"LEXINGTON, _April 23, 1775_.

"I, Thomas Rice Willard, of lawful age, do testify and declare
that, being in the house of Daniel Harrington, of said Lexington,
on the 19th instant, in the morning, about half an hour before
sunrise, looked out at the window of said house, and saw (as I
suppose) about four hundred regulars in one body, coming up the
road, and marched toward the north part of the common, back of
the meeting-house of said Lexington; and as soon as said regulars
were against the east end of the meeting-house, the commanding
officer said something, what I know not, but upon that the
regulars ran till they came within about eight or nine rods of
about a hundred of the militia of Lexington, who were collected
on said common, at which time the militia of Lexington dispersed.
Then the officers made a huzza, and the private soldiers
succeeded them: directly after this, an officer rode before the
regulars to the other side of the body, and hallooed after the
militia of said Lexington, and said, "Lay down your arms, damn
you, why don't you lay down your arms?"--and that there was not a
gun fired till the militia of Lexington were dispersed. And
further saith not.

"THOMAS RICE WILLARD."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"Simon Winship, of Lexington, in the county of Middlesex, and
province of Massachusetts Bay, New England, being of lawful age,
testifieth and saith, that on the 19th April instant, about four
o'clock in the morning, as he was passing the public road in said
Lexington, peaceably and unarmed, about two miles and a half
distant from the meeting-house in said Lexington, he was met by a
body of the king's regular troops, and being stopped by some
officers of said troops, was commanded to dismount. Upon asking
why he must dismount, he was obliged by force to quit his horse,
and ordered to march in the midst of the body; and, being
examined whether he had been warning the minute-men, he answered,
'No, but had been out, and was then returning to his father's.'
Said Winship farther testifies that he marched with said troops,
till he came within about half a quarter of a mile of said
meeting-house, where an officer commanded the troops to halt, and