Four Deaths or Five? Neither!

The anniversary of the Boston Massacre on March 5th often brings up the most common yearly question we receive: 

"If 5 people were killed during the Boston Massacre, why do your designs only feature 4 coffins?"

This is an excellent question, and one we love to answer. Our design features 4 coffins because the coffin cartoon, engraved by none other than Paul Revere, is derived directly from the March 12, 1770 issue of the Boston Gazette. 

At the date of it's release, only 4 individuals had died from the wounds sustained.

Specifically, three Americans were killed on the spot: rope maker Samuel Gray, mariner James Caldwell, and Crispus Attucks. 17-year-old apprentice ivory turner Samuel Maverick was hit by a ricocheting musket ball at the back of the crowd and succumbed to his injuries the following morning.

Notice the "S.G." (Samuel Gray), "S.M." (Samuel Maverick), "J.C.", (James Caldwell), and "C.J.A." (Crispus Attucks) markings on each of the coffins. This is where the 5th death comes into play.

Irish immigrant Patrick Carr suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, a fatal injury in that era, but didn't pass away until two weeks later, which is why cartoons featuring 5 coffins is rare, and not the original version of this symbol. In versions featuring 5 coffins, Patrick will be denoted with the "P.C." marking.

But the most interesting part of this story is there was actually a 6th death attributed to the Massacre.

Apprentice Christopher Monk was gravely wounded and left permanently crippled, ultimately dying 10 years later in 1780 — reportedly as a result of the injuries he sustained during the attack.