On this page

• Text (5)

  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.

  • 

    "" hut THE NQ-R. THEBN STAR ¦ °' ""«• A ...

  • 

    O'BRIEN, ASHTON, MOSELEY, AND HILL. A Wk...

  • 

    fulfil his promise. He was at this time ...

  • 

    " O'BmeN, what infernal traitors! I neve...

  • 

    THE DESTROYER OF FROST DISCOVERED. " A p...

• Transcript

  • 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.

    "" Hut The Nq-R. Thebn Star ¦ °' ""«• A ...

    THE _NQ-R . THEBN STAR ¦ _"" ° _"" «• A — - —— - _——^~ _- _^————————~ _- _——~* f _^^^ _^ s _^' _^ " _~ _~ _^^^^^^ _^^^^^^^^^ . — " - —¦ - . T- —

    O'Brien, Ashton, Moseley, And Hill. A Wk...

    O'BRIEN , ASHTON , MOSELEY , AND HILL . A _WkWETtZ _TS A SOW TVSE . f _^ SSk _^ _A _^ l' _^ «*" by Mr . O'Brien : — t . _™« _Wodev I * eds , writes to say , he has had _Oie _j _^^ _-Bendishchargesraooath _^ _hemg _aGo-^^^ t _^ _and barmg recrired _STS _forinsUgatmg fhe l _^ X Toi -dfhJ _^ _rxnmgasahxst ftem _. brought bdL the Leeds Town Council , by letter , which was read to the conndl in the presence of Mr . Hobson , one of his _Wdneersand one of tbe councillors then sitting , and

    , thatthe subject is to come before them again in May . Meanwhile his character having grievously suffered in toe estimation of many who "fcnow him not , as also his -fansiness , and _harinjr no funds to prosecute his tradncers , being apoor man , hewrites to-request that we will publish the annexed letter from Mr . Wm . Ashton , of Barnslev thatthe pnblic may know the real character of his principal accuser , and may be thereby induced to suspend Iheir judgment , till O'Connor has given him the opportunity he has hitherto , in -rain , demanded , to vindicate his character . O'Connor ' s character is dear to many , because he is a great man and an aristocrat- Jfosley's character is dear tons , because he is onr friend , and

    because , though poor , he is , what his traducers are not , an honest man and a true Chartist Had Mosley not been a friend of ours , Ms malignant traducers would not have drawn upon their invention . But they shall not crush "bha , "because he is poor and honest . Br . John Taylor was sent to a premature grave . Deegan never raised his lead after "his character was assassinated . The best of the good—the most amiable and upright of mortalspoor John Duncan was driven to madness and a torturing death . Watkins was nearly starred and brought to the

    -brink of eternity . Macartney had an almost miraculous escape from the ruin of himself and entire family . After unheard-of sufferings , the writer of this saw his house "broken up , his family dispersed , and his beloved wife driven into a consnmption _. by the same murderous system of calumny and persecution wliich destroyed the others . But come weal , come woe , Mosley shall not be added to the list of _Tictjms _, becauscheis guilty of independence , and of being our friend . At all events , he shall not be out of the means of defence and retaliation while we can give it to him . Talk not to us ofthe interests of the National

    Reformcrm a case like this . Perish 500 , 5 , 000 , o _. _. Reformers , if they must perish , because a deceived people will bave their best , their truest friends immolated to appease a ruthless idol who traffics in the miseries he creates . Yes , we will publish Ashton's letter , and let O'Connor answer it if he will . He , at all events , cannot consistently complain of the publication . In the two following letters he has thc names of thc men who accuse him , and he knows where they are to be found . And when he lately published an anonymous private letter , impeaching M'Douall , did he not lay it down that it was for M'DouaH ' s interest that the anonymous thing should be made public , in order that M'Donall might know all about it , and have the opportunity to defend himself ! Well , if publicity was good for M'Donall , it must be good

    for O'Connor . But , unlike O'Connor , we require accusers to pat their names to their accusations before we suffer them to appear in print . Let the man who would d—n Mosley on the strength of the Star ' s accusations remember , that the victim has dared the accusers to the proof , and that they have not met them . And let them read Ashton's letter , and remembering that the subject of it is tbe same man who , in August , 1842 , pledged himself , with _, his colleagues , to extend the strike with all his means , instead of _redeeming his pledge , did instantly , after his dopes were committed , wheel round and denounce as traitors and tools of the Anti-Corn Law League , the men with whom he had pledged himself , by a resolution of the

    Conference , to head his constituents in extending the strike—thus placing them between the fury of the people and of the authorities , at the same time—just calling this to mind _. Iet them then ask themselves whether Moslej's character and means of living- should suffer by the unproved accusations of such a man . Bnt , enough . Never again shall we mention the man ' s name , unless he gives us fresh cause to vindicate onr own or our friends' reputation . It would he an act of mercy to take the Trades' Unionists out of his bands before he has dished the cause , as he has done that of Chartism . "With a view to that end , as much as to -vindicate poor Mosley , do we publish the annexed letters .

    "Barnsley , March 30 , 1845 . "Bear _Mosunr , —I have been waiting with very great anxiety for yesterdays Star , expecting , of course , that O'Connor and Co . would completely annihilate yon . But , behold ! not a word in fulfilment of their promised dreadful revelations . What can this be owing to ? Have they not yet raked up sufficient lies afl'l ira * y t 0 suit " tneir malignant disposition ! or hare their base souls recoiled at their own villany ! and , therefore , will they make amends for the . wrong they have already done you ! I -think not ; for I solemnly believe that O'Connor would , without pity or remorse , sacrifice thousands of our best men , rather than be stopped in his career , of dictatorship and vanity . Look at the life of this . Joan ; see the scores that he has already ruined . _SjaU , his insatiable soul is not glutted ; he jet pants for fresh -rictims , —witness bis attempts upon poor O'Brien and yonrscif I To this man ,

    Mosley , I attaottte the death of Ilolberry and Clayton , and the banishment of -frost and his companions , with the death of Shell , and the restat Newport , I will , in as few words as possible , give yon my reasons for the above . " In 1 S _39 , just "before tiie breaking np of the Convention , 2 was in London . I then became acquainted with the contemplated rising in England and Wales . The Convention broke up on the Friday , and that night F , B , T _ . , B , 4 c , pledged themselves to make an attempt to alter affairs , by a rising in arms of -fhe people . The main feature in this agreement was , that should they not be able to get the people out , they were to call a private meeting of each other , in London . In fhe event of nossch meeting being required , atthe expiration of four weeks , by any one Of the partisans , it was then to be deemed as finally settled that the rising should take -place on the 3 rd of November .

    "I left London with Bossy , and , before I parted with him , in Leeds , I learned , from his propositions to me , that he had not the son ! to carry ont his engagements with his confederates , and I became convinced that they would be Gold . I was , at that time , afraid ofbeing apprehended for what I afterwards suffered _tao years * imprisonment and a few days after I parted with Bussy , and went with my wife to France . The then Editor of the Star , Mr . Hill , accompanied me to Hull , during which time I communicated to him the whole affair ; at the same time I strongly urged him to inform O'Connor of my suspicions , in order that he might apprise Frost of his danger . This he promised to do . On my return from France the Newport affair had occurred , and the whole of my suspicions were confirmed . I instantly waited upon O'Connor , at Ms residence , at Hammersmith . I asked him why he had not attempted to save Frost , upon the information he "had received from Mr . HflL He denied having heard about the affair until it had _occurred . I was not then in

    a position to say tothe contrary , as I had not had any communication with Mr . HH _1 on . the subject . However , on my arrival in Leeds , in February following , I waited upon Mr . HOI , at his house in Bedford-street , when be solemnly assured me , that he had communicated the whole affair to O'Connor , four or five days after parting with me at Hull , at the Boll and Month Inn , in Leeds . George 'White went with me afterwards to Mr . Hill , upon this subject , when be again repeated his former solemn assurance , and added , that Mr . O'Connor started for Ireland soon afterwards , where he remained until the _KewportaSairwasover . Now Mosley , isitnotevident , from the above plain narration of facts , that O'Connor wished Frost to be sold ! "Wh y would he wish such ? yon may ask . Because Frost was his rival in popularity ;

    therefore he went to Ireland to be out of harm ' s way , whilst some of the best of men were cold-bloodily sacrificed . Then witness the effrontery of this modern Juggernaut , in pretendingtobepoorFrost _' sfriend ! Seehisboastingabont bis sacrifices and friendship for the man he had quietly allowed to be sold , and others slaughtered . This dark deed of villany was a fiendish stroke of policy . His rival was removed , and by his unbounded sympathy for him , he thought he would become the demigod of popularity . Ah ! Mosley , poor Frost is well aware of O'Connor's villany in this affair , hence he never acknowledges him with aline from that land of wretchedness and woe . 1 can scarcely restrain my feelings when I come to think of this affair—even this moment I am -nearly blind with tears ; let me indulge in them . It is no shame to weep

    for the fall and sufferings of such men as Frost and his companions . "What would I not risk to restore them to the blessings of freedom and the happiness of domestic hliss ! I have ; once or twice , endangered liberty , jf not life , on their account . I would again ; but , enough of this , let us return to O'Connor . Whilst he was in London , previous to the Monmouth trials , a second Convention assembled . The object of these men was to devise , if possible , some means of saving the lives of Frost and the other brave men , in the event of their conviction . I was in London at the time , and regularly attended their sittings—aye , their sittings ! both atthe Arundel Coffeehouse , and over in the borough of Southwark . O'Connor was elected a member of this Convention , but never once

    attended to Ins duty . The reason of this was , those men were sent on a hazardous enterprise . However , a deputation waited upon him , at the Tavistock Hotel , from this Convention , to receive his advice . Mr . Geacb , Frost's son-in-law , was with him at the time . He told the deputation that , should Frost and the others be convicted , and their lives endangered , he would place himself at tbe head ofthe people of England , andkaveab y r a to save them . Geach said that he would head the people of Wales ; and added , that he had twelve men out in Wales who could speak the Welsh language and prepare the people for the event . Both of them impressed upon the deputation the necessity of the people being prepared . The deputation gave in their report to the C invention , at their secret meeting in Southwark . I was present .

    " At this time there was assembled , in Dewsbury , a large delegate meeting , for the North of England , for the same purpose as the Convention . A messenger was despatched , per railway , from this delegate meeting to ascertain the determination of the Convention and O'Connor . This messenger wassent back with word thatthe Convention were _determined to hare" a rising to save the _Sewportvictims , and thatO'Connor had solemnly pledged hanself to head them , and Geach the Welsh people . In afew days the _isamemessenger retained , with _tfaeinfor-* _£ _*« n that the delegate meeting had come to fhe same _m _^ _f _^ _X _*** **¦*** - - _^ Convention _scWloclli _^ _**? T hmnediatdy to return to the * several locahues , and O'Connor was to be requested **

    Fulfil His Promise. He Was At This Time ...

    fulfil his promise . He was at this time in Monmouth . He had , the same _' day , sent an order upon John Cleave for £ 25 ' to assist the Convention in any measure they might adopt . A member of the Convention , who lives in London , was immediately despatched for O'Connor . The leading men in London were apprised of the intended _muiftwith O'Connor ' s and Geach ' s promise , and they were requested to adopt some means of occupying the attention of Government . Hence the meeting at the Trades ' -hall _, Bethnal-green , and the rush upon that meeting by the armed police force , and the apprehension of a number of then . At this time the members of the Convention had returned to the country to bring the people out . I had done the same , having received a request

    from the delegate meeting to that effect . In Sheffield , on my way to Barnsley , I attended the secret meeting there , at the house of poor D— . This was on the night of the llth . Poor Holberry gave me # * * * for the next night * b work . They all spoke in high hope _^ confidence of the result , expecting a wonderful rising , on account of O'Connor ' s promise . It was expected that the Star would appear next day printed in letters of blood . But , lo , and behold ! it appeared with a denunciation of the whole plan ! This struck dismay into tens of thousands ; the whole affair was blown to atoms by that cursed paper . The same nig ht Holberry and the rest were apprehended ; and thenestweek O'Connor himself appeared in the Star denouncing his confiding dupes !

    "Now , Mosley , who do you think was the principal cause of Holberry ' s imprisonment and death ! Was it not 0 _'Connor , bystimulatingarising , andpromisingtoheadit « Did not these men and myself place confidence in him ? and had we not all cause to curse our credulity ? Did he not basely betray and denounce us ! Conld O'Connor have heard onr bitter curses , when assembled , after our sentences , in York Castle , be would then have learned who was the cause of our misfortunes . But it's over _. Some have sunk into their graves , others are still in earthly miseries , and O'Connor is deemed , by thousands of his dupes , a patriot . He has still the power of making fresh victims ; he thirsts for the destruction of O'Brien , because he has the means of unmasking this modern Juggernaut by his paper . Down O'Brien must come , or , like Othello , O'Connor's occupation is gone .

    " As to yourself , I think both O'Connor and Hobson are in a fix . This is wonderful , for the devil himself cannot devise more base means than them to accomplish any infernal scheme they desire . "I am tired , at present , thinking about them , therefore I defer to another opportunity any further remarks . " 1 am , most sincerely yours , ic , " To Ml * . James Mosley . " Wm . Ashton . "

    THE REV . WILLIAM HILL'S LETTER . ashton ' s beyelatioss . Sib , —Thanks be to God , I am again able to resume my pen . I have been " at death ' s door" since I last wrote you , and I am still Tery weak ; but Providence has re . moved apparent danger for the present and permitted me again to hope that Imay perform some uses to society . I find , in your present week's National Reformer , a letter from William Ashton , of Barnsley , to James Mosley , of Leeds , in which my name is so introduced as to make it incumbent on me to follow it with a few observations .

    I bave long and often , from a mistaken love of peace and fear of injuring "the cause , '' permitted myself to be quietly made the scape-goat for other men ' s sins . I intend to pursue this policy no longer . So long as my name does come before the public at aU , I shall , whenever and wherever I see itneeessary , give , or seek to give , such explanations as may cause the exact truth to be known , and leave " every tub to stand on its own bottom - " I seek no more credit than is due to me ; and I think I bave suffered enough . I shall , in this matter , be as brief as possible , and confine myself solely to what is personal tome .

    The revelations contained in Ashton ' s letter about the secret meetings in London and the intended risings talked of and promised by the mouthers , do not surprise roe . They are not new to me , in outline : but they are new to me in their details . I learn now , C *;; . the first time , the eitent to which the plot _hJta been apparently organised , and the particular hart taken in it by the persons whom he names . "With one exception—or rather with one matter of explanation—I can fully confirm Ashton's statement , so far as I am concerned in it . Ashton says that lie communicated to me "the whole affair . " Now , if by thishe means all the details contained in this letter of his to Mosley , he mistakes . I was ignorant of those details till now .

    what Ashton did communicate to me ( not on the way to Hull , but at Leeds , in the office and at my own house , before going to Hull , ) was this : —that Frost was , to his certain knowledge , engaged upon a dangerous enterprise ; and that he had good means of knowing that hewas in danger of being sold by some of those with whom he was associated . He mentioned no name to me bnt that of Frost ; but he said that O'Connor knew all about it , and would perfectly understand it if I named it to him ; and he implored me to urge upon O'Connor to see to Frost without loss of time and put him on his guard , for that , if this were not done , he was certainly a lost man . I promised to state to O'Connor all that he said to me ; and I did so the very first time T saw him .

    You will see , sir , that this explanation detracts nothing from the value of Ashton's statement ; ( his statement—60 far as I have the means of knowing—is substantially true ) , but it precludes misunderstanding , as regards myself . I have always held the doctrine , and I hold it still , that the people have aright , when moral means fail , to oppose physical resistance to oppression . But I also _, hold that it should be regarded simply and only as a dernier resort—and that it should never behad recourse to without due preparation and a reasonable prospect of success . The man , sir , who would bring an undisciplined , unarmed , and altogether unprepared , starving people into collision with the systematically trained and well armed forces of the Government—or who , for any personal gratification , whether of vanity , avarice , or any other passion ,

    wonld excite and encourage them , under such circumstances , to rush npon these forces of their own accord , is either a maniac or a villain ; generally the latter : and , mostly , yon will find him to be as great a coward as a villain ; taking care of his own carcase while the victims of his treachery pay the penalty of his transgression . For such a man , sir , no epithet is too base ; no hatred too intense ; no loathing too cordial . He is a devil , fit for no society bnt that of Hell . And next to such a wretch as this , would be the man who , knowing tbat the people were being , by others , thus "led" to their destruction , should hesitate—me means being in his power—to warn them at once , and to denounce their "leaders . " Now , sir , I knew perfectly , in 1839 , that the people were not able to carry out a physical revolution ; I knew that the

    Government was amply prepared to pnt any attempt of that kind effectually down ; and I should have despised myself for a wretch , if I conld have known that such a thing was actually brewing and not bave told tbe people that they werc going to destruction . I knew , sir , not one syllable about all these secret meetings , and all this plotting among the then "leaders ofthe movement , " of which Ashton speaks . However far Mr . O'Connor may have been implicated in these matters , he was , in any case , too wise to entrust me with his dangerous secrets : he knew me too welL To me he always told a very different story ; professing his entire conviction , not only that the people were utterly unprepared for any physical outbreak , but that no sneh thing was needed , as our object could be much better and more safely effected without it . Whatever professions of a contrary character Mr . O'Connor may or may not have made to other parties and in other places , I know nothing of them . In the office and in his

    private communications with me , he always appeared cordially to accord with my opinion that the people ought to be instructed that they had a right to possess arms , that it was their duty to have them , and that they had a right , in case of extreme necessity , to use them in their own defence ; but that , in the condition they were then in , to incite them to aggressive violence would be to seal the destruction of tiie movement , and give a death-blow , for at least a long period , to every hope of good . Such was his doctrine to me ; what it might be elsewhere , amongst the people and the "leaders , " they who consorted with him best can tell ; I know nothing of it . But I know this ; that if I had been assured that he was then acting such a part as is described in Ashton ' s letter , I would have taken care that one number , at least , ofthe Northern Star thonld hare denounced him as a villain and as the people ' s worst enemy , though I might never have had the chance of doing it in another .

    I know that I got , very undeservedly , much ill-will among the Chartists of Dewsbury and other places , about tbe time that Ashton speaks of : so much so , that my life was threatened by them more than once . And , if things were as Ashton states , I am not much surprised that the poor "lads , " knowing O'Connor to be cognisant of ( and , indeed , active in _" j all these proceedings , and supposing me to he also cognisant of them , all through , should have been furious at the idea of my permitting the thing to be wrought up to a fatal head without warning them , and then coming out with a sweeping denunciation of the

    whole matter , when my denunciation was too late to serve them . If this statement of Ashton's be true ( and I _A-noio some of it to be true ) , I can then account clearly to myself for many things which at that time seemed to me inexplicable , and which gave me no little share of annoyance and _rexation . God help the poor people who have such "friends" and "leaders" as have figured prominently in the " movement" which has been cursed with the name ot Chartism ! They have dragged "their party ! " through the mire and filth and mnck at such a rate as was never "before seen in this world ; until they have actually stifled it to death in its own stink .

    Itis true , sir , that my own observation of passing circumstances sometimes raised suspicions in my mind that all wasnot right ; that there was something brewing somewhere ; and I again and again named those suspicions in the Star : I again and again warned the people against secret meetings and against spies and traitors that I suspected were among them . I could only do this in general terms ; for I had no knowledge on the matter ; it

    Fulfil His Promise. He Was At This Time ...

    was all surmise . I had no positive Knowledge ) of the things until the riots actually-tookplace . ; and .. eveiy one who then read the Star knows the tone that was instantly taken on it . Idid not know who were the agents in the plot ; ( I certainly did not then think that O'Connor had anything to do with it ; for he declared to roe that he knew nothing in the world about it ;) but I knew that be they whom they might , they were villains , or madmen , or both—for it was a work of consummate felly or villany—and , as such , I denounced both it and them ; and I have O'Connor ' s letters now by me , thanking me for the articles I then wrote in the Star , and entreating that I would not slacken in my vigilance .

    Sir , I have thought it due to my own character to make this statement . I wish it to be known that I had neither act nor part in that infamous affair ; that , as soon as I suspected it , I made my suspicions known ; and , as soon as I knew it , 1 denounced it . If my denunciation was illtimed—if it came too late—the fault was not mine ; it came as soon as I had power to make it . Upon the heads of those who concocted the rile plot be nil the blood and all the blame ; I wash my hands of it , for I am clear ! That poor Frost was betrayed and sold , I verily believe , nnd have no more doubt than I have of my own existence . 1 say not by whom ; fori don't know ; and I will assert nothing of which I am not sure . Of this I am sure , that if the people have not had enough of such "leaders" as they have heretofore trusted in , I have no hope of their

    salvation . I am , dear sir , yours faithfully , April 21 , 1845 . Wiliiam Him

    " O'Bmen, What Infernal Traitors! I Neve...

    " O'BmeN , what infernal traitors ! I never knew what the cowardly swindler sneaked off to Ireland for , —Ashton explains it ; and this , also , he explains , why a certain tool of the arch-traitor ' s was ordered to hire post-chaises to stop a movement in the West Biding of Yorkshire , which he himself declared , only the night before , to a secret meeting , could be carried out successfully , without any trouble and with little risk ; he also explains why Bussy , on one occasion , forbade a number of delegates from informing O'Connor , or any of the Star-office crew , of anything which transpired at that meeting . "Yours sincerely , in the cause of truth , justice , and liberty , "James Hoslev . "

    The Destroyer Of Frost Discovered. " A P...

    THE DESTROYER OF FROST DISCOVERED . " A plain tale is best being plainly told . " To the Chartists of the Empire , and especially TO THOSE OF GLASGOW , WHO DID NOT WAIT FOB ASSISTANCE FROM ME 10 MEET AND REFUTE THE Calumnies of Mr Traducers . My Friends , —It is not right that a public man , whose character is public property , should think solely of himself ; nor should he leave to others the performance of a task wliich properly belongs to himself—the defenceof hischaracter . Nomancanactupon the presumption that he ia above suspicion : because the moment that he is assailed he ia suspected ; and no matter by whom or by . how few , he owes the duty to the nublic of winimroff the stiftmafrom a character

    that is dear to them . I shall now presume that my twelve years' service in the democratic cause has established a love and respect . for me amongst those who believe ' me sincere , honest , devoted , faithful , and trustworthy : and that the . party to which I belong must suffer damage if I am guilty of dishonourable or treacherous practices . In . Mr . O'Brien ' s paper of the 19 th of April , he publishes a letter from William Ashton , of Barnsley , to James Mosley ,: of Leeds ; , and also a letter from the same James Mosley - to O'Brien . He does more ; he fathers the contents of the said letters . I do not complain of the publication of these letters , but I do complain of the repeated necessity imposed upon me of doing the same thing over and ' over again .

    I shall not only answer . Ashton and _Moslems lettere , hut I shall also answer the comments of Mr . O'Brien himself : and when my work , —which shall now be complete , —upon this subject shall be in the possession ofthe Chartat readers of the Northern -Star , I trust they ; will preserve it—never part with it—but treasure , it up as a proof of the dangers from which I have preserved them : as a faithful representation of the character of men with whom I have been compelled to act * , and as a caution as to whom they should trust in future . "When my narrative of the transactions referred to in this correspondence is placed before a discerning public ,: the one ; the only , the unanimous feeling to which it will give rise will be one of unmixed astonishment , that I am alive

    and honoured . The reader will see that while defending myself from mere guesses and speculative charges for many years past , that I have dealt moat delicately with the characters of men whom I knew to be traitors , lest the knowledge of their treachery should create injurious * distrust in our ranks ; while , at the same time , I have hazarded liberty , and life itself , as well as the suspicion of jealousy and ambition , to remove them from a position in wl > _J ;/ n they might haye entailed greater _danger upon our cause . I shall not only answer the lefes of Ashton and Mosley , and'the remarks of O'Brien ; but I shall also answer the letter of the Rev . W . Hill , which appeared in the last week ' s number of the National _Befemtir . And mv reply to that _eentlenian ' s epistle .

    although brief , will at once convict him of " malicious , wilful , and corrupt perjury . " In opening this business a-fresh for you , I must especially direct your attention to dates , to which my revilers Save unfortunately for themselves attached but slight importance . The Newport affair presents two distinct questions—the one the organisation of that physical outbreak of which itwas the result ; and _uie other , the subsequent agreement on the means to be resorted to for saving Frost ' s life , ih the event of an' order for his execution being issued . I shall dispose of the question of . organisation for rising in the first instance . In the 3 rd page you will find all that has comefrom O'Brien , Ashton , Mosley , and Hill , on the two subjects ; and by reading the

    letters of Ashton and Hill you will see the foolish , and insane , but hellish attempt of the parson to apply Ashton ' s revelations about " secret meetings " in December , to the organisation of the outbreak which must have been decided upon in October ' . New let me keep your minds directed to the . first point : I mean the organisation for the rising . From Ashton ' sfletter you will leam that"F , B- — , T , and B- — decided , after the Convention had broken up , tliat if no further communication tookplace between them within one month , that a rising should then take place onthe 3 rd pf November . " That there may be no mistake here , I give the paragraph from Ashton's letter . He says : — ' In 1839 , just before the breaking up ofthe Convention ,

    I was in London . I then became acquainted with the contemplated rising in England and Wales . The Convention broke up on the Friday ; and that night F } B , T , B , & c , pledged themselves to make an attempt to alter affairs , by a rising in arms of the people . The main feature in this agreement was , that they were to call aprivate meeting of each other , in London . In the event of no such meeting being required , at the expiration of four weeks , hy any one of the partisans , it was then to be deemed as finally settled that the rising should take place on the 3 rd of November . " From the time the Convention broke up , late in September , until after the riots took place , I never saw , I never heard from "F , B— , T , or

    B , " to whom this affair appears to have been entrusted . "B . " means Bussey * "T . " . means Taylor , and the other "B . " means Burns . Bussey returned to Yorkshire , and soon began to funk . Ashton was cognizant of his cowardice , and rested satisfied with communicating his suspicions to Mr . Hill in order that Mr . Hill might communicate to Frost the danger in which he stood ; and this done , the valiant Ashton , like a good soldier , starts with his wife for France , instead of cQtnm . _u-fticati'flg with Frost himself ! thusmakingsELFpcrfectly secure , and taking but little -precaution to make the friends for whorahe felt equally secure . HU 1 , by his own confession , was in possession , not only of the plot , but of the danger sure to arise to the parties concerned , through . the

    cowardice of one of their body : and yet this tenderhearted man , who takes credit to himself for having prevented the Dewsbury rising , waited for my return to Leeds to \ cmmunicate the fact to me ! and now tells us that he had no " positive proof of the intention of the parties until after the rising took place . " Mr . Hill must just follow me a bit , with the Nortliern Star newspaper in his hand . In the Northern Star of the 5 th of October , i 839 , the first notice to correspondents runs thus : " Notice . — -All communications addressed 2 _> ersonaUy to Mr ; O'Connor must remain unanswered , as he was required instantly to proceed to London , to enter into bail to receive judgment next month in the Quern ' s Bench , for the libel for which he was convicted at the York assizes . Three '

    daysnotice of bail is required , and the recognisance takenbefore a judge in chamber . " Keep that " notice" and its date before you ; and bear in mind that , to appear in thc Star of the 5 th , it must have been written , at the latest , on Thursday the 3 rd . Tliere is also a letter from me in tho Star ofthe 5 th , addressed from London , and bearing date Wednesday the 2 nd , the latest hour at which I could have written from thence for insertion in that week ' s Star . In that letter I state my intention of going to Ireland . I now refer you to the Star of the previous week ( Sept . 28 th ) , to thc leading articles , every one of which I wrote ; and as soon' as I had written them , I started for London on Thursday morning , the 26 th of September , to give bail for mv _annearancR ta re .

    _ceivc judgment in the November term . Mind , I left Leeds on the 26 th of September ; and 1 never saiv nor heard from William Hill from that day until my _retuxii from Ireland on ihe Gth of November AFTER THE WELSH OUTBREAK and Zapprehension of Frost ! When I arrived in Leeds , the news of the outbreak and arrest was in the office ; and in the conversation which I then immediately had with Mr . Hill , he told me that Ashton had communicated certain matters to him . The assertion of Mr . Hill is correct , that he mentioned to me that Ashton had desired that Frost should be put on his guard against some ofhis associates , " thefirsttimehe saw me' after such matter had been entrusted to lum by Ashton : though he has not the manliness to say when he did so "see" me . His manner of

    putting it leaves it to be inferred , that he had communicated the information in time for me to have warned Frost : while he knows , and his very manner of stating the fact proues that HE KNOWS that he never " saw" mc from the 26 th of October to the 6 th of November , between which periods the plot was entered into , and the explosion in Wales effected . This is to me an important point ; and I _willshow by facts and dates , the utter impossibility of Mr Hill ' s liaving communicated Ashton ' s information to me , until after the whole occurrence had taken place . Ashton says that the rising in arms was to take place on the 3 rd of November , if no arrangement was made fbr a meeting between the parties within a month before that time . I left Leeds on the 26 th of September , or a fortnight

    The Destroyer Of Frost Discovered. " A P...

    before the plan was . even concocted , and consequently before * Ashton could have communicated it to Mr . Hill . ' or Mr . Hill to me . The Convention did not break up , I think , until Friday ; the 20 th of September : indeed Ashton says thc Convention broke up on the Friday ; and I left Leeds on the following Thursday . Ashton remained in London for a considerable time after the Convention broke up ' . I left London forlrel and ,--having made the _necessaiy arrangements in the Court of Queen ' s Bench , —on the 4 th day of October ; and went direct from Liverpool to Dublin where I * " arrived on the 6 th day of October . I r eturned from thence on the 2 nd of November , and arrived in Leeds on the 6 th of November , pained _pnounh at the news ofthe outbreak and consequences

    at Newport . I then saw Hill , and from hmi learned as above . Ashton could not , I repeat , by possibility , have communicated the circumstances to Hill until I was in Ireland ; but he did communicate in sufficient time to have enabled Rill to have warned Frost of the imminent danger in which he was placed I Did he do this ? Did he take any step ? And , if he had communicated it to me , and if I took no step to sow Frost , was not HE bound in honour—was not HE hound m common , honesty—fo have _goxxeto Wales to have seen Frost , and to have cautioned him against the treachery ofhis confederates ? The immaculate parson leaves as much as he can

    to doubt as to the period at which he communicated Ashton ' s revelations to me . He says " that he did communicate them the very first time he saw me . " Aye , but the " smooth man" does not tell you that he did not , and could not , communicate them to mc until the thing was over ! But in the ruthless attempt to support a false witness , he does , even admitting that lie told me in time to stop it , and that I took no steps to do so ; ho does , I say , without possibility of palliation , convict himself in relation to Frost , Williams , and Jones . Here's his conviction , written by himself , not by me . He says : " what ashton did communicate to me ( not on the WAV w

    HULL , BUT AT LEEDS , IN THE OFFICE AND AT MV OWN HOUSE , BEFORE GOING TO HULL ) WAS THIS I—THAT FROST WAS , TO HIS CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE , ENGAGED UPON A DANGEROUS ENTERPRISE , AND THAT HE HAD GOOD MEANS

    OF KNOWING THAT HE WAS IN DANGER OF BEING SOLD BY SOME OF THOSE WITH WHOM HE WAS ASSOCIATED . " Here we have the admission of certain knowledge that " Frost was engaged in a dangerous enterprise , " and that "he was in danger of being sold by some of those with whom he was associated . " And that knowledge was possessed by a man who impudently tells us in the same letter , that if he had been assured that I was acting a part that would bring the people into danger , he would have-exposed me in one Star if he never wrote in another ! During the whole month that I was in Ireland he liad " uncontrolledpower " over the Star . Dm he give one word of notice ? Did he sound a single note of alarm ? Must he not have conjectured that if I had had previous

    knowledge of the occurrence , I must have fled to Ireland for the same reason that Ashton fled to France—to protect myself from danger . The field was open to him , therefore : he could have given what alarm he pleased , lie might , at least , have written to Frost , or communicated personally with him . But no : his breast was either the sole depository of a conspiracy against Frost ' s life , or he was co-partner in the secret with me ; and , after a lapse of nearly six years , he lias ( lie folly to convict himself as the destroyer of Frost , for the mere purpose of aiding Ashton in his endeavour to injure my _pJmracter ! _y Having now disposed ofthe Reverend " perjurer , I shall proceed to consider the letter of William Ashton . Ashton says , that he communicated the

    affair to Mr . Hill ; and , that on his " return from France after the Newport affair had occurred , and when the whole of liis suspicions were confirmed ;" mind " afterthe affair had occurred— " and when there was the same reason for remaining away that induced liim to go , he then called on me at Hammersmith ; and " I denied having heard about the affair tillithadoccun _* ed . " After a good deal of speculative writing , ' Ashton tells us that' at the moment of his writing he was nearly blind with tears ; and ho adds , it is " no ska _* _nie to weep for the fall and sufferings of such i _*! £ n as Frost and his companions . " No , m truti ; it Is anjthing but a shame . But , it was a great shame to have been cognizant of facts that would have saved the sufferings of Frost and liis

    companions , if they had been communicated in time ; and a crying sin to havefied to France withouthaving communicated one particle of tiie valuable information tothe parties who were most interested in possessing it ! ' Before I . dispose of tliis branch of my subject , I may bepci _* mittedto ask for the date of Ashton ' s departure for France . I am not so much defending myself—that I have done too frequentl y before—as I am convicting Hill and Ashton of lying and treason . Now-to generalise a little . On my return from Ireland I was made acquainted with the whole machinery , both general and local , by which the affair was to have been managed . I learned that a pack of the most reckless , cowardly , and blood-thirsty scoundrels that ever lived , constituted the " Central

    Board , " who had so far assumed to themselves all power and control over Frost's person as to send a delegate post-haste from London to Bury , where he was to havo attended a public dinner , to order him to proceed forthwith to Wales ; and that upon his return to London , and before his starting for Wales , he said , "lam a doomed man . " Jbrost consequently could not have been aware of the doings of the , board of management , every one of whom , with one honourable exception , has turned traitor to our cause . As to the local management , it was entirely under the direction of Mr . Peter Bussey , as far as "Yorkshire was con cerned . Mr . Bussey , and the whole Convention were in full possession of my opinions on the subject of physical outbreak . In several speeches in thc Convention I denounced it . In addressing the people I cautioned them against it . Mr . Bussey , on his

    return to Yorkshire , found it necessary to call delegate meetings throughout the county ; and at those delegate meetings the principal injunction- wos that Feargus O'Connor should not hear a word of what ivas passing . ' A very wise precaution ! for if I had , 1 should most assuredly have cautioned thc people of the dangers into which their treacherous leaders were driving them . So much at present for the concocted outbreak at Newport ; merely adding upon that subject , that I never heard , directly or indirectly , word , ietter , or surmise , that such a thing was about to take place ; and assuring the people that if it had come to my knowledge I would have used my best and most strenuous exertions to have saved Frost and his fellow-sufferers from the treason of bad men , and the people the sore infliction of so much damage to their cause , as well as the loss of tlieir friends .

    I now beg to refer the reader to the notice to corcorrespondents in the Star of the 5 th of October : and I think , considering tliat I had some property in Ireland ; that I had not visited that property since 1836 ; that I was about to receive judgment in thc Court of Queen ' s Bench early in November ; that I owed . the Messrs . Wrigley a bill , wliich was due on the 1 st or 2 nd of November ; that I could not make provision for that , bill , except from my property : I think that alitlus , added tothe fact , that at about the latter end of September , Mr . O'ConneU , in his

    speech atadinnev given to him at Macroom , asserted that " I dare not go back to Ireland , " and added to the further fact , that the franchise I had conferred by my own , labour and expense on , the constituency ofthe _counMtxf Cork had expired , and had to be renewed : I say , rthink _, that under all these circumstances , — without any possible knowledge of the Newport affair , —that my visit to my native country was neither as untimed nor as suspicious as Mr . Ashton ' s trip to France , who went away with a perfect knowledge of what was to occur ! and with a clear understanding of the danger arising from secresy . '

    I shall now direct the reader s attention to the second branch of my _subject—namely , the assembling of the second Convention in London , —the object of which , Mr . Ashton says , was to devise , if possible , some means of saving thc lives of Frost and his companions in the ; event of their conviction . To the doings of that body as a Convention , and as a secret association sitting at Southwark—( of YfMch I never heard one single sentence in my life—that is , of the secret meetings—until I read Mr . Ashton ' s letter ) , Mr . Hill would apply the information that he received from Ashton while I was in Ireland in October , although the sittings did not take place until December ! It is quite true that I never did atteiid a meeting of that Convention , for two reasons : firstly ,

    because I knew that many of the men _tvho composed it had _desex-ted _Fx-ost in the hour of need ! and , secondly , because my whole time during the sittings of that Convention was taken up in attending Mr . Geach , and in begging and borrowing money wherever I could get it , to insure a fair trial for the victims . It is true that a deputation from that Convention waited upon me at the Tavistock Hotel . And it is true that I said to that deputation , that _/ would rather risk my life than , allow Frost to be hung ; but it is not true that I said that "I would place myself at the head of the people of England , andhave a d——y r n to save tliem ; " but I think I may now say , that while I would not trust either the deputation or the Convention with any risk that I might have been prepared to run to save Frost ' s life , that I would have ventured my own with greater cheerfulness than any single onc of my revilers . There is one fact , however , whicli appears to have

    escaped the notice of the sympathisers altogetherthe fact that Frost was not hung—nnd the further fact that Sir Frederick Pollock and Mr . Kelly , who were his counsel , had assured mc that the points reserved in bis favour must be favourably decided upon by the judges . Mr . Ashton has not thought proper to state the real business of the deputation that waited upon me at the Tavistock . As he has failed to do so , I shall supply the omission . The business of that deputation was threefold : first , to request money to take the country delegates home , to which appeal I gave £ 25 ; the second was to knew why , being elected as a delegate , I had not atattended thc _sittings of the Convention ; the third was to induce me to be a party to waylaying and murdering three inoffensive , unoffending persons ! That ; was the business of the deputation ; and no donbt the delegates communicated my reply to the Convention , which was : "Good God ! what ' Commit murder ! No I I would willingly sacrifice

    The Destroyer Of Frost Discovered. " A P...

    my life rather than allow Frost to be hung ; but never shall my hands be stained with the blood ot three innocent men !" I must now treat this matter more generally . The efforts that I made to save Frost , after my traducers had betrayed him and deserted him , brought me into contact with Mr . Geach , the attorney of Newport . Atfirstl _-waspleasedwitntheconnection . Thegreat interest that Mr . Geach evinced in the fate of his relative , Mr . Frost ; the ability that he displayed , and liis extreme readiness to do 41 that a lawyer could do in such an emergency , won on my confidence ; and I spoke of hini as I thought . But I was soon most bitterly undeceived . I soon found Geach to be a man ef the very worst character , a Tory of tho highest order , and a person against whom there were the most serious charges of fraud , for which he was afterwards _transported for life . I soon found that he

    was despised , distrusted , and abhorred by every man in Wales who knew liim : and yet , rather than injure Frost , I was compelled . to associate with him . The following was the source from whence I received some of my information : —I called in at Mr . Hetherington s shop late one night to ask him where I could borrow money , stating that though I had given __ Geach £ 700 already , he required £ 1200 more to begin . Hetherington said , " I am glad I have seen you . Here ' s a letter from Morgan Williams , of Wales , m which he describes Geach as the biggest thief and swindler that ever walked ; and regrets that you should have anything to do with him , or tbat lie should have the management of Frost ' s affairs . " And yet this was the man with whom 1 was to associate and plot to have a" b yr n !! " How likely ! Me trust myself into such hands ! What a fool the Barnsley " brave one" must tliink mc !

    Mi-. Geach had to leave London for Monmouth on the morning after the deputation called ; and Mr . Kelly ' s clerk had appointed that evening for me to attend at his chambers to pay the remaining half of Mv . Kelly's fee , which I think was 200 guineas , he haying received a cheque from Mr . Geach on the Old Brecon Bank for the other half . When I arrived , to my astonishment the clerk informed me that he had taken the precaution to forward tho cheque to the bank , and the answer was , that " they knew no such person" —that "he had no account there ; " and it was subsequently to this transaction that the deputation waited upon me in presence of Mr . Geach ! And is it likely , after such an exposure , that I should have trusted him , or his twelve meH in buckram

    cither ? I remained up the greater part ol that night , endeavouring to borrow money fbr Mr . Kelly's fee , and did not succeed in procuring it until the next morning , when my good friend , Mr . Kegel's , cashed a bill for mo , I think for £ 200 ; and another Mend cashed another for £ 100 . Now , that was the way that my time _. was employed on behalf of the victim of those rascals who , not satisfied with betraying Frost , would have made me a murderer , if possible . Inow come to the delegate who was despatched to me at Monmouth . It was Henry Ross ; and the reader shall have not only thc substance , but , as nearly as possible , the words in wliich his commission was delivered . He told me that he rejoiced that I hadno connection ivith ivhat was going on in the North ; that Dr . Taylor and others had been actually selling commissions ; that Major Beniowski was to be appointed the commander-in-chief , as he was a good officer ; and as soon as the battle was fought and

    won , that taeuBemwoaki _, as he . -was _auangerous and ambitious man , was to be shot . I cannot exactly say how J felt on receiving this intelligence ; out I know that 1 cursed the whole gang . Before I take final leave of this Convention , consisting of eight individu _^ _s , ofi whicli number my well-known enemy , Mr . Lowrey , was one , I may state , upon the authority of one of their body , that during their whole sittings they never took a pen in hand , or committed a sentence to paper , in the way of minute or resolution ; that they were appointed for the mere purpose of watching the proceedings of Frost ' s trial ; that tbey unanimously denounced and opposed every proposition made to them to sanction an outbreak ; and their _eo"fiimuincations with Sheffield and the north , onc and all went to expose the danger to which such proceedings would expose Frost and his friends : and , in justice to them , I must state , that they received the intelligence of Dr . Taylor ' s intentions with disgust .

    Now here let the reader understand , that chiefly owing to my exertions , and the exertions of Mr . I'itkcthly , the lives of Frost , Williams , and Jones were spared—that I had the assurance of the two ablest counsel in England , not only that their lives must be spared , but further , that the verdict must be altogether reversed , and their liberty granted : and , fos sessed as I was of this knowledge , what a service should have rendered them and the working classes interested in their fate had I lent my sanction to proceedings wliich must have ensured their destruction !

    Wheu the verdict against Frost was delivered , I had still great reliance upon the word of Sir Frederick Pollock and Mr . Kelly , added to the fact of two of the three judges being with us on the points reserved . This gave me great hopes : hopes that I was not prepared to blast by any act of rashness . But I will state what I did say to some honest Welshmen , working men , after the verdict of Guilty was delivered . I said— " Preconcerted plans always fail . While there ' s life , there's hope ; and before Frost shall die on the scaffold , I'll risk my own life at all events , and rely upon his countrymen that I shall not fall alone , if we fail . " And I now feel disposed to believe , —that is , if I know myself at all , —that I should have made the attempt rather than bear such an infliction as the murder of three innocent

    men . The reader must always bear in mind how Ashton states my pledge to the deputation . He says that " I told the deputation , that should Frost and the others be convicted , AND THEIR LIVES ENDANGERED , I would place myself at the head of the people of England , and have a b y r n ( which I presume means a bloody revolution ) to save them . " Now , admitting this to be true , —which 1 utterly deny _. —what was the revolution to be for ? Was it to bo for fun ; or was it to save thoir lives ? And why not say— " Let us have thc revolution at all events ? " It would appear as if the salvation of the men was hut a secondary consideration , and that the revolution was the primary object . The thing altogether is so truly farcical , that I can only compare it to the grievance of

    those gentlemen who were sold to thc Government at Lancaster , at the price of their acquittal and perfect impunity . Suppose I had been foolish enough to commit myself to persons of whom I showed some distrust by not attending one of their sittings , what pledge was violated ? Ashton says , that in _tfie eucnt of conviction , and tlieir lives being endangered , I resolved upon an outbreak : but , their lives being spared without the outbreak , was I still to be held to the b—y r n ? Now , should I not have been in excellent company , and should I not have well deserved the confidence of the working classes , if I had preferred the sympathy for martyrdom to the preservation of thousands and tens of thousands ? Every man in England knows that 1 have through life denounced secret meetings ? I never did attend a secret meeting , and I never will attend a secret meeting .

    I shall now make a passing allusion to one sentence hi the comment of O'Brien . In speaking of Mosley and Ashton , he says : — "In the two following letters he has the name of the men who accuse him , and he knows where they are to be found . " I do ; and in Leeds and Barnsley , wliere they are both known , the mention of their names would be sufficient to render any reply from me unnecessary . I have been no party to the recent denunciation of Mosley : but I believe him to be a traitor to the cause of Chartism . J * _knoxv him to have endeavoured to entrap mc and the people of _Ashton-under-Lyxxe . I know

    ma to have been concerned in plots that he shrunk from thb execution of , while others bore the danger . As to Ashton , I know that he has been drummed out of the Chartist ranks at Barnsley . I know , for I heard him charged with it at a public meeting before his face , that he was paid by the Tories of Barnsley for denouncing and _villifying me . I know that I went to Barnsley at his express desire to meet him before a public meeting of his townsmen , to hear any charge that he might prefer against me . I . know thatthe Town Hall was crammed to suffocation . I know that I told him I would stop there till morning , or as long as he had a complaint to advance ; and I know that his townsmen hissed him , hooted , him , and groaned him , when he said that his complaints were against Mr . Hill , and not against me ; and when , instead of accusing mc , he attempted to shuffle out ofhis own delinquencies , O ! but " my enemy has written : " aud here it follows : —

    A VOICE EMU WAKEVIELD HELL . House of Correction , Wakefield , 15 th April , 1811 . Dear Sib , —Being permitted only once a month to have any communication with my friends , I am , as may be expected , nearly ignorant of passing events . "However , I am informed tliat that curse of Chartism , disunion , exists to a deplorable extent . This is precisely as the enemy could desire . They know that union is strength and therefore will exult in our disunion . I have long lamented this evil , and would most willingly sacrifice my own feelings on particular points , to obtain union in our ranks . Of this the enemy in Barnsley are perfectly aware , having dragged me out of my own house there in 1829 , under a charge of sedition , for liaving at a public meeting recommended union as the only means of destroying tyranny , and liaving at the same fime proved

    the necessity of such union , nnd referred to history for glorious examples of its uprooting despotism nnd oppression . Admiring as I do your unparalleled exertions to ameliorate the condition of the working classes , and feeling convinced that those exertions emanate from the purest and best of motives , I deeply regret that the bitterness of your confinement should be augmented by the insidious conduct of pretended friends . I must confess that I have not agreed with every action of your political conduct ; but I have never for one moment doubted the purity of your intentions ; and the greatest fault that 1 have been able to ddtect , has been what I then , and at this present moment consider , a too extreme desire to conciliate men , who have on all occasions evinced anything but a friendly feeling towards you . I watched with painful feelings the conduct of Lovett , and the . Working Men ' s Association , during the late agitation , every action

    The Destroyer Of Frost Discovered. " A P...

    of which exhibited a SECRET , hut persevering and . placable enmity towards you .. Whether you observed th ] ' or not I am unable to say . However , it made a deep fa pression upon my mind ; and when 1 visited _lon _^ whilst the first Convention was sitting , I embraced ever- ! opportunity of satisfying myself why such feeling did exist . I shall not refer to the many convincing Vroe _[ , I received of their malignity , towards you , and win onl , add , that after remaining in London altogether _atout three months , nnd associating during that time wit * ,, great number o * as good Chartists as there are in Eiw land , 1 wasextremely . gladtofind that this ungen _M and unjustifiable feeling was confined to Mr . Lovett taft a few of his immediate friends . —

    The above remarks apply in part to Mr . Collins _ai 50 as the whole tenor of his conduct , after the Birmingham rupture , was anything but generous or friendl y . _** _,, ; extremely desirous , Sir , for union , I rejoiced excecdiM . in your noble and disinterested conduct on their _beliaif when tlicy werc committed to _Warwick Castle , con c _j u ' ding in my own mind , that the exertions you made on that occasion would obliterate from their minds any nCWs feeling of jealousy that might have biassed their bettc judgment . But , Sir , judge of my surprise , on learnftc through » he medium of my Mends that these two iniliv duals , bucked by a few others , have most frcacherouslv concocted a plan for the ostensible purpose of kno » j ed / Chartism , but for the secret purpose of removing > 0 u J ?! of the way of Judas O'Connoll .

    I have been nearly ten years a prisoner under ttus aiui my former conviction , during which time 1 have _snifnei every privation and hardship that the refined cruelty of man can devise * . yet 1 solemnly declare , that with the * « . ception of what I have felt on account of my ( m _^ _^ relations , that I have experienced more regret on this base attempt , than I have on any circumstance that ha , occurred during the whole period , excepting _, i _* ) 0 _j course , the unfortunate Welsh affair . Feeling confident that the ingratitude of such conduct must wound , to a certain extent , feelings already harassed and opprcS 3 clj by dreary confinement , ( and I know that no man _Jivim . can be more sensitive than yourself , on questions of honour , consistency , and independence of clinvactcr am - having witnessed your extreme desire , hy _indefatig _" _- _^ persevcrancein themostdisinterestcd actions , _tokecpthem above suspicion;—I know , Sir , that you must have felt intensely on the subject .

    I do not , Sir , write to flatter . It is a mean and grovel _, ling disposition unworthy of a man ; but I think that it iB equally mean and grovelling to withhold the sentiments of one ' s mind , because in giving utterance to them we are compelled to speak in prnise . Neither do I write to have my opinions published . My only motive in writing is to express my indignation at thc base conspiracy , and to assure you , Sir , that it is my firm belief few men ia England could be found to possess such unworthy mo . fives as hovett and Collins appear to be actuated by . I regret such disunion occurring , not because 1 think they possess any interest to injure you , but from ; i

    conviction that such divisions retard the cause we all profess to admire and advocate . Thc real intentions of those individuals must be manifest to all , since the old _crofcfiet of moral and physieal force lias been so very properl y buried in oblivion . Hence they are compelled , for tn ( , effecting of their sinister designs , to introduce some new subject of contention . That their principal object is to ruin if possible your hard-earned reputation , and universal popularity , I cannot for oue moment doubt , neither can I imagine that they will succeed . Tlic base attempt will recoil on their own heads , or I am much deceived in my opinion ofthe Chartists of Enelm . d .

    Trusting that what I have said will be sufficient to draw your attention to the subject , and that you will triumph over all your enemies , and live to see all your benevolent intentions towards the working classes _carried into effect , 1 remain , Sir , Your uncompromising and sincere Friend and Admirer , Wm . _AsiiToii . To Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., York Castle . My reply , printed in the same paper , I also publish

    1 have read the above letter with great pain and pleasure—pleasure , in deserving tbe confidence of my old friends ; and pain for the keen aud cutting censure _wliieb it conveys . Yes , it is keen , and for this reason . Thc very day before poor Ashton ' s trial , he made a tenth attempt to put me ou my guard agaiust several parties who have since tried to injure me ; and , instead of thanking him , I rebuked him most severely , when he turned and said , " Well , Sir , you may live to repent . ' I have lived to repent ; but it is ofmyinjustice to poor Ashton , _tcivliom 1 cheerfully tender my contrition . —Feargus 0 'Connoh ,

    Now then , that letter was printed m the Northern Star of the 29 th day of May , 1841 , and addressed to me , at a time when Ashton had had a year ' s _rejection after his conviction ; at a time when no new light could have reached his mind upon the subjects therein discussed : and just let the reader contrast that letter , written in April , 1841 , with the following passage in the last paragraph of his letter to Mosley , wliere , in speaking of his trial at York , in Marcli , 1810 , the year _nrevious , he writes thai : — " Could O'Connor nave heard our bitter curses when assembled after our sentences in York Castle , he would then have learned who was the causeof our misfortunes . " Now , is it not strange that mon will be such silly fools as thus to commit themselves ? Think of a man bitterly cursing in 1840 , and ivith the same knowledge of all vie circumstances that led to tliat embittered feeling t representing mb , in the following year , as the victik OP INGRATITUDE , AS THE CHAMPION OF _LIBHUTY , AHD >

    TUB HERO OF DEMOCRACY I Having so far disposed of the living , I shall say a word of the dead . In speaking of the departed , Mr . O'Brien says— " Dr . John Taylor was sent to a premature grave ; Degan never raised his head after his character was assassinated ; the best of the good , the most amiable and upright of mortals , poor John Duncan , was driven to madness and a torturing death ; Watkins was nearly starved , and brought to the brink of eternity ; Macartney had almost a miraculous escape from the ruin of himself and entire family _. After unheard-of persecutions , the writer of this saw his house broken up , his family dispersed , and his beloved wife driven into a consumption by the same murderous system of calumnv and nersccution which

    destroyed the others . But come weal , come woe , Mosley shall not be added to the list of victims because he is guilty of independence . '' To this obituary Ashton adds Holberry , Clayton , and Shell . Now 1 am charged with the murder of all these : let us inquire into the process by which I destroyed them . From the time I tirst saw Dr . Taylor , in 1836 , to thc day of his death , I never ceased conferring kindnesses upon him , as is known to every man in Scotland . I sustained him against the indignation of a very moral people , infuriated against the liberties whicli he took with his constitution . What man could do to save that constitution , I did : hut it was irrevocably gone . Continuous disregard of health was manifest in his every act . About the time of thc Bradford rising , Dr . Taylor came to rae

    at Leeds , and told me that Frost had been sold by Bussey ; that it was decided in Yorkshire , before the outbreak at Newport , that the affair should be postponed until Christmas eve . " This of course was to gain some little time for tho Yorkshire hero ofthe fight . He told me also , " that the answer _was , that the Welsh people would not wait ; and that he knew d d well it would be a failure . That he was now going to do the whole thing liimself . He was going to Newcastle first ; " and he asked me " if I thought he could sufficiently trust Lnjwery to put him in possession of thc town and barracks . He was then going to Carlisle to put James Arthur in possession of that town and barracks . -He would get Arthur to recommend him a man _^ to DUt in possession of

    Durham Castle ; and he would put John Duncan in command of the town aud castle of Edinburgh . " He also told me " that he had purchased a ship at Ayr , the ' Black Joke , ' andselected a crew of men , who had heen with him in Greece , and who belonged to a Republican Association ; and that he should put to sea , intercept the vessel in whicli Frost was to be transported , and bring him into Ayr . " Well , I thought that that was pretty good work for one man : and my answer was , " Taylor , 1 always thought you mad , but I ' m sure of it now ; " ' and it ended in his laughing most lustily , and asking ; me for £ 10 to take him home , which £ 10 I gave t him . Now observe , this was in January , 1 S 40 . In 1 the following month the Assizes of York were to- > commence ; and Dr ; Taylor was brought to me to ) York by Wylde of Hull , not being able to stand 1

    alone . He and Wylde came to my hotel . 1 waa a shocked when I saw him , and said , "GoodGod , 1 , Taylor , what ' s the matter ? " ' * Why , " said he , " my iy heart is broken . " "How , " I replied ; " have you ra been at your old tricks ? " " No , no—damn it—that at would never kill me ; but that villain—{ who does the he rcaderthink)—hasmurdercdme . " Who ? why _, nootner er than William Ashton , of Barnsley 1 Taylor took ok the Star of the 29 th of February from his pocket , _et , and lying on the sofa with tears in his eyes , read ad the following extract from a letter of Mr . William un Ashton observing , " I wouldn't cave what the vil- ril lain wrote or said of me , but to make poor Mary Ann _nn —as innocent and virtuous a girl as ever lived—the th « victim of his malice was damnable . " From that _tiai hour Dr . Taylor was never the same man . The foi- foi lowing is the extract from Ashton ' s letter wliich Dr . Dr Taylor read : —

    Murder will out , hut thc time has not yet come . I , cannot , however , refrain from slightly alludiug to one of e o those gentlemen who cut a conspicuous figure at the late lat Manchester delegate meeting . My God ! the effrontery , ter of this fellow surpasses anything I could have imagined , nee Does he suppose that there are none in England to bearbea witness against him , and his accomplices ? Does hes h imagine that the memorial to _Jicr Majesty with 20 , 000 sig- si natures has heen overlooked 1 Does ho forget his pro- _pn mise , and his childish and criminal ( not carnal ) _dalliancciant with Mary Ann for five weeks ? If he do , let him thinkhir of TIIE RESULT , and take this caution , and _retirc-edi from advocating a cause that has received much injurynjui from his base treachery . If he take this advice he may ma maintain his character ; if not , he shall hear from me inme i plainer terms .

    Sometime after that , Dr . Taylor made a tour Mir _ i the north , and lived for three weeks or a month with wit James Arthur , of Carlisle : and while there he held hcl meetings denouncing me , and telling the people that th ; if he could get seven men to keep a secret he wouldyoul _; ( Continued in our seventh page . )

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), May 3, 1845, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_03051845/page/6/