more. Preston and eight enlisted men were arrested immediately with the blessings of the British Lt. Governor as he stared down a huge and threatening mob. The patriots quickly named it “The Bloody Massacre.” British officials referred to “the King St. incident.”
Crowds gathered outside the jail through the summer, chanting for the soldiers to be hung from the Liberty Tree, while British government officials and American leaders did some very fancy dancing to shape public perceptions in America and England. The British wanted to appear willing to prosecute their own soldiers while securing their freedom in the end; the Sons of Liberty wanted to be seen as reasonable and fair while gaining vengeance when the soldiers were executed.
In a rare case during the years before the Revolution, the royal government walked away with the desired results and perceptions. The trials only resulted in two convictions for manslaughter. Both privates escaped the death penalty, were branded on the ball of the thumb and returned to England.
Skillful lawyers ensured acquittals for the soldiers. The trials had been delayed for months so that much of the anger from the Massacre had dissipated, and the government prosecutors engaged in only half-hearted efforts. The British-appointed judges separated the trials of Capt. Preston and the others, making it almost certain he would be acquitted — there was no evidence he gave an order to fire. When the soldiers appeared in court, everyone knew Preston had already been found innocent. It was a legal technicality that was most important, however: it allowed the defense to disqualify an unlimited number of jurors. They chose twelve men, five who were declared Loyalists or would be within a few months. Just one dissenting vote would result in acquittal.
