By one pm the Militia had been standing in the Square for three hours.
An eye witness said they had been pointing their gun with bayonet touching the chests of the mob for at least two hours. Such were the crowds and tensions rising.
The Government's gentlemen did not want to face the crowd, estimated at 5000. Meanwhile, the crowd did not wish to be selected to join a Militia and are not going to back down.
The magistrate read the Riot Act, which was an ultimatum to clear the square with a threat of arrest if you haven’t cleared away within the hour.