Source: Reports of the Criminal Cases tried in the Municipal Court of the City of Boston before Peter Oxenbridge Thacher (Boston: 1845)

October Term, 1840
Commonwealth v. John Hunt, Patrick Hayes, Daniel O’Neal, Supplier Woods, Michael O’Connor, Edward Farrington, John Odiorne, and others unknown.

George Field, master bootmaker, said his was not a society-shop; he had employed men who were, and men who were not, members of the society. Thought the society had been a benefit to him. The work had been better of late; twenty-five percent. better than in 1835. The members of the society were generally good workmen. On cross-examination, he said he employed generally two men at a time; sometimes both had been society men; sometimes one a society man and the other not. Never had been threatened in any way by the society, respecting the employment of men.

Elias Leech, of the firm Leach and Whitney, bootmakers, said he usually employed six or eight journeymen. Had always taken the liberty to employ men as he pleased whether members of the society or not. Never had any trouble in consequence of pursuing this course. . . .Was of the opinion that the society had been a benefit to him, by establishing a uniformity of prices, and producing better work. Thought the men were more temperate now than formerly. Said it was the practice to remain idle on “blue Monday,” as it was called, and sometimes the journeymen were “blue” all the week.; that these practices were now mostly passed away. Thought the society had a tendency to keep foreign boots out of the market, by finishing boots in a better style.

Peter Runey, a journeyman bootmaker, said that he worked with Jeremiah Horne, last year, about six months; that Horne was not a steady workman; that he was a passable hand; that he had known him to be employed on a pair of boots a whole week, and not finish but one.