Royal customs officials—without evidence—accuse John Hancock, a Boston, Massachusetts, sea merchant, of smuggling to avoid paying customs duties on his entire cargo. Hancock’s sloop, the SS Liberty arrived in Boston Harbor the day before, but two night-watchmen in the employ of the Customs House sign sworn statements swearing that the Liberty had not been unloaded during the night.
[added 2/5/2021]
Subsequent Events:
Authority:
“Law of the Jungle”
ccc-2point0.com/preface
References:
John Hancock – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hancock
U.S. Banking Timeline
libertyforlife.com/banking/currency-us-timeline.html