Despite the countless embellished versions, the bare facts of what actually happened are that an organised gang of rowdies (thugs probably hired by Hancock) cornered a number of young Redcoats, who on finding themselves considerably out numbered and cornered by a very aggressive mob, that had started pelting them with snowballs filled with lumps of coal and icicles, knocking several of them senseless, became in fear for their lives and opened fire.
But Paul Revere in his 'infamous' engraving (produced with premonitional speed), who obviously intended to inflame the situation, discloses his discriminating charactor as he decided for greater effect to depicted all 5 fatalities as white, when in fact two were black.

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