Bernard had been vilified by Boston’s citizenry, many of whom considered him the man most responsible for the continuing occupation. But Hutchinson enjoyed little more goodwill than did his predecessor, and the Crown’s unwillingness to make his appointment as governor official had done nothing to enhance his standing. Ethan had met Hutchinson on several occasions, each time under difficult circumstances. Back in 1765, after mobs protesting Parliament’s new Stamp Tax ransacked Hutchinson’s home, the lieutenant governor summoned Ethan to his chambers in the Town House. At the time, Ethan had been hired by Abner Berson, one of Boston’s wealthiest merchants, to investigate the murder of his elder daughter. Hutchinson sought to convince Ethan that the same rabble who destroyed his home were responsible for the murder, and he hoped that blame for both crimes would fall on Samuel Adams and his associates. Ethan’s inquiry led to a different conclusion: The riot and murder were the work of a conjurer acting on behalf of some in England intent on weakening the very agitators whom Hutchinson wished to blame.
