Deposition No. 22

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Hannah Adams, wife of Deacon Joseph Adams, of the second Precinct in Cambridge, testifieth and saith, that on the nineteenth day of April last past, upon the return of the King' s Troops from Concord, divers of them entered our house by bursting open the doors, and three of the soldiers broke into the room in which I then was laid on my bed, being scarcely able to walk from my bed to the fire, and not having been to my chamber door from my being delivered in child-birth to that time. One of said soldiers immediately opened my curtains with his bayonet fixed, and pointing the same to my breast. I immediately cried out, "for the Lord' s sake don' t kill me." He replied, "damn you." One that stood near, said, "we will not hurt the woman if she will go out of the house, but we will surely burn it." I immediately arose, threw a blanket over me, went out, and crawled into a corn-house near the door, with my infant in my arms, where I remained until they were gone. They immediately set the house on fire, in which I had left five children and no other person; but the fire was happily extinguished when the house was in the utmost danger of being utterly consumed.

HANNAH ADAMS.

MIDDLESEX, ss˙, CAMBRIDGE, Second Precinct,

May 17, 1775:

Hannah Adams, the subscriber of the above deposition, personally appeared and made oath to the truth of the same. Before me,

JONA˙ HASTINGS, Justice of the Peace.