Today's Christmas bonus is anything but merry. In the depths of the British occupation of Boston in 1774, British Private William Ferguson played hooky on a December day, got really drunk while his unit was on a routine patrol, and then he either tried to desert and start a new life here in America, or he went to see about getting some laundry done. Either way, he was convicted of deserting from his royal majesty’s army, and Boston was shocked to bear witness to an execution by firing squad in the middle of Boston Common, bright and early on Christmas Eve.

Original show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/263/