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JOSHUA HOBSON. ]
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Joshua Hobson. ]
JOSHUA HOBSON . ]
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LV & .. «¦ ** " * felWs gullet is , I pn > r Based wm a bolus this week , which eren | bis ^ padoaS swallow eonld no * ' galpi - -Hiis : maa Ims ventured upon ajramberof ajwertiaiwi esc b-0 f * h «* i" « tellanalyseiandasto all of whfAI ^^ . ^^^^ todfawbisowncon ^ oaons . There are some unintentional adrais aon ^ botb : with regard to himself and . "THE ITJ CKY BOY / ' so truly characteristic of jgieir then and now position * , thai I will leave & em as written , merely wishing to impress
them more forcibly upon the memory . As to this man—Joshua HohSbn- ^ if have learned , since my visit' to Manchester , that William gidec was perfectly correct when he asserted gat the most humble man in that meeting would feel himself disgraced by assodlatinsr with the said Joshua Hobson . "Like case , like rule , " is a very good legal maxim , and this fellow is trying to play the same part as reg ards me , since his dismissal from my service , that he played to his old associates—the Socialists—when they dismissed him as printer < rf the New Moral World , for his MODEBATE CHARGES . This fellow mistakes \
canning for ability , and reiteration of falseflood for confirmation . However , not to waste time with him , I shall proceed to the work of demolition at once , while , meantime , I coald well afford to admit every one of his assertions as truth , merely ; meeting them with the . admitted position of himself and " The Lucky Boy f and whose interesting narrative I shaft give at foot , as the biography of Mr John Ardill , written by the biographer who was the -Object . Of the two letters published in the ¦ Ster of the 30 th October , 184 T , containing John ' s repudiation of community when "the payments are all on one side—asin the case of
insurance , gas , and coats—or partially soas rent" !! ;; , / ' - V , Idobope thatevery man , erery :, w « ffian , and every little ehndwill-preserv ' e this into- ' resting biography of « The Lucky Boy , " and iand it down to posterity as a proof of the value of the re-productive ' principle . For myself , I can only say , that such is its . value , that , but for the pleasure of giving it a more extensive circulation than it could , possibly have through the columns of the expiring Manchester Examiner , I should not have condescended to
notice the ridiculous rubbish mixed up with this interesting narrative ; but it would be a < pity that the world should lose such an interesting sketch of so interesting a youth , so ^ shrewd a calculator , so temperate a mechanic , and so stalwart a worker . Oh , that he had lived in the days of Ossian ! and that poet of , poets would have characterised him as "Shane with the strong arm , with a cool head and cal-¦ colatuig brain , " who ever attached himself to promising speculations and undertakings , and always abandoned them when they foretold -dissolution . John ' s association with Josh , very forcibly reminds me of the quaint old
wnerenue joa been all the i * j , Mj boj Jdbnnj ! Aierapisg of ay weekly pay , MygoodJo * sy . Was It fcrua or ires it gold . My boy Johnny ! It was fcnu and it was gold , Bat the susx it can ' t be tola , Mj good Jfl « y . Now , really , the character that Josh , gives of John , of his relatives , his dependents , his abstinence , perseverance and strength ; his powers of calculation , his perception and
divioration—which enabled him to select the most thriving clubs and speculations , wherein to vest his funds , and not to be seduced by the red-herring scent of failure , but b y the evident marks of dissolution , to abandon those speculations , one and all , when his association with them , or hia knowledge of their instability , cried out Ware-hawk /' —would render him , -at the present moment , the most fit and proper person to take the command of our tmonetary affairs , as ^ his abdication would at least have the effect of wholesome warning . But to my purpose . ' Here are Joshua HobSoa ' s twenty-four assertions : —
1 . —I h « Te not watched the game tfcat hat been played ia relation to the enrolment and registration without a -jarpose , and I now tell tbosa concerned , that if . * complete registration'is not this tmt completed , I wUlmy . -stlf institute proceedings to compel it . 2 —There were sot ttmt columns of his * unmitigated cubbish in the first Land Han . ' I . —I hare called at the office of the Company t « tee de corraspondtnee , but' eoald not because Mr O'Connor shad it , * and ha had it keaose he conducted the corre . rgpondence .
4 . —In the Xbr & em Star , of Jane 13 . IMS , then ap . fears in a letter from Mr O'Connor himself the following statement . It is made in reference to this same Land Plan question , and the letter contains a statement of his 'liabilities' and' assets , ' which I shaU often have to refer ¦ to eretlifdUaunmbccbtei . All I need at the present is the following : —* In October last , I was vtry hard pres . aed for money ; indeed I hare always been so ; and on soy return from the Continent I was served with a writ for £ 22 . 4 s . 63 . ; tie very first tent Twos ever timed tcilh ia my life '
5 . —While in York Cattle , he was serred with a writ -atthesnitof Mr Llojd , printing-machine mater . Sooth . -wark , for the cost of a four-cjlindered machine he - « rdered , and engaged to pay for partly before it was ready , and the remainder when ready . He eonld do meither : and the party with the writ was admitted into bis roem at the castle to ¦ make service / as is well known to the officials of the prison . 6 . —He was alse , afur his release from York Castle , served with a writ at the suit ef Taylor , the medallist , of Birmingham , for payment for the medal struck ia commemoration of that incarceration . 7 . —Mr Dempsey , the reporter , of London , earned him to be served with a summons / or a balance of account doe ; and I had the * pleasure' of settling the affair , by paying for O'Connor both debt and costs .
8 . —On May 19 th , 18 I 2 Mr O'Connor wrote to a friend / rfminetopay £ 85 . to his lawyers , Messrs Yates and Turner , of Westminster , to sate him from being Orres & td ta execution tfcat very day ; for be had given a judge ' s order for the same , which was due . I hase lately seen that letter , and Mr Tamer ' s receipt for the . ¦ £ 85 ; and Mr O'Conno r has seen them also . 9 . —On April 8 th , 18 « , Mr O'Connor aeain wrote to -that samefrieud , imploring him to pay £ 65 . to the same ? SoIieitors , to sate aim from an * tber arret tin execution which letter and the receipt for the money I hare also lately seen ; and n has Mr O'Connor . 10 . —In addition to all this , be was serred with a writ Aa the streets of Manchester , for a debt arising oat of s 4 ) 111 transaction with the Messrs Hilton , formerly of Dar-• wen paper mills .
11 Ia April , 1815 , Mr O'Connor ' s present Land Plan was agreed to . In the May or Jane of that year , Mr G . A . Fleming and myself were appointed by the provisional committee of the Hational Association of United Trades ( Mr Thomas Baoeembe , M . P ., chairman ) , to draw up a plan of general organisation for that society , and also ¦ Otte for the allocation and employment of its members on the Land . In the prosjcntioB ° * onr duties , I had to joint out to Mr Fleming fhetwofc pomlt of Mr O'Connor * * ¦ scheme ; and a reference to the plan that resulted will -show that those weak points were not embodied in our -scheme . That plan , slightly modified , was agreed to by 4 he trades' delegates in the latter ead of July . 1815 . 12—That act did and do t * impose he & rj penalties on person * acting is contravention of it , or trying to evade its provisions ; erery one of uhich penalties Mr O'Connor has rendered loth Kmtelf and thousands of e & ert liable to .
13 . —The fall extent of 'relief 'Is set forth above ; and it is a very small relief indeed ! All the other penalties remain as they did , with some other new aid additional « aes . 1 * . —There is net one word of truth in the representation , that the Attorney-General ' s consent must be had before proceedings can be taken under the Joint Stock Companies' Acts of 1811 and 1847 . From the beginning < e the end of both acts , there is sot a clause , a line , or a ward , that so provides , directs , or enacts . Onthecoatrary , the suing for the penalties is left «* open as it by possibility could be . 15 . —In 1889 , there was a balance due to him from Ardill of £ 120 . In July of that year , he ( Mr O'Connor ) was tried at York ; in May , 1840 . he was sent to the «* stle , and in September , ISO , this man , who bade salary of £ 100 a year , alleged that there wae a balance das to hTsn o £ 1353
. 16 . —He informed me thai he had spoken efitto < ereral friendi in the different towns , who bad warmly applauded the sebeme ; and serf ral of them had reoommended me to him as most likely to aid in the undertaking . 17 ~ lwhathe there saw and learned , as to Mr O'Connor " * eircanutanee * , Indaced lim to advise that the * » JU 9 dunddtepaid don * tre the mathine l » ft the pre-« ' «» . TfiiifiictI had from Mr Couf 8 « himself ; a most intelligent man , now in b ttiineisj for nunsen in Xtondos :
18 . —The machine was set np , the type Maid , men « agaged ; and at the latest moment ( when sureties at < he stamp office had been found by a friend of mine , O'Connor not having himself any that the authorities would accept ) , with 3 , W 0 stamps brought oh the Thursd * r by Mr O'Connor himself on the coach , the Vortfcm
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Star first saw the ligh * / a \ Tiidst difficulties and hairbreadth escapes « too numerous to mention . * IS . —In a few wseks IcsWyi John Ariillahome with myself , if be would come infancy shop in the day-time ¦ nd aid me there . He * accepted the offer ; joined [ iny family hearth ; had ' . bedand boati' with me till he got married in November 1841 ; his lfcdng not costing bin one penny of outlay duriBg , tbatper \' od . Shortly after be nad joined mj table . Mr O'Connor engaged hta as boeltiteep «' . . and , caihier for the . Star . Through oar arramr . ame « t , John was - . enabled , to '• pat ' bj * the whole ef hie salary . '
20 . —Iu May , 1840 , O'Connor was sent to , York Castfe , Before he was « brooghtup for judgment / he went rostml to all the Yorkshire and Lancashire agents , aad scoured them oat of money . AU that be could prevail upon t » advance did so . He got £ 409 . from one agent iu advance , and good thumping sums from others . SI . —Nay more : one house in Manchester ( which you well kuaw ) bad a debt owing to them of £ s Ml . I for paper supplied in 18 S 8-9 , > and 40 ; the means which should ha vegont to pay for it having all been abstracted and made away with by Mr O'Connor . Tie result was that' we had most awful times ef it . ' . ' , ' :
S 3 . —I do not :. mean that the Star , was itself bankrupt ; on the contrary , it from the first was a property ; bat frost : to * - £ r « tti « meanstoere .. cMraeted taoay x and that , too , before they were realised . It was In constant jeopardy from the first hour of my connection with it to thehut . % > - i - 21—Anl ; while we knew that O'Connor IrtvgU < to swMy , « e also knew that he , took plenty away . What he did with it is oaly known to himietf , Onrsnrpise —A * iteorriet or . meorreet-iwaa ^ jha ^ Jia . jovs ^ daephi bw elftw ftiifehliiehcthm ¦ croftste ' ;;' afld Outt he was paving off as fwt as he could .
24 . i—I cannot conclude , though even for the / present , without saying that for aJTtho slanders and libels he sad William Rider heaped oh the head of John Ardill at this Hall of Science meetinr , O'Connor has , in the month of December last , apologised for mi semacted—to saw Hmttlf fro » a prottauSon ! The letters of apology and retractation , in bis own hand writing , are on my table whilst ! write , I now proceed to answer those twenty-four threats , guesses , and assertions , seriatim .
1 . — -I wish Mr Hobson joy . He signed tie deed the week before last in Manchester , and has , thereby , made himself jiarticeps criminis , a participator in the crime attachable by law to the registered shareholders , and , therefore , when Mr Hobson proceeds , he must proceed against himself , as I would make fcim a co-defendant in any suit or action brought against the Company . So that Mr Hobson has rendered himself liable for all the legal penalties . How the wicked are sometimes caught in their own trap !
2 , —There were about sixteen columns of his " unmitigated rubbish , " but the Conference cut it short to about six and a half columns , leaving out all the absurdities about births , deaths , marriages , burials , and so forth ; and I was the person who gave it the most vigorous opposition in its original form , and was on the committee that dipt it of its original huge proportions . " * 3 . —The directors would he quite right in not allowing such a fellow to enter the office .
4 . —This investigator will never give you a more true picture of my pecuniary resources , as long as I was devoured by my reproducing staff , than I have given you myself , and all of which will go to show you how an honourable man , surrounded by villains , can straggle against adversity , without committing one dishonourable , dishonest , or mean act . The writ with which I was served , was for a bill of ' 20 J ., which I accepted for James Leach , to start him in a printing concern , and which , he assured me , I should never hear of more—that he would be prepared to take it up . The 2 l . 4 s . 6 d . was
for interest and costs , and all of which I paid , receiving principal and interest in slander and abuse ; and so chary was I of the Land money , that I borrowed a portion of that amount from Mr Wheeler , and gave him an order ' upon one of the London agents of the Star to repay it , although I had several hundreds of pounds of the Land money in my iron chest . 5 . —When Mr Lloyd made my second printing machine—a double-cyliadered one—it broke down the fast night it was put to work , and Mr Coupland , the overseer of Mr Lloyd , told Mr Hobson that he had cautioned bis ^ master , and assured him that the under carriage would not stand , and that Mr Lloyd ' s answer was ,
'That it was ' good enough for the money . Previously to this , I had ordered a four-cylindered machine , to cost 700 / . Mr Hobson mentioned what Coupland told him , and I instantly wrote , in 1839 , to countermand the four-cylindered machine . It cost me from 70 / . to 80 / . to re pair the new machine before it printed a paper , and when Mr Lloyd found , in July or August , in 1840 , that I was fair game when in Tork Castle , he proceeded against me for TOO / ., for a machine which , I believe , has not yet been commenced ; and , knowing my ' chance against the law , I paid Mr Lloyd 300 / . to be let off the bargain , the law and the machine . Was not this a dishonourable act ?
6 . —When I was in York Castle , Mr Taylor applied to me for the money , and Mr Ardill assured me that it had been paid , and , while caged , I could know nothing about my affairs . However , I presume Mr Taylor was paid . 7 . —This was some arrangement with Mr Dempsey , made , I believe , by Mr Cleave or Mr Hobson , and if my very p liant editor paid it . there is l ittle doubt but he repaid himself , as he brought me in a bill of two , three , and four years' standing , when I dismissed him , ( and of which I had never beard a word before , ) for about 147 / ., and for which I have the gentleman ' s receipt ; and , whether the money was due or not to Mr Dempsey , I would hr . ve paid the amount rather than appear in such a
case . 8—This 85 / . was part of the costs due by me for the libel published on the Rev . Mr Anstey , of Rugby , by . Messrs Hill and Hobson , and wh . ch I never saw till I was sued . The letter was to Mr John Cleave , to pay the same to Messrs Yates and Turner—Mr Cleave THEN , AS NOW , owing me , according to his own confession , made before the delegates assembled in London , in April , 1845 , a large sum of money . 9 . —This other application was to Mr Cleave , and this was the way that I was compelled to require the payment of monies due to me , and these were the legal purposes to which my monies were lied . i
app ... . 10 —This proceeding was taken by the solicitor ' of the Manchester Bank , which stopped payment , having a bill of mine made payable to Messrs Hilton , p apermakers , for between 4 m and 500 / . I sent over 200 / . in cash to Mr Ardill , and Mr Ardill sent the balance in little Mils and notes that he had discounte d for other parties , and which were not due , and they are entered in my cash book as CASH PA « D on my account . Now , what doeathe reader think of that dishonourable transaction , especially when I have a letter accompanying accounts forwarded b y Mr Ardill , showing that the bankrupts' estate was indebted to me to the amount of 230 / . odd .
11 . —Mr Hobson tells you that his plan was modified by the Trades—it was rejected by the Trades ; and a very pretty model for a Land Plan would have , been Mr Hobson ' s proposition to the Trades > which , fortunately for | the Trades , George White exposed and had rejected , and for which the fair-play loving Hobson threatened George with exposure in the Star -and now observe the consummate insolence of this brazen-faced fellow . When the Trades' Conference was about to meet , in July , 1845 , Mr Hobson was at Huddersfield , and had the matchless effrontery to send a long leader to the Star , recommending the postponing toe Conference jast about to be
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held to an indefinite period , nponthe , plea that the iriind of the Trades was not efficiently matured and informed upon the rebjects tobe discussed . This was sefjt . to me frem the office in print , and I put it ;> h | h ^ jth ^ fire . The machinery at Harmqnylrhavlng farted > this ' cunning'twy' wprked . heafeB ^ u ^ earth to impose the Socialist leaaersfaB * managers of the NationalTrades ' affaiKV ; ; -. - . ' ! 2- ^ y thethousand ^ pC > fter ^ this fellow mean * all wiwe-have . signed the deed , andjyhicfi l assertioiJL ^ . »^ e *« fed ^ my reply tojiroposHioa No . I ; ¦ i .. ri ^ i £ ^ - \ . I 3 . ^ -Thi 8 is thw funniest ; relief ever offered to parties looking for reUef . -. It ; reminds me
of the Peruvian Inea , who ; was- mercifully told tbaiifhe tinned ; to fjfeitTDe faith he should not be " etrangledf ,. ., fte should only be hung . \ Th * Act of } MJ , which repeals , the onerqu ;' . clauses in the Act of 1844 , sets forth , thai the concortors and fouudersnfJ < rint . Stock Ccmipaniesareileiieved from aUVjtbt ^^ the amount of relief which ^ Jo sh / tells you the act giants ; # the perpetuation of the penalties it repeals , with thffiadditigri of others and more string gent onwj ; If it wasn ' t for the fun of giving you alafgh at thisi ; jellow ' s - knobstick , la \ f , I woidd . content ; myf ^ j Wiffi ; 3 TCferring-yo ^ the dau ^ e itself , and to the able treatise of a barrister ,, printed in the 'f lauojwer" for November , and in the Star of Jast week ; but as it is ; well to keep things clearly in view , here is the clause again : —
IV . And whereas by the said recited Act the promoters of any company formed for any purpose within the meaniag of the said Act , are , amongst other things , required to return to the Office for the Registration of Joint-Stock companies a copy of erery prospectus , handhill , or circular , or advertisement , or other such document , at any time addressed to the public , or to the subscribers or others , relative to the formation or modification of each company : ' And whereas the
registration of inch ptoipeetuiei and advertisements hat been found to be very burdensome to the promoters of such companies , and it is desirable to relieve such promoters from the necessity thereof , and in lieu thereof te substitute the provisions herein-after contained ; belt , therefore enacted , that se much of the said Act as is lastly hereinbefore recited shall be and the same' is hereby repealed . 14 . —Mv friends , it is really oast natience 14 . —My friendsit is really past patience
, to have the task of commenting upon this fellow ' s ignorance , imposed upon one whose time is precious . Read the 77 th clause of the Act—and here it is to refresh your memory : — LXXVH . And be it enacted , That it shall not be lawful for any person to commence or prosecute any Action , Bill , Plaint , Information , or Prosecution in any of her Majesty's Superior Courts , for the Recovery of any Penalty or Forfeiture incurred by reason of
any Offence committed against this Act , nnleasib * same be commenced or prosecuted in the Name and with the Consent ef her Majesty ' s Attorney General ; and that if any Action , BUI , Plaint , Information , or Prosecation , or any Proceeding before any Justices as aforesaid , shall be commenced or prosecuted in the Name ot any other person than is in that behalf before mentioned , the same shall be and are hereby declared to be null and void . Now , then , what do you think of this blunderbuss ?
15 . —Now , nothing could be more foolish than this fellow ' s meddling with the Star accounts , and for this very reason , because it only induces me to look ' more minutely into them ; and now I pray your best attention to the following fact . Up to June , 1839 , the Star accounts were kept by a practical accountant , and , observe , this was nearly two years of its most trying necessity ; and next week I will publish for you the balances , as they appear in the cash book , from the beginning to that date , showing a large balance at the close of each month- . due to me , and not a single figure altered . I will also show you
the entries of monies acknowledged to be paid by Mr O'Connor to the account Of the Star ; and this gentleman , who had been thirty-five years in a most extensive mercantile house in the City , was sent adrift by Messrs Ardill and Hobson , because he kept the accounts too well and from the very day that he leaves—when the circulation is largest—every figure in the cash book is altered , and in thirteen months 1 lose my lalance , and owe 2 , 345 /!! " Now , Timkins , figures is figures , but not immovable , I am sorry to say , Timkins ; dates is dates ; Timkins , and Pacts are chlels that wlnna ding , An ' caana be refuted . "
But it is a curious circumstance that the proprietor of a money-making newspaper should be the only person connected with it that was always in distress , while the paupers who have been transformed into capitalists have been the greatest , indeed , the only gainers . 16 . —Oh ! Holy Moses ! I received several letters from Huddersfield , where Josh , was best known , and from Barnsley , where I originally intended starting the Star , cautioning me against having anything to do with Josh . 17 . —The money , without a second application , * was paid for the machine , and what could Mr Coupland learn about me J May not
even the most trifling affair be wrapped up in mystery by a disappointed splenetic rascal , whose glory and boast is , that he is "AS GOOD A HATER AS COBBETT ; " that I have heard him repeat over a thousand times . 18 . —This is not even a lie with a circumstance—it ' s a palpable lie—an unmitigated lie . I took Messrs Ainsworth and Halliday , fwho knew me long and knew me well , and who were on my election committee in 1835 , ) from Oldham to tbe Stamp-office at Leeds , and , to the best of my opinion , neither of those gentlemen had ever set eyes upon Mr Joshua Hobson until that day . Now , what must this fellow think of himself , or what must the public think of him ?
19 . —Was I wrong in christening friend John " The Lucky Boy ? " There was an Irish Jockey who seldom lost a race—he'd spit ^ in his adversary ' s eye , cross him or jostle him , bu t could not draw his money out of declining clubs , or watch the turn of the market , nor was he a calculator of figures , or of anything but a horse ' s speed , and they christened him "The Lucky Boy . " Now just read this nineteenth proposition , by which . it appears John gave his days to Hobson and his ni g hts
to me , and by an arrangement on the " community principle , " by which the expense of insurance , coals , gas , and partly rent , fell upon me , "The Lucky Boy" was enabled , while receiving 1001 . from me for his whole service , to put by the whole of that , by an arrangement made with his host Josh . 'Fore Gad , but this Josh , has been a very hospitable fellow at my expense ; all I know is , that I put by nothing , and when Cleave ' s case is disposed of I shall have to refresh the host ' s memory with a grateful return he received from his
guest . 20 . —Now , follow me through the inextricable Jabyiinih into which this incomprehensible ass has plunged himself . I was tried at York , I think , on the 17 th of March—that was my second tr ial-after the trial I left for London / thence I repaired to Liverpool , where I was to be tried again in April ; after the Liverpool trial I repaired to Londwi , thence to Hastingswherefrom rowing without mv
, , coat , I got an inflammation on ray lungs , and was on my baffK for a week or ten days , and , in consequence of which , the judgment passed by the Queen's Bench upon-me was postponed for ten days or a ; fortnight . From thence 1 was taken to the Queen ' s Bench , and thence to York Castle . I didn ' t receive 4001 . nor 40 / ,, nor , on my soul I believe , a fr action , nor did I try , foam any agent connected
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* iw tie Northern Star , nor had I time to traverse' ^ Lancashire and Yorkshire . Now iwhat doyou W » nk of this gabey ? He thinks •^ th She ^ dah , "Thata lieisas good as the truth as Iong . as it lasts ^ ' .: Q 21 . —Now for a finisher ; In October , 18 J 9 , ^ lif / e w asa large bill diie to Messrs Wrkley « nd Go ., for paper ^ as the . winding up of my "ansaotion : * # »* that house , and to procure ^^! °# ^ et ^ billm orderthat the Star BE
. , , t ^ W % P ? < WJW , I went to 1 | S ^ W Pctob ^ -18 39- ; thrashed out my whjoje-harvest , lei' my dairies ^ dairymen $ 38 * 2 $ * cent ; under the value , m » n condi-« onreceiving ready money ' soH ebrn / po-% * ?> M > stocfc came to Manchester thejrery day the bill was due , paid « Re money to Messrs tfngley out of m ' ownjBroperiy , ot ' ¦ the fractionof
n giving > a ; farthftg ; from t ^ hfeM ^ , ; aiid this ; rdid ; Se « auBe I-was to be caltagnp ' ilM' > judgment m ^ dvemb ' erv ; 1839 , # r ; th £ ro $ » cHf " guiltyf found against meat 'Y ^ r i ^ :. | fi ! ly ^ l 839 . AniiH before I wen « into Y ^| 5 ^ Im 0 n ; Mr ^^ wa ^^ n ^^ llft'hb : wasihe ^ r ^ ve ^ e ^ toa ^ iouw , aiitilaj ^^ up to thai ^ rjod ' . with ! him ; andyyt , by the ¦ settJement ombv accounts , when l ? came out of York
jj ^ fe pt ^ pold ^ 4 ^ 07 . when I was put in therei ; ' s ; . ¦ i ' . 2 & t-t have shown , as far as the * , account are concerned , or , rather , I shall distinctly show from figures , next week , that during the time that Mr Williams was my clerk / upto June . 1839 > there was always a large balance in my favour at the end of' each month , wmle there ' s not a single entry in the cash book of one fraction advanced by Ardill , or Hobson , or any man living but myself ? In very ' truthit
was in constant jeopardy , "from , the very first hour ^ of this gentleman ' s connection with it , and from the hour that I got rid of my staff to the present hour the Star has . been a profitable property , and , I think that this is the fitting place to offer a comment or two upon the general management of the ' Star from the week that it came to London till the week that Messrs Ardill and Hobson left the establishment , and from that week to the present .
The leaders will remember that the deliver ) was late , four weeks in five ; they will remember the same page being printed twice over in the same number ; they will remember the four and five column leaders of rubbish about Odd Fellows , the Grey Family . Tulips , and other subjects—leaders written at the hour when the paper should be at press , Mr Hobson sitting between Cobbett ' s Register and the Times newspaper for the week , making a hash of the past and present , and then spicing it to the amount of 4 Z . odd in one week . charged for editorial corrections , additions , and alterations , and not
unfrequently . from Zl . to 8 i . paid by the printer for late postage of the papers . Such was the management of the Star under those gentlemen , all my servants going weekly without their wages , receiving IO U's from Mr ArdiU ; while , again , in April 1845 , it appeared that I owed this gentleman a further sum of between 700 / . and 1 , 000 / ., and for 500 / ., of which he preferred my editor ' s security to my own , or rather requested him as joint security , his library being valued at 600 / . or 700 / . ; and from that h 0 ur ,, till I got rid of him , he received every fraction of the money due by the agents ,
and I did not receive 50 / . from that day till I got rid of him ; which was eight or nine months , and when he left me , as the books show , he had to pay ; me a balance of 8 ? ., after receiving all the money ; and when I w ( impressed , wrote to Mr Hey wood of Manchester not to advance me a farthing . This , the whole case , I submitted to counsel , along with my books and the agreement , and 1 read counsel ' s opinion for . Mr Ardill , in . presence of my nephew and Mr M'Gowan , and which , I believe , induced Mr Ardill to settle . A copy of that opinion is at the service of the Manchester Examiner , but
I did not act upon it , and I also transmitted a copy of the case and opinion to Mr Ardill . Now , since those gentlemen left , the Star has been a different paper—the delivery has rarel y been late , the servants have never left the office on Saturday without their full wages , nor has there been a dispute or an angry word spoken at the office . But ,, while upon this branch of the subject , let me turn it to the more material , the more glorious purpose , —to the purpose of convincing the world how , inthe midst of these trying circumstances , with thousands of the Land money in my possession from April , 1845 , to Christmas , of the
same year , I was giving this man security , and borrowing money rather than touch a fraction of that which had been committed to my trust . Is that an answer for you , ruffian ? Or have you a swallow large enough to gulp that ? ' 23 . —I was ousted by an election committee in July , 1835 , and let the ruffian write to Messrs Yates and Turner , who were my solicitors then , and have been ever since , and ask them whether ever ousted member' paid the whole costs so promptly as I ( lid ; or if I Owed them a fraction in 1836 , much more in 1837 , ' 38 , or ' 39 . And now , as to the tailors' and shoemakers' hills that came to the office from
Ireland and London : —the day I started the Star , I didn't owe 100 / . in the world , nor half the money . But , if this fellow doesn't know what became of the money , I do . 24 . —I did write an apology to John Ardill at that date , and offered to pay for its insertion in the Leeds Mercury and in the Star "' : and I received a letter in answer from John -Ardill , saying that the apology was more insulting , than the libel , and one from his solicitor , stating ; 'Mr Ardill ' s readiness to submit the accounts to arbitration . I then wrote another apology , ' again offering to pay for its insertion , but'it never was published ; and I wrote that apbiogy upon the grounds that , for the first
tiniey 1 understood Mr Ardill was willing to sutftr . it the accounts to arbitration , and to go fairly into them , thus leaving the field clear of prejudice for all parties . I then pat the affair ^ nto ^ Mr Roberts ' s hands , when Mr Ardill appointed Joshua Hobson , of Leeds , ACCOUNTANT , ( bless the mark 1 ) as arbitrator upon his par ^ and i appointed a gentleman upon my part , objecting to Mr Hobson , under any circumstances , as well from incompetency as malevolence . It was then proposed to submit the accounts to Mr Richard Oastler , and to this 1 acquiesced ; but I am now resolved , as soon as Cleave ' s case is over , to submit them to a court of justice .
As to William Rider ' s slander and libel—as it is called—there > yas much of it I never heard before , and be stated his willingness to take his oath as to the correctness of his every assertion . I have now . answered those several propositions , and I ' ll make a flying commentary upon matters that are mixed up with the " Lucky Boy ' s" interesting biography . With regard to Mr Bower , who supplied the type—1 never was sued by him ; I never saw the man three times
in my life . I never had an angry word with him or a dispute ; but I'll tell you what happened . Josh , purchased 500 / . worth of printing materials upon my account , and on my return to London , I mentioned the amount—being wholly ignorant of the matter myself—to a person who had been connected with the printing department of the True Sun newspaper , when he opened his eyes and said , "Good God , sir , for a weekly newspaper ? ' ' I replied , " Yes . " " Impossible , sir , he answered . However , I paid it , and Very shortly
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after Josh ' ., who borrowed 10 / . to bring him to Leeds , started a-splendid , printing establishment and , ( wridus to 6 ay , ' anIinMy ^ nsft quantity of type called Long Primer , useful to printers , and which was only used for the Star up to the 9 th of March , 1838 , ( four months after its establishment ) vanished from my side of the street to Josh . ' s . side of the street . In J # Hi > , I think , f made him a present of a print & ljsf press thatj as welfasl remember , cost me lOOguineasv When I' wanted to purchase new type for ' , the ' Star , I made a contract myself , and purchased ' more ' than" eno % h for Ml . And this bill ! of
Fswerfs does no * include CASES , and many otKer things whkfc ' Josh , ordered in Bradford , Charging me ISsi . fiaVfor going ! here ( ten mifesi ( com Xeeds . ) And here , as- a stopper and m extimjiifeber to the © ft-repeateij assertion , that I had written laudatory letters- of both ^ Hobsori and A » dirH , my answerifr-and . ittoifmsher—that I was B »* aware of their doings " , mrtil ^ ' thev left me , anfJuTtflil , for the tost time ^ l got ho ' hLof my own » ot * s . And here , I may eSserve ^ at I never eouM tell how . I stood , . heeaase ndt > a
column waeadded up uhtilshortlytefore Ardill left me . And as to ! the bother ttIwu < f mv engaging'Joh f ^ rdill , the fact is this-rMeame to the office the- first night the , Siar w »» printed--without my «^ ging r hiin , at all ) and rewaiped there till the efosex and - I ; jStf not er ^ f ^ him till-some timerif $ r the Stjifc wa ^ estab ^ fiftpd-r he engaged . hharelf , and thiff & ct I am afile to prove from the- variance of one * word in a sentence published by Hobson in last Saturday ' s F-romM-er—that ia , the Exatnimn of the B 3 » h— asA from which I undertake to convict hii » of
a ' piece of monstrous villany , such as the greatest fiend wc-uhJ blush at . To conclude my observations tspon Hobsea ' s letter in the Examiner . of the 6 th of November , I must only say , that I wish him extreme joy , if he is still proud of his connexion with Mr Ardilhafter reading his two ' community' letters published iri the Star of the 6 thinst ^ and J shall now proceed to remark upon one single piece of villany practised by Mr Hobson in the Ese aminer of last Saturday . He says : — in
I . am obliged to a corm ^ ondent last Tuesday ' s Ex amintr for setting mo on the eccnt of a pamphlet published by Mr jO'Connor himself , at the latter end of 1813 , entitled , « Reply to Mr Hill's Scsbbari / In it I find much that will bt useful in the way of corroboration f my statements . Vor the present I epntsot myself with the extracts that correspondent gave . Thty fatty Uar m out—and expose the xh a Vb who could write tfett as he did , knowing the facts to be untrue ; or who could say and write now as he does , knowing the fasts formerly put fsrth to be true . It is necessary to remark that it it to Mr Bill that O'Connor is writing in the following extracts : —
' 4 fr Ardill , who bag bsen in my employment sines tbe Ntrthern Star commenced , had « otn « " woney . o / Mi own unemployed , and which he kindly l # » t to some friends who could make use of it ; you among the number , lnpreces * of time Mr Ardill entered into some extensive speculations of his own . He purchased a plot of ground and some buildings , and erected about fourteen good dwelling houses as well : he took a large farm and stocked it , » nd furnished his home . Ha also entered into tbe cardmaking business , purchasing tbe requWte machinery . These speculations absorbed all bis capital , and made it necessary for him to call in what was in the hands of his friends ; jours among the rest . Ton know that he gave
you notice to that effect ; and you know that you were unable to meet his demands . What was your case , was also tbe case With others . And there was Mr Ardill , Vil / t pUntg ofme-net ) tfhUoum , locked up in your hands and in tbe bands of others , but yet unable to meet tail own demands , and the demands that I had upon him , —Reply lo SiWi' SeaUard , ' pagtU . Now , then , prepare your ears for the exposure of the blackest piece of villany , ever practised by mortal man . The portion of mv pamphlet written to Mr Hill in 1843 , to which the above paragraph refers , was in consequence of an assertion made by him that he had been a party to procure a loan of 300 Z . for me , from the Rev . Mr Scholefield , and that John Ardill had also been a party to the same transaction
and never having heard a sentence of it , as soon as I read Mr Hill ' s pamphlet , I instantly enclosed it to Ardill and Hobson for explanation . And now mark the source from whence this supposed laudation of John Ardill by me came . Here I print from the manuscript of Joshua Hobson himself , attested by a number of creditable witnesses , the very matter which he charges me with having written , and which he thanks a correspondent for having sent ! I give you it unaltered , together with his letter accompanying it , and while it stamps him as a rascal , you may also cull some perfumed words from this sentimental writer , who repudiates the use of vulgar language . Here is the
letter—Leeds , Monday ni ght , Jany . 12 , 1844 . Dear Sir , —Enclosed you have Ardill ' s answer to Mr Hill ' s attack upon him . The first is as though it was from your pen , we thinking it would be more forcible in that shape ; and the reply to the second edition , is in the first person , from Ardill himself . Of course you can make what other comments , on either head , you please . Here you have the facts— * . * * Here is the manuscript from which Hobson ' s quotation is taken ' — ,
I now approach your last " fact ; your " one fact more . " And here I must confess my utter want of words to describe y our meanness ; your unparalleled baseness , treachery , and infamy . These are far beyond all that I ever conceived of , much more met with in actual life , But we will first have your own words ; and damning and damnable words they are . Here is your "fact . " * * * When I read your " fact , " I was amazed . You know that every word of it , every scintilla of it , was perfect news to me ; roc know that of the transaction which you .
have thus cooked-tip for me , I was entirely , utterly , absolutely ignorant . Yorj know that to me it was a perfect blank ; for you knew that I had been purposely kept igiior rant of the Hide foundation even tha ^ you had for your " fine story . " It was natural , therefore , that I should inquire , and endeavour to learn what "it was all about . " I have inquired ; and found to my sorrow that the transaction , proves you to ' be the veriest Jiascal—tb & most ungrateful and incomprehensible scoundrel on earth .
The "facts" are as follow : —That , Mr Ardill , who has been in my employ almost ever since the Korihem Shr commenced , had some money of his own unemployed , and which he kindl y lent to some of his friends who could make use of it , you amongst the number . 1 $ process of time , Mr . Ardill entered into spallations , of his own . He purchased a plot of ground , and some buildings , and h >> erected some fourteen \
dwelling ^ more . He also entered into the card-malnng business , purchasing for that purpose the requisite machinery . These speculations « absorbed " his capita ] , and made ^ it necessary for him to draw-in what was in the hands of his friends , ' y din ' s amongst t je rest . You know that be gave yon notice to thai effect ; and you know that you was unable to comply with his demand . What was your -case , was the case with others ; and there . Mr . Ardill
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^ i ^ itft ^ fen ^ offal ^ lockrtfrnpi {» your ( hands and in the hands -of oihera ) : hut yet unable to meet bjs owtt dehwtfdg > Miiid- the demandsthat I had on him ; , It therefore became a serious questroh ; w | tK , hh ^ # hW ^ h ^ suited witli you ? an ^ . an 6 ilie ^\ mutual- | wend . By all three it was deemed the most advisable course , to open a banking account
ioR Mr . ' -ArpuV so that . money : could be wocured from thence , till ; Mr . -Ardill [ cpiiWget his own out of the bands pf Ins ^ ends . Itwas at that ; ' conference that wWds were » used by Mr . Ardill , which you haVe twisied ' si ) horribly to bear against mp . Mr -Ardill explained that his affairs had come to such a pass , that if he had not help , ( rm . somewhere he must slop . Her said" ! must either force the payment of
the roonMue to me , or sell my property , to enable rae to meet the engagements / am bound to matyif this acconnt with tbe bank cannot be pfovu $ e &' , '' wd [ he forth ** ' explained . ' .--that if' -Hwb aeeount could be opened , he would ! no « -press those who had fiw money for ttaym « nty &» fr allow therm to * retain it to a taorecoavenieiMf season— $ w d'Mn 0 t the rest . \ Ffi » ' get this bsaking- account ! ,. a security rof ' same three . buadi-fedp ^ unds ^ Wts wanted - Ife wasvarranged tU & t . you » sdiould apply toai ' Meisd ; you namsfd .- Youi went * lor that piljigosev You hsrli to gtv ' several- ' times . iMore - the matter was closed ! . you : were dis *
cimqf . a . Jrom the ineri . Toxt ^ once aftftiPi'this , telling M ~ f ^ AVdi ^ i tliat wiy conductf towards you j ^ stf ) made ' iio difference in your Mendship forh 4 ra ;; aweMthat if you Iwruiaj serve ^ fm : ^ ap 4-j !^ sel ( ' ^;^ i ^ wonId . Mti ^ ifiiuif 0 l 0 ^ Yo « i ai $ notf prevail on your irftmd' to ' - 'give thrsecurity : asked for . You ' VSsmihdlihat sewmly . was '^ rocured by anoMterpmon ; and yioui-knoiralso that that fac & msdi & no differerwein" Mr . Ardill ' s conduct towards you . % allowed * you to retain raoneyyou had iff'your-bandsbelonging t 0 > bin » . ¦ " *
Now youiwell know thaiftrfI the entire of this transaetiou I was profoundly-igaorant ^ and purposely kept so . " 5 * V > u '; kncKv that you , yoursdji explained to'the-gentlemenv you asked to-give security that-1 did not know of it ; aaulyoueven requestedlim not to tell mk- You know that the account was opened-at ? another and atdifferent bank from that williiwhich I dealb- Yon know
that the . necessity for it arose ^ as ? . ab ovestated , and that with that necessity . I had nothing to do * . You know that it was solely to accowimodate Mr . Ardill and YOunsKLF , thatiyou went all yoavjournies , and took all your pains , ( and ; which , bythe-by , Mr Ardill paid you for ) j 5 ; £ md novr you would represent that the necessity was " mine ; and that you'liad endeavoured to do > the favour for www Out upon you ! you Rev . rascal !
The infamy off this affair consists in the attempt to rtjiw other parties—and parties too who have beffiended you—to get at me t to ruin them by * blasting litem credit . Your purpose was * to alarm the bank Mr . Ardill deals with ;; to alarm his security ; to get them to close-upon him , in the faint hope that their doiiig that might' possibl y reach me ! Commend me for grhjtitode
and devilism to & "Parson , " whether Snofc or "legitimate . "" [ We , the undersigned , have compared the abovo extract with the MSS . from which it has been printed , and being , well acquainted with- ' the handwriting of Mr Joshua Hobson ,. certify that the MSS . was written by . him , and that this extract is a verbatim copy . 1 G . J . Hmwkt . '¦ ' W . RiPKn ;' D . M'Gotok .
Now , my friends , need I say more . li Have I not fully exposedi" the knave who would write then as he did , knowing the facts toohe untrue , or wh » could say and write Nowvaahe does , knowing the fauts- formerly put forth to be true V Just allow me-to ask you , whaftt the nio ^ t degraded wretohi living must now think of Hobson ; he writes a letter for me * , in 1844 , of his and Ardill ' s-co ; icoction , ahout « itfn affair of which I was purposely kept ignouant , and ia 1847 he quotes the most savage and crushing ;
extract from this , his own letter , ? b though it was written by me , but read Hobson ' s note of the 12 th January , 1844 , in whichu the manuscript from which the above is printed was enclosed , and say if a more cunning rascal lives . Also , mark the strong evidence it affords againsb the possibility of Ardjll advancing money for-me ; he speaks QE HIS LIABILITIES ' 1 MB , and tells you > how all his capital was ABSORBED in speculations ; and always bear in mind that Hobson writes the above as ABJi & L'S ANSWER TO HILL . Perhaps there never appeared ) in print a
mure complete-conviction of aaaccuser ; yet , as I am resolvedi . to leave no pattt of this whole subject unuaveiled , I promise youta finish ol this affair in next week ' s Stab , and with which I close , and . in that I will not only , analyse everyone of this fellow ' s last assertions , but 1 will Convict him ,, oat of his own , * mouth , of high crimes and misdemeanours , and offences ; and I promise him a revelation for , which he is but little prepared . I have re & aked numerous letters , about other cunnieg . backers of this fellow at Huddersfield , whose Emigration Schema- I spoilt , and who ,, had much better mind their own affairs . There are a good
MANY GOODDIES I & AND FROM HUMXERSFIELD , win , have done their little- befits but I wish thieavjioy . I promise you that there- shall be no mor & ofrthis . inj your paper , asJishol finish all next week , an $ it has been myv piad © that , since I dismissed ! my staff the . " " -SiAs , has ' . ceased to . be-, a receptacle £ orfthe abuse of disappointed ! men . You will ] observe that I havegiv . eni naore of Hobsan ' s . andi Ardill ' s reply to Hilt fclsan Hobson a < js . puMished from the ? pamphiet ; and you . wiUi also see that its auT theatifiity is vouched ; b « Mr Harney , HJ & sub- ^ itor , MrRida ^ -HliSiderk , and Messrs . M'Qowan , printers ^/' l & lteon ' s articles .
lihaveyettenfaliQs , of . the joint production : ftf Ardill and Huhson ,, take manuscript from wfotchmyreplyto . HilJi was printed , aad . U ' I \ haven ' t been as good , as . Bay word , when I- premised Josh , a tt ^ us . tiiak he wouldn ' t sw « U (> w , ! no pledge has ever . e * en redeemed ^ Lno . w iieave this filthy h , e , isi in his filthy mire , I ¦ have convict adihim eat of his own mouth , for i-MINE mm \ HATH WRKTOS A \ oUOK . I remain , . » | Your SiHhful i aad unassailable . Mend , I " Feaugus *> ' . QOtf . K . © K .
P . S . —iNqwi , mjjf friends , you must see tlie tax that th ^ . exiioswfe of such villanyimposes upon both ^ ou , an ^ iae—it monopolises my time , which , may bft more proStahb / employed for you and- it imposes no small amount oi trouble im » hime . i » tl , therefore , h ^ ung no » r finished Temi Ba ^ ey , the . " Whis ^ pr , " and Hobson , shall l ^ ave them to your tender morales after next week to AeiJt with them
as you think they tfcserve . It is now nea « y ^ ree ° ' cl ° clc Monday , and at half , past four'I am abewit to stavt for' Liverpool with Mr Doyle ttx purchase thirty spanking horses at a bankrupt ' s , sale , to work for weavers , and tiufors , aud operatives , and then I shan't have enough \ What will Tom Bailey say to that ? I sit up all this night travelliugto Liverpool , I sit up all to-morrow night , travelling from Liverpool to London ; and on Thursday , I take , my seat in the Senate House of the Nation , f . Q'Q ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 20, 1847, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_20111847/page/1/
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