Matthew Kilroy (British Army soldier)
{{Short description|Irish soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name = Matthew Kilroy
| image_name =
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| nationality = Irish
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
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| alias =
| conviction = Manslaughter
(5 December 1770)
| conviction_penalty = Branded on the thumb
| conviction_status =
| occupation = Soldier
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| date = 5 March 1770
| locations = Boston, Massachusetts
| weapons = Flintlock muskets
}}
Matthew Kilroy ({{floruit|1770}}) was an Irish soldier who served in the 29th Regiment of Foot and was present at the Boston Massacre, for which he was found guilty of the manslaughter of one of the five fatalities, Samuel Gray.
Boston Massacre
On 5 March 1770, seven soldiers from the 29th Regiment of Foot, including Kilroy, were dispatched to King Street in Boston, Massachusetts to relieve Private Hugh White. A large crowd soon gathered around them. After Private Hugh Montgomery was struck by a club, Montgomery shouted, "Damn you, fire!" Kilroy then pointed his gun at rope-maker Samuel Gray, who, depending on the source, said, "damn you, don't fire!"Axelrod, Alan. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3vA89neVsEcC The Real History of the American Revolution: A New Look at the Past] (Sterling Publishing Company, 2007), p. 60. or "They dare not fire."Langguth, A. J. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ePqHm33zZEsC Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution] (Simon and Schuster, 1989), p. 138.
Kilroy then fired the shot that killed Gray. The ball passed through Gray's head and "opened up a hole as big as a man's fist." Several witnesses said that, afterwards, Kilroy's bayonet was covered with blood.Kidder, Frederic and Adams, John. [https://books.google.com/books?id=r3MBAAAAMAAJ History of the Boston Massacre, 5 March 1770] (J. Munsell, 1870), p. 254. A few days before the massacre, Kilroy had argued with Gray at Gray's Rope-works.Kidder, p. 276. Kilroy had also, according to one witness, said that "he would never miss an opportunity... to fire on the inhabitants."Zobel, Hiller B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=LSAq85UD34cC&q=zobel+boston+massacre The Boston Massacre] (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1970), pp. 274-275.
On 27 March, Kilroy was indicted for murder. He was held in prison pending trial,[http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/boston.htm "The Boston Massacre - 1770"]. americanrevwar.homestead.com. Retrieved 9 November 2010. which took place in November and December 1770, in Boston. John Adams, who would later become President of the United States, was his attorney. Kilroy and Montgomery were both found guilty of manslaughter on 5 December. They returned to court nine days later and pleaded "benefit of clergy" to avoid the death sentence. Instead, they were branded on the thumb, with a hot iron, the letter "M" for manslaughter.{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonmassacre.net/trial/trial-summary4.htm |title=The Summary of the Boston Massacre Trial |last=Adams |first=John |author-link=John Adams |date=March 5, 1773 |website=bostonmassacre.net |publisher= |access-date=November 9, 2010 |quote=}} The two reportedly burst into tears before receiving the punishment.Fleming, Thomas J. [http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1966/1/1966_1_6_print.shtml "Verdicts of History I: The Boston Massacre"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220145435/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1966/1/1966_1_6_print.shtml |date=20 February 2010 }}. americanheritage.com. Retrieved 9 November 2010. Kilroy was illiterate. He was also a main character of the book The Fifth of March by author Ann Rinaldi.
References
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Category:Irish people convicted of manslaughter
Category:Irish people convicted of war crimes
Category:Worcestershire Regiment soldiers
Category:Year of birth uncertain