FANFICCER'S FRIEND - THE BOSTON MASSACRE OF 1770

From Wikipedia:
The Boston Massacre, known as the Incident on King Street by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers shot and killed people while under attack by a mob. The incident was heavily publicized by leading Patriots, such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, to encourage rebellion against the British authorities. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. Amid ongoing tense relations between the population and the soldiers, a mob formed around a British sentry, who was subjected to verbal abuse and harassment. He was eventually supported by eight additional soldiers, who were subjected to verbal threats and repeatedly hit by clubs, stones and snowballs. They fired into the crowd, without orders, instantly killing three people and wounding others. Two more people died later of wounds sustained in the incident.

The crowd eventually dispersed after Acting Governor Thomas Hutchinson promised an inquiry, but the crowd re-formed the next day, prompting the withdrawal of the troops to Castle Island. Eight soldiers, one officer, and four civilians were arrested and charged with murder. Defended by lawyer and future American president John Adams, six of the soldiers were acquitted, while the other two were convicted of manslaughter and given reduced sentences. The men found guilty of manslaughter were sentenced to branding on their hand. Depictions, reports, and propaganda about the event, notably the colored engraving produced by Paul Revere, further heightened tensions throughout the Thirteen Colonies.

On October 23 of last year, I spent a pleasant day at Town Hall - my brother and I served on a jury for Northwest Regional 7's re-enactment of the Boston Massacre trial of October 1770. One of the points that witnesses kept bringing up was a mysterious, well-dressed gentleman in the crowd. But nothing ever came of it. When I got home, I looked for more information about this mystery gentleman and found this:

Earlier that day, after the trial was over, I asked the teacher about this fellow and he says it's believed that he was actually Samuel Adams, who claimed that he was home in bed. And Adams was known for going out and about wearing a red turncoat.  But it was too late an explanation. I already had my suspect in mind.....

Okay, so it’s a red-lined cape, but witnesses aren’t always reliable.  And they could easily mistaken the Doctor's floofy tresses as a wig.

It would make for a great fanfic story about the Third Incarnation of the Doctor.  I could see him arguing with his Companion, either Jo Grant or Sarah Jane Smith, about fulfilling this function in History which should have been carried out by Samuel Adams.  (Perhaps it was the Companion who caused the temporal aberration.)  The Doctor would understand the reason why he had to “put right what once went wrong”… even if it meant the deaths of Crispus Attucks and the other patriot-agitators that March day in 1770. 

Another twist: the Companion had become friends with Attucks; perhaps there was even the hint of a possible romance.  But even the man who would become known as the first martyr in the American Revolution would understand that he had to make that ultimate sacrifice to save the Future.  (Maybe some other horrible fate would befall the world otherwise, like an alien threat.) 

As for that alien threat, I think we would have to start with how the timeline had been altered.  And for that, I would suggest bringing back the Meddling Monk, the Gallifreyan Time Lord who enjoyed bringing chaos to Earth’s history.  After that, whatever happened would lead to the alien threat.  (Not that it would be needed – the series didn’t begin with an obligatory alien menace.  It was primarily history lessons wrapped in a time traveling adventure.)

But still... that alien threat.... How does this sound?  Why did Paul Revere put a dog into that sketch of the massacre on King Street?  And why didn't it run away as the first shot was fired?  Maybe it wasn't really a dog, but an alien with psionic powers, controlling the action.  A Zygon in disguise perhaps?  Or something new......

So there you have it – the bare bones of a fanfic idea for the Third Doctor at the Boston Massacre of 1770.  Interested in writing it?  If you do, send me a copy!

BCnU!

This post is dedicated to the students of NWR7......