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grfctnai €orre*jjontrentt.
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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.
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?"^ ^ Tm ouktain of facts . „ pfriu We ia best , being plainly told , " „ come me , come all , this rock shall fly pj ^ n , i ts firm base , « aoon u L " SB JTTSTIAX JACKETS , BLISTERED 10 JivDS AND UXSHOR 3 T CHINS OF ESQ . ^ O ) , SC OTLA >' D » A > T > WALES , AND TO *^ ' bagGED ^ BACKED , BARE-FOOTED IB
ISHfjIUKDS , XT DEAR FRIEKDS , MY OS LI * « —Here I m in solitary confinement , in a f **^ jjj the twelfth month of rny confinement ; *^ 1 » in spirit , unchanged in principle ; and thongh t p& in constitution , jet unshaken , in purpose , o Tyjm once more assailed by the oldea foe . Does oresent a similar instance of resolution upon jff e laod , oJ of treachery upon the other ? % h « following declaration of Mr . O'Connell places , position , which , to hare otherwise assumed , ** . wye been presumptuous , but which to leave Sad , would be cowardly :-
^ *«* un derstood that there was an Association about v = -iJteffiedi it the head of which were Messrs . LoTett , V ^ m ind Cleave—three of as good men as were in r ^ mffiumty-b&Ting for its object Household * J * iad Shortening the Duration of Parliament , ^ perfectly naeoimected with Feargaa and his wild B o * eTO . in commenting upon this declaration , I ^ ab e »» little egotistical as possible . friendslet ttat 1 ful
^ the outset , my , me say ly Titi Mr . O'ConneD , that the principal object of * f " < Be * more" ia to destroy all that has been done , ^ jjl disent from the inference , that " getting rid of jithoagh » primary object ; would haTe the effect ^ jjainl the free minds of Englishmen to the supnatrftii treasonable project No , bo ; for in making ^' afcpeadent of ethers , I have laboured to mate Lfocependent of mjseif also . 1
^ fronds , before I proceed to the detail of circumnjiiJ ftcts , » H » w me to cheer your souls by the ntfz ] smo ancement , that although mine enemies tsR &Jd » snare for me , and although , assassin like , £ w law aimed a deadly blow at their victim alone « jia Us dari . T st k * 3 tile God ot J ^ Jce » nd of *— ¦ « fee neTer-forsaking sentinel of the prisoner and jjg ewfere , delivered mine enemies into my hands . y 9 ' m y comrades , the wicked have been caught in jie o * b snare , and the blow aimed at me in the ££ , t 21 recoil upon the heads of the oenspiasa ! Xj friends , ' a it not curious that while thus secluded { rji sja world , 1 should have been made the instruias of h * Tt ™ S to light one of the deepest laid rieaa era hatched by man for the destruction of his
f&ievi ? Ihm the evidence of a gesilkhas , of a gentlejaz of -reaJth , at honour , and of station , that this •¦ kw more" was concocted at Mr . Hume ' s , fey Mr . Hume && Mi . Fnads Place upon their part * and by some dshe Bgnea of the new prospectus upon tocb JiH I isn 8 , that "it was to be done while I was in prison , U is wdd ^ ot be effected if I was at large . " I hare is , & * i ia object was to' effect a ' fusion' of the middle td tie working classes for the attainment of Housekid Ss&ags . " I hare it , thai after the Leeds meeting s vai ecntttered necessary to hold the promulgation d ia scbose ia abfyance , until a " suitable name " to derided upon , and until the principles were screed
I tu is possession of these facts as early &s I- £ narj hA , but knowing that my communication with tie raW eoaia be only surreptititusly accomplished , ad ieeaag thi absolute necessity of being upon the xpx i » d si liberty to meet erery ccant « r rtstement , 1 Tu sxspeQ « d V > hear a 4 | in silence , unt il facts had so ssltiplied ai lo narrow my correspondence to a mere dEscion . of yonr mind 3 to those facts which , in my lisa * , mtr , speak fer me , and from which the people ess &av their own conclusions . For the present , tta , I rely npin circumstantial eTidence , and upon fiai lions ; pledging myself , upon the expiration of my iEpsKsaeBt , to submit direct testimony upon the subvfilo i committee of seren persons , chosen by working am tho woas .
Sow , Ey friendi , I proceed calmly to a consideration of Tfcst las been the object nearest the heart of the Eiadfe coa leaden , and some of the London Chartist iaces , from the moment that the first unholy alliance ¦» » famsi between those parties . I pass orer , for the JMsst , the treatment which I hare inyariabiy met with ir atThat was oiled the London Working Men ' s Aesoaaon ; 1 lar&re ihs ingraiitade with wliieh "thepaor ^ rdiesterkboniew" were competed to treat me upon &s ? return ; always perched up in public , between two tf the ennaittee and nerer allowed to ssy so mnch as " ¦ 'iak you , " to the man who built the honsa of
KJ&iii WaJOey had merely to open the door for ** . I pug oTer the many attempts of this body * wna 3 me frosi speaking at their meetings . I pass " 3 the resolution entered into by the committee for srocBciag the Delegates agitating England on fc ^ of lie Glasgow Cotton Spinners , to the effect a : I *» s cot to ipeak . I pardon the ingratitude of the - « o Spjaners in obeying the instructions of Mr . Tiit j &ad ilr . Plice , in not coming to see the *» * bo tntelled 2000 mEss in the depth of winter * ctb then courage in the dock ; who roused England adxatjad , md spent £ 290 of his own money in ^^ so . I forgiye those men for not coming to see me ,
* a * 2 thiii an hour ' s journey of my solitary celL I fere my Eot being itTit . e 4 to any one of the nnmerotu e ^ aifflneEts which I myself hare proposed and been = sr # iita ? of ia LoEdoa . I pardon the Londonmen for * ji irljeedled me oa : of my Universal Suffrage Club , J &t- I forgiTe their con-co-operation to defeat the fW *? mi-tii ^ for the erection of monuments to the f -& pitr . oa , whea they , one acd all , refused to ^ aE sm sndaient dfceiarixg f , the priscipies for ^ n th ose msxtyi died . I forgire their erery act of ^ as a distinct body ; and I sow proceed to a ^ = « iDa of the treatm ent which 1 fcava receited * m tu nnal gamated crusa'aers .
J ^ Ins , they started to Scotland . 3 Iessrs . Attwo ^ d , ^ Bjfigki , aa ^ g , ^ represen tat j Teg ot tag T ^ chtstij and John Collins , as a kind of workisg j * i « t ;« e . An ir . vellfed , fed , and lodged at the ^ -ee of ae Birmingham Tnion . [ I bare ntTer been * ^ pt that account settled yet—I must haTe it ] * - ;«« ted , in conimittee , to my being imited to <* t V * Ttai looie < i Ta T like a device to qH rid v As *» t 1 ls 3 i , they keld a great meeting at
Hol-^ . * Birr -ttiEghaa , to which many persons = a"rl !« d . I -wzs not . When we went to the ^ S I » m compelled to listen to a parcel of old ^ j ' ^ thig nonsense ; and I asked the chairman ifci , v Sf ^ a haTe an opportunity of speaking , and I - * - ** 1 was to return thnny « to the chair , or to - ^ raointiim to that effect I then took the ij ^ L ^ aterlining Dyself , onr London friends haring * v J ? Pro 7 idfcd for ' ^^ I regretted being obliged to ^ ff tileai oct - Mr- Sieele said he came there to C ^ S ** ^ er » the Liberator of Ireland . A Xt x ^ ? thsr tfeat da 7 » ftw the meeting , when Ug T ^ tri 6 d a W : f or Dan ; and , upon a gentleman r ^ Sp to reply , Mr . Unntr tho phaimnn vhnM 4 — - ~ J i- ' ^ iii t t i i vi
g ^ m — - - ¦ ••*' m' ^ r !¦¦ | ^^^ rw ^¦ ¦» " "her Mtue dumptiness , the Queen , " but ^ ^ n *» Mayor of Birmingham , called the gentle' ttab ^" ' Md said " that politics were not to be ^ fed . That dia not suit my book ; se I rose ^ •*^ ° r ! ier i lQd h " not fot me to " 7 ' buUor ^ T > * itaemd the tilt between Mr . Steele and k ^ fV ** " * il 0 i ! ad ^ e best of it Wlien I sat WiT ** * took me by the hand and said , » Well , , ° » reargns , we ieied U do tcithoui you , but tee w ^ « reat me eting was in London . My sp-^ ° » tnen did not seem paiatable ; and I got ^ ¦ Sf 0 ? * teEth pIac 8 on the ^ « tartiD ^ ^ te- ^^ ™ P ° PP 9 d ^ ^^ e ^ 011 "W" &V « r » Js ^^ ttat " 2 ^ ' ° 1 C 3 tmor ' ^ onld Jon allow thU per-^ *« Person , and the otter person , to take pre-* kuw te m * 7 ?** Mr . DiUon Brown , * £ * ZL ? tWai > CoL aompwn , were three >« coT " " ^ intr ^ MedJ irbo had not decided . » auug tul they saw the imnnn ^ n ^ « th .
^ Sow , that was the gronnd-wor Vs , ^^ " ^ Sor the C <® TBDtion were otct , and ItetiTh ^^ to tte 5 tor " ' ^^ n ^ nendation , so many « Sa Sw r " ^ . ere aPPoiut € d , the crusaders became *< W ' * £ m 1 > 6 Cmber > 1 S 3 S - tiro months before W " . * ffiet ' ™ er , Duncan , ^ hom I heartUy ^ nosequent career , ) aad Bwnter , mored
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in Scotland . Salt , Douglas , Edmunds , and Collins , msTed at Birmingham . Lorett and his party inoTed in London ; and O'Conneli moved In Dublin , as if by magic j all at one and the same moment Frazer and Brewster called upon the people to denounce me ;—Collins and his party caDed upon the people to separate from me , u I was an Irishman , and had , in Mr . Col-Uns ' B opinion , done much mischief by declaring that the Charter should be law fey Michaelmas Day , [ which opinion I maintain would haTe proved correct , had it not been for the treachery , treason , and TiUany of the Birmingham delegates . Nothing could hare impeded us , but Attwood dreaded it LoTett and his party denounced me in London , and O ' Connell said that ihe moral-force respectable Radicals of Scotland and England had denied all connection with the torch-andd&gger men—Stephens , O&stler , and O'Connor .
The Birmingham men charged me with acts of omission for not haring deneunoed Stephens ; while an ExecutiTe Council of some sort or other , at Manchester , summoned me to appear at their bar to answer for my misconduct in not haTing more fully defended Stephens at Birmingham . Now , obserre , an Executive at Manchester , of which Mr . K . B . B . Cobbett was secretary , summoned me to plead to a charge of not defending Stephens ; the fact being , that I did defend him . In August of the same year , when I attended the most
glorious delegate meeting ever convened at . Glasgow , consisting of sixty-four noble fellows , Mr . Arthur O'Neil was most indignant with me for submitting to the meetin ; the justice , prudence , and propriety of forming a committee to procure subscriptiens and petitions for the release of lovett , C « Uins , M'Douall , and Vincent ; and yet it was done , and some short time afterwards , tke treasurer wrote to me to know to whom he should pay £ 100 which had been collected . Thus was I situated , from time to time ; wrong if I < £ id not defend , and abused if I did defend .
Well , in the depth of winter , I went to meet the foe at Edinburgh ; I remained their pleasure , and I conquered . I went to Paisley , and wrnt alone into a ticket meeting of Mr . Brewater ' s friends . I was tossed from head to head over the meeting into a kind of boxed-up cock-pit , -where Mr . BrewBter and his bottle-holder were ready for a victory . We sparred for about half an hour , when Brewster meved an adjournment from his own friends to the largest church in Paisley . There I went , but there he was afraid to follow ; and there I triumphed over his own flock , in his own town . He then challenged me to meet him in Glasgow . 1 accepted it ; we had seven thousand hearers ; and he was obliged to fly , like John Gilpin , leaving his hat » nri Trig to follow after .
I then proceeded alone to Birmingham , and met Ihe enemy there , and broke up the most rotten Association of Whigs ever yet known—the Council of the Birmingham Tnion . 1 then went to London , although George Henry WaKU M . P . for Sheffield , dared me , and told me the police would seize me ; however , I went ; and after attending many useetings , and not finding the enemy present , I then went into their own quarters , to a meeting at the Hall of Science , where Messrs . Loveti , Moere , and a long tail of my accusers made their appearance . I was placed in the chair , and gave them all the most perfect fair-play , and insisted upon an attentive hearing far each , which each had , and then the meeting delivered a unanimous verdict in my favour , &nd a unanimous manifestation of reproach against my
accusers . Thus I had triumphed orei three of my four foes ; and it being difficult to meet with the old " dodger , " addressed him publicly through the papers , and challenged him to meet me in Dublin , and in parts of England , to substantiate bis charges ; but he was too wise . At this time the Chronicle , the Sun , the Morning Advertiser , and the Greenacre Chronicle , and the whole of the English and Scotch press joined the conspirators against me ; but I beat them all , and did the people's work ' at the same time . Well , that did not cost my enemies anything ; but , in faith , it cost me no trifle , and bear in mind that it never costs the enemy one farthing to assail me ; nay , they make meney of it ; while the defence costs me hundreds , as my hand only goes into ray own pocket
Now I pray your attention to the pre »* ni move of the same parties . Fraser and the True Scotsman and Brewster , renewed the attack and opened another fire-on me and thB physical-fyrceRadicals , simultaneously with the Fox and Goose Club , and when the twin Metropolitan Association was in course of formation , bnt too young to join in the battle . The True Scotsman died with Fe&rgus O'Connor ' s ghost before it , upon its death bed . Collins , at Birmingham ; Lovett and Co ., in London ; O'Connell , in Dublin ; the Chronide , Sun , and all the * ' establishment ; " in fact , the whole batch of the former conspirators , have opened upon me simultaneously within the last fortnight Why do I say upon me ? because I can prove it ; because O'Connell admits it ; because my friends of Mansfield , in their personal reply , throw it back upon the idolaters .
But Vet me go farther ; 1 call upon Messrs . Hill and Hobson to say , on their word of honour as men , whether or not I informed them of this precise move , and of the precise parties who were to make it , montbs ago ; and whether or not I put Mr . Hill upon his guard , before Christmas . I know it was before Christmas , because it was before the Inspector deprived me of the poor privilege of seeing friends in my yard ; and I mentioned it to sir . HU 1 in my yard . I md him that the move at first could not be for less than the Charter , like the Russian move , in which the conspirators
were " Chartists and something more ; " but that it was to dwindle dewn into a Household Suffrage anti-Corn Law move , when it got strength . I told him the wen in the three kingdoms upon whom we had to depend ; I ask him , npon his honour , is the name of one of them upon the list appended to the Association , with the single exception of ~ Seesotn , and which I regret to see . 1 z * k him if I did not tell him the names of tie prime movers , and the very plan which would be resorted to ; and that O'Connell would then " fire away at me in Ireland : " —those were my word * .
Now , then , my friends , for a bit'of plain reasoning . How did Daniel 0 "Connell know , in Dublin , of this rsove for Household Suffrage , which " Lovett , Collins , and Cleave were at the bead of , " before it was published in any pap « r ? and is it not strange that he should have been put in possession of the facts ef which I informed Mr . Hill ? that the document should have been published in the Chronicle , with a leading article , and ¦ in the Sun ? and that George "White , my paid reporter at-. £ 52 a-year , to whom I have not written one Bingle line since he went to Birmingham , beyond the following : ¦ —
" Ton wiD make arrangements to procure the result of the Walsall election for the first edition , if possible ; but if notj and if necessary , express it for the second . " Yours , faithfully , "F . 0 'Co >> or : " i s it not , I say , curious that that consummate fool , Mr . Arthur O'Neil , should confess that he had called my excellent friend and impartial reporter , [ a man whom gold could not purchase , ] " & spy , " just at the same time ? It is a curious system of spying , where the employer in his heart and soul regrets the course of the employed , but fears to interfere in ignorance of facts ? Yes , I regretted that White published so much of their accursed blasphemy ; but I never once complained-Let Whits answer on oath , if
required-No w , my friends , let these facts speak for themselves , and couple my warning upon the " ten * " which were to take place with the " itms" which have taken place , and take all in connection with the manifesto of the new Association , the Birmingham more , the Dublin move , and the Chronicle and Sun move ; and then doubt , if yon can , the existence of as deep & conspiracy as ever was hatched in hell . But , my friends , above all , bear one fact in mind ; when Din had procured my imprisonment , he waa satisfied and silent : for eleven months he never
mentioned the dead man's name . From January to April , for thirteen weeks , he even bore the Leeds defeat ; never hinted at LLondon , on th Curragh , or in the Com Exchange , till the new m 6 ve was announced , and until I had " drawn the badger . " Think , my comrades , that for nearly four years I have been trying to make him fight , bnt he would not ; ne , I never could bring him to the scratch . Star after Star has challenged him , but all in vainr until , until , until , ( hear it , ye Chartists , ) the "voice of the prisoner in the felon ' s cell , had gone through the land ; it
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bad passed the channel upon the . breeze , and been lisped by every tongue in Ireland— "the Liberator should fight or surrender . " O ! it was gall and wormwood to mentiantheS / or ; but what could he do ? The letters to O'Malley , as the Editor truly said , had found their way to the Irish hovels . The Associations—four Chaitist Associations were in existence , and what was to be done ? For eleven months he had the delicacy not to mention my name ; but upon the twelfth he saw that my triamph would be insured by his silence , and then , for the first time , he opens upon me , the Star , and the Chartists , and at the same time prematurely exults in the prospects of aid to be derived from the new Association , of which he was long aware , but would
not even then have mentioned , but for the purpose of infusing hope into the drowsy spirit of his creatures , who know that they are only " patriots" upon sufferance , and that union imoDg the people is ruin to then . Bnt , good heaven ; how does the Liberator meet me ? How does the friend of free discussion—the man of the people— propose to putdown Chartism in Ireland ? Why , by the spy system ; by setting the ^ olica to watc h them ; by threatening them with hanging , and transportation , and persecution ; and he says they are but eighteen . Ah ! by Jove , they are tailors then ! for though nine Uilors go to make a man , yet are the tailors the most enlightened and best patriots in the kingdom ; and our eighteen tailors inake just « ne hundred and sixtytwo Chartists . ^ P
But mark the folly , and the sophistry , and the humbug of this Liberator ; he aays , " Where is Loughcrea ? can any one inform me where Lougherea is ? there is no snch place upon the map . " But next day he finds there is Buck a place , just leaving out the C ; and then he wants to kuow who Barnard M'Donald is , and because none of the kid-skins know him , forsaoth , " Barnard is no one , and Fe&rgus ia the lady . " New we have no secrets ; and as to this said letter , it was sent * y a lady to Dr . M'Douall , and , at her request
thinking that iu contents would give me pleasure , it was sent by M'Douall tu me , and given by me to Mr . Hubson to hand to llr . Hill , and is , I rejoice to find , still in existence ; so Dan , jour " delicacy about the lady being in the case" is wholly overcome ^—your modesty u quite overpowering . But how will Dan get over the letters of Francis Mellon and Richard M'Cartney in last week ' s Slar , detailing the neglect of poor aged Mrs . Mellon , by the compensation to Tenants' Act . Ah ! Dan , I have you there .
It is now quite clear that Chartism in Ireland is to be persecuted . Let it work . The first man that is brought to the bar ef justice shall have the ablest counsel that the Irish bar affords—three of them . And , if I am at large , though not among the ablest , I will make one . We have feur Associations in Ireland ; put them down who can . Dan admits two , —one in Newry , and one in Goldtn Lane ; but he says , " Ogh ! that ' s where the Orangemen meet" What humbug ! What child's play ! Don't all parties meet at all places to which they can procure access ? and . in faith , it now appears
curious under such a reign of despotism that the poor fellows -were allowed to meet even there . But would one of them drink the glorious , pious , and immortal memory of the man * ' who saved TH £ M FHOM POPEBT , SLAVEKT , WOODEN SHOES , AND BRASS money , " ( the Orangemen ' s oath , ) as the Liberator did ? Would they , one of them , sit , though starving , between an Orange Lord Mayor and Barney M'Cleary , the Orange tailor , and pass resolutions to break up their unions , as Dan did ? Would one ef them call for a tally-ho , and three cheers for the Orange Beres / ord , the Marquis of Waterford , as Dan did ? No , not one of them , to save his life , would do it
And then another mare ' s nest the fool finds , in " infant Chartism , " and he sajB , I pray yon mark that , the infant Chartism . " Well , what of all that ? Bah ! humbug is gone . What next ? Why , we shall have a Lord Burleigh ' a nod from the Liberator ' s head , and the patriots will cry " hear , and loud cheers "; or , mayhap , the Hod . Gentleman may place his finger once 8 £ aBi upon his sagacieu * nose , amid astounding applause . Bat talk now of the dark days of Catholic sufferings , when in barbarous ages the people ' s priests were compelled to preach by stealth : is this not as bad , or worse , when the people in our civilised times are not to be allowed even to meet ?
However , I have been trying in vain for four years to bring Dan out of his hole . He knew that to mention me would be death , eo he abstained till be could no longer do bo with safety ; but now I have " drawn the badger , " and he must either show fight or give in . If be shows fight , I will back myself singlehanded against him and his bottle-holders , every man ef them , at ten to one ; and if he gives in , then on eoes the cause ; so in either case Dan is done .
Tiowy observe my frienus , I don't blame Hume , Roebuck , atd Place , at all . They are consistent They say , " we think Household Suffrage would do every thing , and that with a good agitation for that we could Repeal the Corn Laws , which in our estimation , is the greater evil complained of . " What can be more just and fair then , than for those persons to recruit thtir forces from all racks ? There is not a Bhadow of a shade of charge even of inconsistency against them . But what must I say of those who would dare to offer such a list as that now before me , of nearly 90 names , as the persons to form a Provisional Government to direct our movement , upon the ostensible grounds of
advocating the Charter , but in reality for the purpose of establishing a working class aristocracy ? ! What must I say of the insolence , audacity , and presumption of the wretches who dared to insult me by Bending me one of their invitations on the 30 th of March , to become one of an acting body for the next six months , when I was to be seven months and twelve days in solitary confinement ? I ventnre to say they sent my friend , my dear friend and countryman , O'Brien , one also . No doubt they did ; but did they send the headsman with it , with his axe , to say " sign this or take this ? " as nothing less ooulJ procure LU signature to the traitorous document
The E'iitor of the Slar could not do everything ; and he has omitted , in his multiplicity of work , to analyse tbe question as it bears upon the principle of equal representation . What then do we find ? Not one man for the hive . No , not a soul for Lanca » hire , glorious Lancashire—not one . While for Yorkshire we have W . G . Burns , il give them in their order from the list , ) W . G . Burns , Edward Thorp , John Ptck ,
William Martin , of Wakefield , ( not the Irishman , ) William Barker , Themas Wild . Now , I ask , do those gentlemen—all honourable men , no doubt—represent tbe working classes of Yorkshire" ? Then , for Birmingham , John Collins , Arthur O'Neil , and Brown , the authenticity of whosa signature is denied by his friends . And then for Glasgow not a siugle one ; but they got a bit about the edges , and put down two gentlemen from xeab Glasgow .
But let the working men look the list over , and judge for themEelves , and ask whether it was not insolence to us to invite many , nearly all « f those who have joined , to take the management of our cause into their hands ? Just look at the Russian rump pinned to their tail Now , then , I come to the close . For years I have beaten yoo , one dowa aud the other come on , and sometimes altogether , and now from my lone and solitary
cell Ithallenge you , with your master , O'Connell . atyour head , the Treasury at your back , and the "Establishment" at yeur command : I say , " come on , I am ready for you altogether . " I charge you with the design of destroying the people ' s cause . I charge you with having conspired with our enemies to do so . I hurl defiance at you , and ask you to charge me , if you can , with one single dishonest act , one inconsistent act , one ungentlemanlike act , or one act tending to injure
out cause . 1 have a letter hi my possession which came to me while I have been here , telling me that I Was to be beught oi assassinated . Bought , I may be ; my price is Universal Suffrage ; 1 abate not an hour of my claim in the age of the elector . If I am assassinated—in twentysix hoars after , England , Scotland , and Wales would be in ruins , and then you would have that social equality for which you profess to contend .
I give you leave to search all my letters , and advertise for them , which I have written since September , 1835 ; and I 6 efy you to find one sentence of secret , one word calculated to create distrust in any man , who was doing his duty ; or indeed oue line that was not to heal some breach . You . may say that yon are notcnarging me ; but I say you must charge me with some act tending to injure or dishonour the cause , before you can pr evail upon the people , as y « ur master says , " to get lid of Feargus . '
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I haunt the ruffian ' s dreams ; he curses me after his prayers : I hgv e him dead beat , though in aolitary confinement , j I knew what ihe effect of the little hidden rocka would be upon aober Ireland . You do charge me and my whole party with Incompetency , by your audacious attempt to ride over us . Now , my friend * , " these are the times to fay men ' s soul * . " Perhaps I have lost your confidence also ; . if so , ¦ peak out like men , and let me retire from drudgery , incessant labour , danger , responsibility , and poverty , to ease , comfort , security , irresponsibilitTi and
independence . I require but to be disinherited by the people to he more wealthy than I could desire . To me the cause is slavery and expence , but an honour to suffer for it , if I hold you * tatMm . If not , say so . You hate but to command , I will obey . But so Ion * aa I am trusted , so long will I defend my infant with all the courage of a fond father from the assassin , in whatever shape he presents himself , eren at the hazird of that life which I would hold as not worth preserving if dishonoured by being a traitor to my principles .
You have the guarantee that In dismissing me you lose no friend—you make no enemy , because my battle is for principle—not for man . I will neither turn Whig or Tory . I will never accept of place , pension , or emolument from any gevernmeut , or under any laws save those wade by the -whole people , be your judgment what it may . You have now but one alternative : you must either throw me and those friendi with whom I have acted , and who will not act with traitors , overboard ; or you must throw the traitors overboard . No mincing : to the thing at once .
The leaders that I allude to are O'Brien , O'Connor , M'Douall , Moir , Koss , Pitkethly , Williams , Blnna , Marsden , Deegan , James Taylor , Leech , Butterworth , Higgins , Duke , Martin , White , Ball , Boggis , Spurr , Dover , VeveTB , Burnett , Arran , John Leech ( the glorious John Leech , ) Skevlngton , Jack , Thompson , Ross ( Lambeth ) , Sankey , Cullum ( Glasgow ) , John Duncan , A . Duncan , Rankin , Arthur , Charlton , Bowman , Hanson , Robert Wilkinson , Balrstow , Cooper ( of Leicester , a host in himself , editor of the Young Slar ) , Seal ,
Markham , Sweet , Ashton and Hoey ( my two noble countrymen ) , Frost , Frost , Frost , Peat , Heywood , Hobson , Rider , Lennie , Watkins , Bolwell , Owsn , Worsdell , Cameron , Parker ( London ) , Parker ( Leeds ) , Jonea , Gardner , Mason , Shorrocka , Dean Taylor , T . P . Green , Bartlett , Robert Kemp Philp , Neal / . Shellard , Edwards , Greaves , Wheeler , Cortledge , Carrier , Bell , Campbell ( not Sir John : he belongs to the other list ) , Morgan , ! Simeon , Allen , Page , Flowers , Healey , Hick ( our poet ) , Duke , Benbcrw , Fenny , and Hill .
Now , I have given you eighty-seven names from the old list , against the eighty-seven in the sew ; and to these add the nearly seven hundred , already published , of real working men , from which the Council to OUR Charter Association is to be chosan , and choose between us . I have given you the first eighty-seven that crossed my mind . I have left out kundreds , thousands , of as good men , but I wanted man for
man . Now th 6 n , let us have no child's play about so deat a stake as life and liberty . You must , and shall deeide . The question is not O'Connor and O'Connell ; that has been of ten decided ; the question for you is the new or the old list I am in the old , my enemies are in the new ; declare for one or the other . I cannot serve two masters . I must know whose servant I am . I am in prison ; my conditions are , I think , but moderate ; I require a strong , an Instant , an * nequivocal verdict for one of tbe lists ; should it be in favour of tbe new list , I surrender my office .
The Star never shall be turned against you . It was established npon the condition that th © working men were to subscribe £ 800 , to which I was to put £ 19 * . You only raised £ 670 , to which I put several thousands . I have paid off above £ 270 of the £ 670 . I will pay the remainder , and will hand over the Slar , lock , stock , and barrel , unencumbered , with the best stocked office out of London , and by far the best property of any provincial paper in tbe empire , to my successors to advocate your cause , as your chosen leaders , [ the Star i s national property : it never shall be made the organ of a faction , or the tool of an individual , ] and I will walk from my cell into my wig and gown , and like Quintus Cincinnatus , return to my plough .
My friends , let no man be disheartened ; this attempt to divide is but the beginning of tbe end . The desertion of such trumpery will strengthen us . Any man who has watched those Malthuaian Whigs for the last six years , must confess that they haunted my every step by day , liko an evil spirit , while I can assure you they sat upon my slumbers as a nlght-mare . They hated me with a deadly hatred , because I was opposed to subscriptions . Nothing troubled them so much as opposition to the Poor Law . I dragged them after me like a dead horse . Thank God , I am now released from the burden . O , what a relief !
Now then , we commence with the beginning of the end . We shall be well tutored when taught temperance by men intoxicated with pride , educated by men who dont know half so much as those they profess to teach ,- and religion by men who would rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven . I assure you that these men would not allow us to carry the Charter if they could help it . Recollect , I do not speak of all who signed the list ; as many of them have , ere this , repented . I speak of those Who concocted the scheme , and not of those who signed it in ignorance of the facts I have stated , as to the compromise .
They want " TO GET RID" of me , their leader says ; faith , they have accomplished it nicely , by taking themselves out of my way ! But let them be assured that whatever they may think , my name is of seme value to any Urm , where principle , honour , ami integrity are to be discounted ; and with all classes , even the enemy , it will go farther than the whole firm of the new jobbers . Some people may think this letter too long ; perhaps it is for them , but not for tbe occasion .
hat us now have the country ' s voice upon the two lists . I have given you eighty-seven followers of your will and leaders of your cause ; they have given you eighty-seven leaders of your will and followers of their decrees . Cato , it appears , calls them the Vew London rat-catchers . I call them tho Old Lqnpon-Dam . vNations , because they would break up that causo upon which depends tho happiness of many nations .
I shall be a now man when relioved of the dead weight , and live till Saturday ia the hope of . seeing a Star full of decisions , one way or the other . My motto ever has been , " Never trust a man a second time , who has deceived you once ; " and I require to be judged by the strictest lines of my own rule . It is folly to say , " We have not charged you . " Dan says the object is "to get rid" of me ; and the whole manifesto breathes an angry , jealous , sneaking , cowardly , undergrowl snarl at every project I have recommended . Cover their treachery how they will , they want to get rid of me first , and O'Brien after ; and then they would deal very summarily with all the others , in succession , down to tay fustian jackets , who would be sold all in a heap .
I can be banished , but I never will betray you . These are my conditions—till they are decided upon , one way or other , farewell . I am , your Friend , FEARGUS O'CONNOR .
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TO HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN . Madam , —I am well aware that la this enlightened age of so-called Reform , to consider the man who has broken the laws of his country , er those enactments of a class-legislature which have assumed the name of law , as entitled to tbe considerations of humanity , and as forming a link in the chain of human beings , will be
deemed by the " liberaV ' and " enlightened" as the height of folly and the daring of presumption . Yet , even in the teeth of all that modern philosophy , falsely so called , may say , and in spite of tho dicta of interested selfishness , I am ready to maintain the claims of all who have been formed in the image of God , however fallen and defaced that image may have become , not merely to justice , but also to the kindly and merciful consideration of their fellow-men .
I contend that the principle that until a suspected person is proved to be guilty , he must ba presumed to be innocent is one that is equally accordant with natural equity and sound policy ; and that , in accordance with this acknowledged principle of right , no hardship should be inflicted which fe not absolutely required for securing the safe custody of the person ' accused . In aH
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cases , wber » tbe well being of society does not imperatively demand the contrary , bail should be taken ; and the amount « f snch bail should be regulated by an act of the Legislature , and duly apportioned to the nature of the crime and the station and circumstances of the accused , Instead of being left to the caprice or even deliberate judgment of the presiding magistrate . And , even hi those cases where the good of society imperatively demands that a restraint should be put upon tho personal liberty of the subject , no system of prison regulations should for one moment be suffered to inflict a hardship which could be dispensed with , in accordance with such safe custody of the prisoner .
That the principle laid "down above , is one fully recognised in theory by all our writers on criminal jurisprudence , no one possessing the slightest acquaintance with constitutional law will venture to deny ; but how stands the practice ? Just the very reverse of this so much boasted principle . We have prisons erected , in which the system of regulations is such as to make scarcely any distinction between the safe custody of an accused party , and one who is enduring the penalty awarded by the judge as the just consequence of his offence .
The injustice of this mode of procedure will bo the more apparent if we take into consideration the fact , that it is no uncommon thing for the judge to pass a more lenient sentence in consideration of the previous imprisonment which the prisoner had undergone . I am not disposed to find fault with this procedure ; it is in many cases one of the utmost propriety , but it evinces , in a very striking point of view , the injustice of those regulations which doom the accused to the endurance of that kind « f treatment which tbe law has appointed as tke proper and legitimate punishment of crime .
If the law say that six months' imprisonment and hard labour is the due reward of a given class of offences , and the Judge say , that as the criminal has been in confinement two months , he is to be imprisonment and kept to hard labour for four additional months , it is clear that part of tbe penalty awarded by law is omitted , namely , the hard labour for two months ; and this , as being in compliance with the dictates of mercy and forbearance , is perfectly justifiable , inasmuch as it is far better to remit a part , of the punishment due to the offence , than to act with the severity of vindictive justice . But suppose the party accused to be acquitted , what compensation has
he or can be hwe for the two months of suffering and of privation , of punishment in fact , which he has been unjustly doomed to endure ? During two months he has endured , with the exception of the hard labour , all that the convicted criminal has endured , privation of liberty , loss of employment , separation from family and friends , the consciousness that to some extent his character must have suffered , and the knowledge in many cases , that those dependant npon him have been subjected to numerous hardships , which they never ought to have endured . Now what compensation does tbe law offer to one so circumstanced ? Jnst
none at all . It may be that none can be offered ; it maybe that such were tke circumstances that every mind must feel convinced that the deprivation of bis liberty was most essential to the common weal ; but will any body pretend that all , or that any of the regulations which apply to the convicted offender , beyond the bare confinement under lock and key , were either necessary or proper to be inflicted , before a jury bad pronounced upon the guilt or innocence of the party suspected of a violation of the law ? and if not , then is it not clear that this portion of our system of criminal jurisprudence is just anything but what it ought to be ?
Again , let me draw your Majesty ' s attention to the fact , that while the bar requires magistrates in numerous cases , to liberate an accused party , upon security being given for hia appearance to answer te the charge made against him , this wise and salutary regulation is often rendered merely a dead letter by tke mischievous operation of the discretionary powers vested in the bands of those whose duty it is to administer the laws . I am not prepared to say that in ordinary cases this discretionary power is abused or misapplied ; but I do say that recently , in reference to one class of offenders , it has been most shamefully degraded to the furtherance of tbe purposes of party . We have seen criminals ef a
certain rank , and who had been guilty of crimes of no ordinary turpitude , held to bail in sums , which , to them , were of a merely nominal amount , while persons of a humbler class , whose only offance was thinking justly , and speaking honestly , but which thinking and speaking were high crimes and misdemeanours in the estimation of aristocratic and middle class magistrates , were required to find bail to an amount- which It was well known their humblo connections were utterly unable to furnish , and which therefore it was only an insult t » require . I know that in the eyes of thess parties a political speaker and thinker is one of the vilest reptiles in existence , and I also know that tho glitter of a noble name is capable , in the world ' s esteem , of gilding the vxo&t odious vices ; but I ask , ought these things so to be ? and I am sure that your
Mujesty must answer " No . " Suffer me , then , to point out the only remedy for this part of the evil of which I complain . The power of fixing the amount required in any given cue must not be allowed to continue where experience has shewn us that it is so liable to be abused . Those who make the laws ought to apportion the security required to the nature of the offence and tbe quality of the offender ; especial care being taken , that in no case should it be such as might be fairly presumed to be beyond the means of procurance by the accused party . This is clearly what ought to be done in this case ; this must be done if justice is to be secured to the whole people , and this will be done , when there is a oneness of feeling and of sentiment between the nation at large and those entrusted with an authority to enact the laws by which ttie affairs of the social family are to be governed and regulated .
I am , Madam , Your Majesty ' s faithful and obedient subject and servant , NUMA . London , April 13 , 1841 .
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CHRISTIAN CHARTIST CHURCH , BIRMINGHAM . TO THE EDITOR OF THB NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —Fov these last three months I have regularly attended , and , to the utmost of my power , supported the Christian Chartist Church , Newhali-street , Birmingham , hoping that great good would be done in arousing the people of Birmingham from their lethargy , and stimulating them to a uuited action , for the attainment of that great object , namely , the Charter . During this time I have closely watched the leading men , and am sble to form some little idea of their designs and intentions , so far as regards the carryiDg out the principles of the Charter . At the formation of tbe Christian Chartist church , these men were quite aloof from the
Charter Association , because , as they said , of its illegality ; and ever since the plan has been remodelled , and made legal , so squeamish were these nobleminded men respecting its legality , that they formed a committee , for the purpose of investigating tbe plan , and said , should that committee decide in favour of its legality , they should have ho objection of immediately joining the Charter Association . Upon these grounds many of the people have been anxiously waiting to hear the result of the committee , so as they might join the Association . This eommlttee bas been formed upwards of six weeks , and has written-to Messrs . Colonel Thompson and Roebuck upon the subject Colonel Ttiompaon has been in Birmingham since they wrote , and been in conversation with Botaeot the committee .
Still the people have not bad any definite answer upon the subject , although several inquiries have been made ; and hence we have a complete division- among the people of Birmingham . Messrs . White and Martin have waited upon them on their weekly meeting night , and endeavoured to impress npon them the great necessity of their joining the National Charter Association , but these men have been received with every , other spirit than that of a Christian spirit , which they talk so mnch about Therefore , it is quite evident to every man , -who is in possession of the smallest particle of common sense , that these men never will , aor never did intend to join that Association , for the very reason of the new move , which , in my opinion , if adopted , will cause a complete division among the working classes of this country , and throw the Charter
completely in Ihe back ground ; and . it Is with these impressions acting npon my mind , thr . t I am induced to lift up my voice against them , and , at , a working man , I do feel it a duty incumbent on me . to make their actions and conduct" known to the . country . On Thursday evening , the 15 th lor stant , a lecture was delivered by Mr . O'Neil , on the science of phrenology , the church' warden in the chair ; he opened the meeting by sayb jg that no person would be allowed to make any temar ? cs at the dose of the lecture , for they had come to a de termination not to have their meetings disturbed by ? . nyman , or any body of men , and an they had placed him in the chair , he hoped they would stand by h * . m and support him in the performance of his duty . Mr . Editor , this appears to me to be very like the P '/ oceedings of the Corn Law clique .
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' i 1 — := ^^ ^ j—pt ^ Is this tbe liberty of conscience t Is this the carrying out'those preoepts ' wbicb their Divine Master laid down * Wherein he says " Do unto others as you would others do unto yon ? " Is this the pure spirit of Christian charity ? No ; , it is tyranny , and that of tbe worst sort ; it ia just that sort of tyranny which Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., speaks about in hu letter of the Std inst , where he speaks of a Christian Chartist Ciintch , whilst , though mild in its name , ( and tolerant and sycophantic in its infancy , wosld gain presumption as it gained strength , and increase in tyranny , as it increased in power ; it is a true spirit of Vindictiyeness ,
which I have seen manifested , and if not eradicated , no good can ever be attained towards tbe forwarding of onr object Then let us , as working men , exert oarselves , and endeavour to mould the broken spirits of the people into " one united feeling of love , and persevere onward , towards the attainment of our great and nobld object , the Charter ; for I , as an individual , am determined never to join any other plan till the National Charter Association has completely failed . Then onward and we conquer , backward and we fail . Yours most respectfully , RlCUABD TOMPSOW . S Court , 4 House , Hurst-street , Birmingham .
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TO TIIE EDITOR OP THE NORTHERN STIR . Sir , —As there appears in the Star of last Saturday , appended to your threat , that " shouM the sword be drawn you will throw away the scabbard , " a paragraph in which it is stated that you had been informed by Mr . Pitkethly , that Mr . Rogers had declared his signature had been attached to what yon call " the Lovett and and Collins Document , " without his knowledge or consent ; accompanied by Mr . Lovett , I waited om that gentleman this morning , and in my presence Mr . Rogers declared that such statement was untrue , and wrote and delivered to Mr . Lovett the following letter .
COPT . " 58 , High-street , 19 th April , 1841 . " Mr . W . Lovetfc , ' Sir , —I am sorry to leant by your application that it is . supposed that you appended my name to the ' Address to the Political and Social Reformers of the United Kingdom , ' without my consent Such is-certainly not the fact I promised you . to sign , the document , and I fully approve of your having appended my name . " I am , Sir , yours very truly , " George Uogees . "
In another part of the same papsr , headed" Mr . Brown , Birmingham , " it is stated by " Mr . Samuel Davis , " and others , that Mr . E . Brown ' s signature " mutt have been obtained by party statement , misrepresentation , " &c . Ac . I have to state , this also is untrue , as I have iu my possession two documents in which he requests hia name may be added to the Address , and states his entire concurrence in the objects proposed . You * insertion of this letter will be but aa act of justice , and oblige Yours , &c . Charles Westerton . 15 , Park-side , Knightsbridge , April 19 th , 18 * 1 . [ In reference to this letter , we can only say that we gave our authority for the statement in regard to Mr . Rogers ; that authority was Mr . Pitkethly , who can probably set the wlsole matter right With regard to Mr . Brown , we do not think the inferences of the Committee , as to the means by which he was induced to sign , have been at all attempted to be met by the statements in this letter . —ED . ]
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MR . LOVETT AND THE MEMORIALS . TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —Having seen in the Star of yesterday some expressions of regret that I did not tooner make known my intentions respecting the presentation of Memorials to tile Queen for Messrs . Frost , Williams , and Jones , I beg yon will d « me the justice te insert tbe following letter , which I forwarded in reply to Mr . T . P . Green , of Birmingham , on the 22 d of February , and which ought to have been sent you . when it was stated that X had refused to present the Memorials . I am , your obedient servant , April 3 rd , 1841 . WH , LOVETT . To Mr . T . P . Green , Corresponding Secretary to ihe Birmingham Committee , for Mean . Frost , WiUizms , and Jone $ .
Dear Sir , —I received your letter of the 21 st , ia which you wish to know whether I am prepared to act in presenting Memorials to tbe Queen , according to the plan laid down in the Northern Star . In answer to which , I beg to state that I have never seen the plan referred to ; but from enquiries I have made , I understand that it is contemplated to present these Memorials in a court dress : If such is the case , I beg to state that I cannot consent to be a party to such farcical proceedings ; for , with every disposition to assist in restoring " John Frost and hia unfortunate colleagues to their families and friends , I will not wrong their feelings in their absence by memorializing for them in dresses so ridiculous as bag-wigs , swords , cocked-bats , and comedians' embroidered coats . My notions on this
subject are not new to you , neither are they now set forth for the first time aa an excuse from presenting the Memorials to the Queen , for if she . will consent to receive them from persons in plain dresses , I will most willingly assist in their presentation . But considering that a departure from principle is involved in yielding to such a ridiculous ceremony , I cannot do so ; for It is presumed that none but courtiers can approach her Majesty in dresses so expensive ; therefore I will not assume the garb of a courtier to obtain as a boon , that which every citizen ought to obtain as a right , namely , te approach her Majesty on all reasonable occasions
when grievances are to be told or wrongs redressed . This right , I am . satisfied , we shall never obtain by a departure from principle , in complying" with a barbarous and foolish custom ; and little is to be expected from memorializing the Queen of England till she has the wisdom to set aside such absurd usages and become more acceptable to her people . Indeed the Queen of Christian England might , in this particular , learn a profitable lesson from a Turk , when she learns that the Suitan will readily take a petition from the meanest subject he may meet with in his walks . Hoping you will excuse me from a ceremony so repugnant to my feelings , . '
I remain , your fellow citizen , WH . LOVETT 183 , Tottenham Court Road , Feb . 22 d , 1841 .
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TO DANIEL O'CONNELL , ESQ ., M , P . Sir , —Having seen , a speech of yours , spouted to a set ef your hungry , gaping , place-hunting crew , in tbe Corn Exchange of Dublin , on Monday , April 5 , 1841 , in which speech you charge an English Chartist with corresponding with parties in Dungarvan , with a view to act treacherously towards them ; I therefore take this opportunity of informing you that I am the person to whom you alluded . Now , Dan , I am not an English Chartist , I am an Irish Chartist , and one who is proud of the appellation ; and one too , who 1305 , for a length of time , watched your every move ; and , sifter viewing your conduct in the most favourable light , I am compelled , for truth's sake , to pronounce you a " miscreant of the deepest dye ; " for did you
not , for the sake of political power , sell the last remnant of Irish liberty , the 40 s . franchise , and thereby send adrift on the world 300 , 000 families to famish andstarve ? Did yon not , "Demon like , " betray the Dorchester Labourers , by declaring to the \ forld that they Were illegally convicted , and then go to the House of Commons and there justify the same conviction ? Did you not , for £ 1080 , sell 35 , 000 factory infants , by voting against them , and thereby , in your own words , committing " cold-blooded murder ? " And did yon not ait silently by and see the Canadian patriots butchered by wholesale ? Did you not oppose a mitigation of the sentence of the ••• Glasgow Cotton Spinners ? " Didyoi ^ ' 1 not also advise Russell and < Go . to withdraw tbe troops from Ireland , to put down liberty in England , and ,
at the same time to raise a police force in their stead , thereby committing an act of two-fold " villany ' r *^ And have you not set the blood-hounds of tbe law on the Chartists of England , for doing less than those with whom you now associate , but whom you once designated , and truly too , as base , bloody , and brutal ? Ami have you not boasted ^ that it was a set of " Irish , boys , " with an "Irish Serjeant O'Daley " attheii head , who defeated the patriotic Frost , and his unhappy companions , who , had yon been honest , you might have saved ? And have you not represented to the people of Ireland , my noble and warm-hearted countryman , Feargus O'Connor , as being a traitor to his country ? But would to heaven yon were lik » him 2 Had yon
but one spark of that warm-hearted devotion to- your country ' s cause , or one single feeling in unison with his , yon would not be as yon now are , despised by all honest men ; whilst be , though losked npin a dungeon , there are millions whose hearts- pant to show their devotion to a man whose name will be lisped with feelings of veneration and honour , when yours shall o * justly execrated as the f ool betrayer of a " nation ' s confidence ; " and as to me , to whom you have dared to attribute traitorous intentions , I beg leave to say , that my motives in writing to I > uagarv » n was to give you * dupes in that town an opportunity of judging forthemaeirea as to the feeling entertained towards them by the English Chartists , and also that they might
notice" Stern oppression ' ^ iron gripe , And mad ambition ' s gory band , Sending , like blood-hounds , from the slip , Woe , want , and murder through the land . " . I will now , Sir , take my leave for the present , by assuring you that— * 'Your name shall live ; Amidst the traitors ' not a few , ' Who have sprung from Hibsrnia's land , There are none so base as you . " I bave the honour to bo , Thomas Clark , An Irish Roman Catholic Chartist , -. .. And Sub-Secretary to tbe National Charter Association of Great Britain . Temperance Yard , Hill Gate , April 19 , 1841 , StOCkpOtt .
Grfctnai €Orre*Jjontrentt.
grfctnai € orre * jjontrentt .
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¦ ^_^ ^_ THE NORTHERNuSMR , 7
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 24, 1841, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1106/page/7/
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