Two billy clubs made in Boston prior to the Civil War, and used by bodyguards of such abolitionists as William Lloyd Garrison, who were often mobbed when they appeared in public. Top: Billy club hollowed and filled with lead; wrist strap is missing. Billy Club 001 Bottom: Billy club hollowed and filled with cement; wrist strap is present. Billy Club 002
Item from the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Image use and licensing information: www.masshist.org/library/permissions
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