Andrew Belcher’s warehouse is attacked by a mob.

The attack by the mob, which steals “every kernel of wheat and corn,” is the result of a grain shortage brought on by the Great Fire of 1711 and by resentment over Belcher’s decision to sell his supplies for high prices to British troops. The town’s selectmen subsequently convince the General Court to pass a law that prohibits merchants from exporting grain when a scarcity occurs. Another grain riot occurs in 1713.*