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TO MR . O'BRIEN . . j Verily , Sir , you have most ingeniously atfr jmpted j to light many small fires around your " Old 0 jartist "' . pile , in order that you may escape m the srno ko ; but ; you will please to remember that it was I , not you , ; whom you and the " Old Chartisi . " woi ild tie to the stake , while you , the offender , would now turn ; upon your intended victim , and cry out * Murder , murdtr 1 save me , save me ! " That I ha" to not been
prompted by an over » anxiou 3 desire to recriminate , ; even you must admit : at least , the couu . try will . In ; my own justification I did not display that irrasci- i billy wcich you , 03 my accuser , hat e maau ' esied . \ I merely connued myself to facts , w hile ay total I disregard of your insolent leader of ute following ¦ wee k " and my determinatioi «* o ; ¦ - > rn > tice it , evinces no great desire to continue v ' \ sput 3 in winch yos ¦ were the offender and I thoOii ' ended .. H-owever , it the last aamber of the Statscman you not - © sly invke but dare me to the ooatest .
Now , Sir , bear in « ind , that I _ sought you not . You grappled witk saj hiaour ; if , it tke conflict , yoar own should sJFsr danage , blame potr rashness , not or ? t merity . ^ he prespevivos of y « or anticipated labours in the Chtrtittoiuse 1 pass over ^ they cover the * wo fix ^ t paragraphs . I sincerely wish you had ©¦ kted the tkir-fi , and allo wed poor Cooper , ia his ^ mi ^ eon , the benefit if whatever kttle . jury-class e mpathy the £ Sorninp Chronicle has left him . Bat bo ; Sir , ha appears u > be your personal'enemy , and Tcn ^ eince has triumphed over justice . Having tires briefLy-aoticed these three paragraphs , 5 shall now select yoer sixth , which runs thus , as my
text : — " And n <^ 7 that Ibave confessed the debt , and there"by Ttrified Mr . Hill * stat « ment in tbe Star , will that reverend persorsije ,- or his great naasttt , act an honourable p * rt for ottce-ir . their lives , by acknowledging © n their oMtxhat , thoo ^ h I « we O'Canrwr the debt , I owe him eo gratitude fer it ; but , on the contrary , hatred and coasempt . Will they state > o tbe . publie all the circoBistsiJces which preceded and followed the incurxiBg of the obligation ! Not a bit of it ! It iB not in their nature to do justice to any man , unless the doing bo should happen to suit their own private views . They wiil make 0 great noise about the pound a-week , tut they will not inform the Chartist public" 1 st . That the ponnd a "week from O Connor pre-Tented , and was intended to prevent , 51 7 family from setting twice that amount , or more , from the pnblic
2 . This it waa purposely remitted in such a W 3 y as to prodacs that-effect , the party selected for paying it biicg a person whom O'Connor wdl irnew to be nu frieai of mine—a persDn with whom I was not even on speaking terms for long bsfora A real benefactor «• • Rill do good by stealth , and blush to find it fame ;" bat so far was this from being the style of O Connor ' s benevolence , that almost every body acquainted wiLh the parties knew of the p ^ ucd a week before it ' came to my knowledge . As my letters were subject to exanii-Eatioa by the Governor and Chaplain of the G . ; ol before th = y were handed to me , my wife was naturally very Blow and delicate in communicating the circumstance I was almost the last person to hear of it ; eo much so , indee-. l , that some of my frllow-prisoners actually knew of O'Connor ' s bounty before I knew of it , myself .
31 . There was no oc ^ sion whatever O'Connor's beuntj on ib . ^ occcaslon . He could ha ^ e eot twice cr three times tee amount raUsd for me , without putting his hand into his own pocket . A . single paragraph in the Ster , with his name attochsd to it , and s : uting how my family were situated , would have done ' . be business , or , withoui a paragraph at all , he had but to call a few friends together to form a committee for the purpose . Indeed , at the time he made tfce arrangement with Mrs . O'Brien , there was a committee beinq formed in London , the principal members of which kindly undertook to raise a pound a week . But a 3 soon as they karued what O'Connor had done , they ceased to act , as did also many other active friends in tte conntry . in short , it soon
became a generally understood thin ? , bo'h in town ana country , that " O'Brien needed no subscripliori . as his Jrier . d 0 Cor . xor hjd liberally provided for him ; ' inrt it was a common phrase at the tini * . when speakin ? of the Ticiirn?— ' Dont inixd 0 Brien , O'Connor Ids him uranl for nothing . He sends him m-incii rejuJarly through his ajeriis . I knew ouc thrvu ' jh whom he sends him a pound a week reju-arly , ' &c ., &c Taera are scores of persons in town and country to bear witness to the truth of this statement . In fact , had 0 ' Jjnnor left me to my own friends , so far from needing his assistance , ' my family won ^ d have fared much better than they did , and I should have escaped sums sixteen months of such mental torture and misery , & 3 I would nut iigain endure for all the money in England . "
Anxious as I wia to stoeT clear of all private matters , and grieved and annoyed as I -svas to see any reference made to them in the Star , your challenge in the above paragraph compels me to "? tate all the circuaistanc-es which PRECEDED AND JFOLLOWED the incurring of the obligation . " You charge rno with rendering you a semca for the purpose of subsequently turning it to your disa-d-Tantage . Thai charge I must meet by . pleading preceding circumstances of a like character , to which
such a motive could not be assigned . Had I served you but ia uie instance , end that had been used even casually to your disadvantage , ( yourstlf making it cunniii ^ . y the pretext ) a good chain of well-fabricated circumstantial events might have made a case profitable and plausible out of it . If 1 can show , however , tViH from my first acquaintance with you down to the cLse of iho Birmingham Conference . I had been layhsj the SAME SNARES FOR YOU , what must the world think of tne construction you would ;•• ' upon rr . y kindness ]
In 1 « 37 I establ-shed the " Northern Star , " and Ttrj shortly afux is appearance I engaged you as & contributor , by which you earned from two guineas to three guinea ? per week ; or rather you gol'it , for very sJovenly and hasiily-wnttea leucrs of very little interest ; however , you got it . You were poor , a = many : ¦ good man is ; and yonr pay was nearly always ia advance . Your Utters were low-spirited and pointless . Every one saw the falling off in your " hojnilier . " At the same time j ou were engaged to write a life of Robespiere , for Mr . Watson ; with this I have bo more to do than merely to use it as introductory to au act of kindness , which was of course * ' intended to damn you . " Mr . Watson wrote to me to say thai the slate of your mind had completely subdued your energy ; and that if I woald lend " you £ 40 , no
doubt : t Would rsstore you to hope . I immediately went to London : and though 1 did uot lend you £ 40 , I tell you what I did do I took you to a friend ' s house and borrowed £ 30 , ( which 1 would not have done for myself , ) asd / made you a prrsent of it ; although a : the time you was in arrear £ ] 6 ; thus presenting you with £ 30 as a gift , aud leaving £ 16 to be worked ont . I thought you would cave gone mad with gratitude ' . And how did you repay this act of kindness ? Why , by imnedlazeij erasing all correspondence with the Star , without any other nence than tae non-arrival of your weekly letter ! and by accepting the editorship of the Operative without any word of notice . You Cam got £ 4 . 8 of my money ; and this wag the return you made me for i : ! Ttis was in 1837 .
Now how did I turn that act cf kindness io your destruction ? Hear , Sir . In March , 1839 , you had pretty nearly written the Operative down , wheu a deputation , consisting of Dr . Taylor and others , waited upon me , for the purpose of inducing me to take ten £ 1 shares , to keep " poor O'Brien's paper on its lei ; s . " I refused to take ten thare ? , bnt presented the committee with £ 10 as a gin . Doubtless this also was " Gone to damn you . '' Next : in May , 1839 , the Rev . Mr . Hill began to find the labours of Eaiior ^ hip and tie duties which lis flock req-. iired at his hands more than his health could well bear , especially as at that time the journey to Hull by coach was tedious , tiresome , and expensive . His fl ^ ck desired to have more
of his time ; and , -with mere gratitude and honour than you have evinced , he gave me notice that circumstances mitrhfe compel him reluctantly to abandon thy oditor .-hip of the Star , but that , whatever the result mij : bt be , he would not desert his post until 1 was supplied with a substitute ; and HE . NAMED YOU . He did not know you ihen . He also told me that he thought he might be equaljy serviceable to the cause at Hull , as he should probably- g-t eonnected with a paper in which he wou ^ d advocate the principles he had maintained in the Star . Kothin ^ would have grieved me more than parting with Mr . Hiil ; I mentioned the whole circ ' um-Btance to you , and told you tbat . cosTiNGEJiTLT upon
Mr . Hill beikg compelled to leave the Scar , you should have the eifer ; upon which you replied tnat Mrs . -J'Bnen would not live at Lee ' ds it I gave you the Star , but that you would edite it ix London . I told you that there were other dunes besides writing from London ; and that I had ikied that before . This was no proof of a desire to injure you ; and I merely mention it here for the purpose of exposing a deep conspiracy of which Mr . Hill was to have been the victim , and which was hatched by your friends &t Huddersfield for his destruction , and of which this is the first intimation he has had from me , and of which jour charges while in Lancaster Castle were to form , and did form , the groundwork .
Well , Sir , in spite even of all the propping up of the Star you very qnickly despatched the Operative , and in Janaary , 1840 , you started the Southern Star Its appearance wa 3 announoea for many successive weeks , and puffed off by the "blackguard Parson . * But lo ! you had no friend to giro the necessary security to the Stamp Office , and were compelled to apply to the " coward , " the "traitor , " "and the friend who but serves to damn ! " You applied to ae . I tendered myself and was refused . That refusal would have satisfied you as far as I was concerned , but it did not satisfy me . I wished to
• pxf toc ; aad m good truth the way to trap yon is to give you a newspaper . However , I was not wtisfied ; and I made my solicitors threaten the Commissioners with an action \ f they persisted in refusing me ; and after a hard battle I competed them to accept me . Now , Sir , how the Northern Star puffed off , and copied from the Southern Star , all must recollect while few will h » Te forgotten the hot water in which that paper embroiled all connected with it , and its subsequent death . Bat of coarse that was no fault of yours J Oh no j every oisfortun j tju ; befals you
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¦ is a conspiracy ! no indiscretion of your own has ever had any share in the depaftae cf the many papers of which you have been " a » at ^ he death 1 " Mr next act " of kindness doo « wi . h a view to entrap you , was that * UNSOLICITED ONE , " which so unnerved you , and added to the horror of your confinement , well knowing Dhr * t it would be used for voar destruction ! That aft of mhich yo « knew nothing Ml hxg after it was performed . But let us have your own words : — " Let me it once and for erar confess tfce report is true' that O'Connor did . nnaelicited by me , advance a ponnd a week to say : famiiy during sixteen or seventeen months of my ienprisoomant in Lancaster Ctstle ; ¦ a nd a bitter day it was for-me—the day the arrangement was made ! 5 was not a consenting party to it : I knew nothing -tbeafc it ^ rhen it was mad * . I was locked tip at the ¦ fe-Ime , andtte moment I heard -of it I
ielt as if I were jaralized . 1 knew full ireu the use that would be mode of it . I foresaw all that b »* since happened ; and I appriesd several friends of the Bame . There are at leaC ; a score < £ persons now in the country who can bear witness th&t I communicated-the circumstaoce to them as tbe greatest calamity in myltfe . ( I saw at once tbet hiB object was to make a-clave of me , and that , having previously failed , with all bis cunuing , to destroy my credit witb the radical public , he would now , sooner or later , sucecsd in overwhelming me with the contrast between his own ' generosity' -and my 'ingrxlilude . ' In short , I iold my friends that it was a scheme of © Connor ' s to put s gag in my month ; fer , that the moment I refused to be a party to his ulterior projects , that moment he would get rue denounced as an ' ungrateful wretch , ' - * c , having previously taken go . d care to get his generosity whispered about all over the eountry . "
Now , Sir , read that ! and confess yourself the ¦ veriest hypocrite and greatest liar thai ever stood before the-country ! The . first announcement that I had of your condition in Lancaster WAS FROM YOURSELF , in a letter which made me shed tears ; and in THaT LETTER you assured me that your sufferings would be much alleviated if I otocld see Mrs . 0 'B-itiEN and make such arrangements as would render her comfortable !!! You said that you had some friends in London who would probably form a committee for the purpose ; and " O how you would repay me . " I did not know where Mrs . O'Brien lived till I got your letter . I received it at Hammersmith ax four o ' clock , and I was at the far end of the Borough at her house before six . She was
not at home when I called ; and as her apartments were locked , I walked up and down the street tillshe returned . I handed her your letter , and learning from her that she had little to expect from Committee ? , I left her an order for £ 2 opon Mr . Cleave , aud told her that I would allow her £ 2 per week during your incarceration . I called npon Mr . Cleave upon my return , mentioned the arrangement to him , and requested that he would not allow it to escape his lips to mortal matu I read your letter to Cleave to show what a weigkt it would take off your mind , and we parted . In a ftw days I understood
that a committee was abous being arranged to supply £ 1 a week , and I wrote to Cleave to that effect ; and in a day or two afterwards I received a note from Mra . O'Brien , in which she requested me to make arrangements fer her to receive her money weekly at Lancaster , and in which were these words : — " You are a kind good creature not to have forgotten me in the midst of your own trouble . " Shortly after I was consigned to the Queen ' s Bench , when Nee ? om , with some others , called upon me for the purpose of arranging a subscription fund for your family , and a ? ked my aid . I had no course left but to state what I bad already done .
Now , Sir , that" blood money you received during your whole period of incarceration , and neither my clerk , publisher , nor editor knew anything whatever of the matter till Mr . Cleave sent in the charge at the end of a quarter or half year ; and when I was questioned as to its correctness , I requested that no mention should be made of it Ie 3 t it should make the country indifferent as to your circumstances . Besides , S ; r , at tha ; time I was paving to more worthy individuals than yourself £ 6 per week ;
while I was borrowing money myself every week from Mr . A . Heywood to keep the Star on its legs ; every soul to whom it owed a penny pouncing upon me at once , in consequence of the determination of Government to put it down by persecution ; and I defy you to produce one man in England who ever heard thefactfrommethatyouhad that "blood-money " other than those I have named , until you showed your ingratitude ; and not even then except in reply is the question , " Ia it possible that you supported O'Brien ' s family while he was in Lancaster V
You complain also of the mode of receiving the pound a week . Mr . Cleave was the only agent I had in London through whom it could be paid !!! You say I knew you were not on speaking terms with him , and that he was no friend of yours . I did not know that you were not on speaking terms ; hut 1 soon fouLd out that you had uot one fr iend in London , although I had no reason to suppose that Mr . Cleave wa ^ your enemy . But , after ail , my great crime appears to consist in other people not keeping the thing secret ; so that your feelings were nut hurt by my act or' kindness , but by the knowledge that others had of it : while , the fact is , I don ' t think a dozen men in England kn ^ -w anything of the matter , while all would have rejoiced at h , had you proved deserving .
Now , Sir , what have you to say to my " unsolicited irr of kind . \ £ Ss" ? What was the r . ext ? Wnen the Convention of 1841 was sitting , I road among o : her of their proceedings , that you were in a dangerous state of health ; and what did 1 do ? I insrautly sit down and wrote to Mrs . O'B . desiring her to procure what advice she pleased , to furnish you wuh anything that you would possibly want or desire , and to send the bill to me—of ocrse to nuiN you !! What was the next I You knew that my essences
were tremendous and my calls many , and you wrote to me to York asking me if I would continue my allowance of £ 1 a week , and that you would write for the Star . What was my answer ! Write as much as you please , but without reference to the £ 1 ; you shall have a guinea a column for all you send ; that is . I observed , if you send one column , you shall have £ 2 . Is . and if two columns £ 3 . 23 . always adding the £ 1 to your allowance . And yet you were stung to the soul by this blow aimed for your destruction !!
Y ' ou have a bad memory . You ought to have a good oii . e . You have altogether misquoted my letter written to you from York Castle , and published in the Northern Star . The letter appeared in the Star , has been before the public , and your sensitiveness upon it has been universally condemned , as there was not one single syllable in it calculated to injure you , to hurt your feelings , or to lessen you in public estimation . But why was your answer to it not published ? Because it was thy most rascally , vicious , brutal , beastly , and insidious attack , that ever was made upon the Star and the Editor , and especially upon the Editor ; and at the same time you wrote to we a very polito note , saying that Mr . Hill had vow made the " amende , " by the
publication of one or your letters for which there was not room in the previous cumber . Upon reading your viperous episcie , I gent Mr . Hobson off to Lancaster , with what , you call the " rigmarole , ' to satisfy you that I had no intention of offending you . You appeared to him perfectly satisfied with the explanation ; and now , ' or the turn which the fruits of thut mission gave to tbo whole question of " correspondence , " had you even written as a correspondent , which you never did ; not one single line . Mr . Hobson having occasion to go to Chester to see the Reverend Mr . Stephens , on business , had put into his hands—what think you ! Why , a letter irom James Bronterrc O'Brien , expressing an anxiety lo be once more at liberty for the purpose of destroyinu the popularity of Dr . M'DouaU . Mr . HoOson returned to York , and full of apprehension said ,
" bir , you must bo cautions ot O'Brien , or he will ruin the movement , " and he then communicated tne fact . Now , Sir , take that communication in connection with tke following extract from your letter to Mr . Warden , written immediately after M'Douall ' s release , and of which you demand the publication ; and then ask yourself whether any sane man can come to any other conclusion , than that during the period of your imprisonment you were concocting schemes for the destruction of every leader , and fur the breaking up of the movement ? You knew that warden and Cardo were denounced by the Star and : the country as "foreign policy" men , who desired to ^ rum Chartism for a mare profitable trade . You knew that you had witten privately to tbe Editor thanking him for his exposure of tnese parties : and : yet , yon write thns to the said Warden on the 8 ; h of , Sept . 1840 , just after M'Douall ' s release : —
" My opinions coincide exactly with your own in respect of the prosessions , dinners , &c . in honour of Collins and M'Douall ; and as to the movemeut , I co :-aider it to be virtually extinct for all useful purposes . I have no cocfidence whatever in the present race of agitators , with one ortwo exceptions [ no doubt Warden and Cardo ] . They have neither the knowledge nov the integrity , neither the capacity nor the courage requisite for such a MISSION- The majority of them are actuated solely by personal motives , either the immediate one of profit , or the more remote but not less unworthy one of ambition . Not a few of them are also , I fear , confirmed spies asd embryo traitors . I could say more on tbia head than I choose to commit to print , but sufficient for the day is the evil thereof
Now , sir , eren these two circumstances were not the cause of your productions not appearing in the Star . There were others ; firstly , tod did not send awy , as you said that Captain Williams had prevented your writing !! You wrote to the Reverend ffm . Hill , it is tiue ; but such letters as would have folly justified him in kicking yeu out of his office the moment you made your appearance there . They were low , base , scurrilous , fal 8 e and ungentleman-Hke ; and while he was receiving those I was receiving communications from differeit places assuring me that nothing would so much please the readers of the Star as the substitution of Mr . O'Brien for Mr . JijH , upon his , ( Mr . Q'Brien's , ) release from prison . ' My next malicious act of kindness was after the Btuige Conference broke ap . Then I promised yon as mnch type as would start you in your new under-
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taking . Upon that oooasion I paid you £ 42 , as treasurer to a portion *» f your press fond , and you were of-coarse bo anxiooB to cancel all" obligations , " that you repaid it meafipart payment of the advanced "blood-imoney" I At 'least , from yoar great desire to repay it , one would suppose so . Bat not eo ! nor did I ask it ; nor would l have , accepted it , had you been jut enough te'have made the offer . Before I leave Birmingham , I shall dispose of the Conference . And "firstly , as to what took you there . When you were at Stroud , npon a mission to damn O'Connor and tba -Star , through Vincent and the Vindicator , you , with a few others , left the fustian jackets , and repaired to a private room , when a gentlemtn said to yoc , " O'Brien , if you were elected to the 'Sturgo Conference' would you £ o" 4 " " Yes , " was yonr reply . " I am delighted to hear it , " said the gentleman , M it would give you great moral influence ; and one man and one papse have had
ILL THEIR OWK WAY LONG KNOUGH . " Now , Sir , I never hint at things . I give ay authority . The sub-Secretary to the Chartist Association st Cheltenham , i 3 my informant ; and it was told as a sarcasm upon praise which I was bestowing upon you . You went to the conference : and you have denied what I published with regard to your conduct while there . Now there are three Imng witnesses to the material facts , ell of which you deny : Mr . Jame 3 Leach , with reference to your conduct upon all occasions when you joiaed the people ' s delegates , and Mr . and Mrs . Porter respecting the most material points ; my invitation to you and your accep'ance of it to write your own version of yeur proceedings in the Conference to the Star , in preference to your proposition that I should do it ; and also your promise to meet me on the following Monday , at the head of the Birmingham procession , to join those from Bilston and Wolverhamptoii ; and in fact as respects the entire tra-nsaction .
Lot any of yeur friends read my letter in the Star of April last , over to Mr . and Mrs- Porter and to Leach ; and if anyone of thorn wiil say that there is an inaccuracy , the publio may consider the whole as being falso and malicious . And with respect to the charge that you now make against the Editor of the Star and myself of having changed our opinions as to the first Birmingham Conference : you are wholly in error , inasmuch as we still hold to the opinions we at first expressed , and merely approve another Co iference upon , the undemanding that it shall bo a national representation , instead of a paclceu junto . As to my praise of Sturgo ; I always said tha-t he was much too good for his followers . But , as to any junction with that party upon any other terras than those contained in the resolution which I published , aad which I would have moved had the Conference me ? t , it is idle for them to hope for it . As to tho
resolution which I supported at Birmingham , I will give you a stronger case . It was I who recommended it . But what does it do ? It thanks the Conference as a distinct and separate body from the Chartists , for going bo far before thejr order ; and wherever you think proper to move the same , 1 wai support it . The Confereuco ended , tho Convention shortly afterwards assembled in London . We Hat for three whole weeks , and never did so much kiudiy good feeling and union prevail among the puoplu ' s representatives ; when , lo ! upon tho last week you made your appearance , and harmony , as if by magic , was turned into discord . Nothing but fighting'and Equabbling , rowiDg , accusations and recriminations . There , too , I was ready to smother the pasr , and to go unitedly for the future . But , no ; that would not suit your book ; you thought that in a storui alone you could live . Well , we passed the two following resolutions : —
" That this Convention deem it absolutely essenti . to the success of the Chartist movement , and to the safety of all who take a prominent part in it , that no public men connected with our cause should be denounced in any assembly of the people , or in any Dewspaper supposed to be in the interests of the people , until after the party against whom the denunciations may be levelled , has been fully heard in his own defence in the presence of tbe assembly , or through the columns of the newspaper which would denounce him ; and faithermore this Convention records its solemn determination , collectively and individually , to treat all denunciations as calumnies and misrepresentations against the parties who may be the objects of them , unless the denunciators shall bave previously invited or brought the denounced parties in presence of the public , so that a fair hearing of both sides may take place—the public as jurymen—before any public censure is awarded . "
11 That we respectfully Invite our brother Cl ' . artists throughout the empire to close their ears against all private Blander levelled against the character of the people ' s friends and advocates , and at once to silence all such attempts to recognise in such a pernicious syBtcm the destruction of union so necessary , and the frittering away of character bo essentially neoaBsury to the success of our common ciuse . We also recommend that the system of private letter writing for the purpose of creating an ill-feeling , which is generally followed by the formation of sectional parties , who invariably direct their attention to the support of individuals instead of the furtherance of the c \ use , be discountenanced . "
The first you moved , and I seconded it ; tho last I moved and you seconded it . I promised that your "blackguard letter" to Mr . Hill should be returned ; and it was returned . I pledged myeelf that any communication you sent to tho Star , ia explanation of your conduct , or in contradiction of r&y letter should bo inserted ; or any other commuiiication that was not personal . Did you take advantage of this opportunity which now and at all times you have expressed such a desiro to have afforded to you ? Did you ever try the experiment in . order to strengthen your cataloguo oi grievances if refused ? I No such thing !! You never wrote a word to ihe Star , because you had nothing to complaiu of . Now , surely to a man really desevving union , here was a wiping out of the" bye gones , "
and a fair prospect for a b ucr understanding in future . Did you embrace it ? No , you vile man ! Tho ink in which the above resolutions were written was scarce upon the paper beforo you had dispatched your secret missives all over the country , breathing fresh denunciations of O'Connor . One of those you wrote to your friend , Gray , of Manchester . He read a portion of it to a number of Chartists ; when they , very anx < ous to hear all , took the letter from him by force , and read your foul , u- > just , ungenerous and false denunciatons . Yon had the columns of the Star at your service ; you accepted-my oifer o ! type to bring out a pamphlet in numbers to introduce your paper ; and what did the first number contain \ Why , a united at'ack upon me by yourself , Vincent , and others , which of itself was sufficient to damn you as a public nun .
Now , S : r , state what act of mine , or of the Editor of the Star , between the pas .-ing of those resolutions and the * . ffVring your communications publicity , and the appearance of your pamphlet , could have justified you in such a course ? Another attempt to entrap you had nearly escaped my memory . I intended to establish a daily pa wr ; and what was my offer to you ? It was to j'jiu mn in a tour of England , Scotland , and Wales , u > r tho purpose of announcing it , at my expence ; and tho further offer to you , without a farthing's subscription towards it , to become joint proprietor with me , or to name your own terms as Editor , without risk . Iiavinu now disposed of that portion of the subject which you challenged mo to explain , I come to your senseless , foolish , and self-answering allegations as to your trial at Liverpool . Firstly , you wcro never tried for any ono of tho-e ^ fabricated speeches" of vours which
appeared in tho Star . I was tried for publishing them in the Star ' , while you was tried and convicted upon tho Manchester Guardian reporter ' s version of one oi" those said speechcB . And , curious to say , I was convicted at York , before the Judge who tried yon at Newcastle , ard was convicted for tho publication of the speech for uttering which you were acquitted ' You forget that tho Star reports were never offered in evidence except against me . You also forget that , you was acquitted at Newcastle in consequence of the imperfect rccoliectiou of the reporter ; whereas you was convicted at Liverpool upon the testimony of a reporter wlio tworo that hj had taken down every word you epoke , aud who read his notes as glibly as though they were printed . You also forget that if the Star report had been more strong against you , that that report would have been preferred to any other from any source whatever .
As to your version of my conduct , upon your trial , thera is not a child of seven years of age who heard of it , but must laugh heartily at it . " WHAT DID YOU USE THAT LANGUAGE O'BRIEN 1 " Madman ! who in court but yourself heard it , or ever heard of such a thing ?! Three barinters sat between you and me , Mr . Ciarkson . the solicitor , was at my elbow , and the Hev . Mr . Jackson , and other Chartists , were close by me : did they hear it ? No . faith ! and for the very best of all ' possible reasons : because I never opened my lips from the
time the trial began till it closed , except for tho purpose o ; instructing counsel as to the cross-examination ot Clarksou the reporter . Why , foolish man , I did ' nt even condemn your languageupon my own trial , when it might haVd been servicable to me !! But for a barrister to get up in court while counsel » vas speaking to evidence , and especially a Chartist barrister upon the trial of a Chartist , for the purpose of reproving his conduct , is too ridiculous ! ! but more ridiculous still to suppose that the great political sieve should have so long kept his mouth shut upon such a plum !
Ab to the charge of your witnesses not being in attendance , both Mrs . Lerercshe and Mr . Templeton were there in court Bnbpwned , and what were they to swear to ? Just this ; that there were better reporters than Clarkson ; but not to oontradiot one word he said . Now bear in mind that others were tried and convicted upon his evidence as well as you ; and when I mentioned the nature of the evidence we had to adduce , which was precisely the same as in your case , to the Hon . Mr , Wortley , counsel for the prisoners , he said , " Let Mr . O'Brien examine them if ae pleases , but I won't ; as it is impossible to shake that reporter ' s testimony by other evidence . There are his notes : they cannot swear that they are not substantially correct . They may damage us :
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but cannot eer ^ e us . " In this view Mr . Qarkson the solicitor , acquiesced ; and upon those grounds the witnesses were not examined for any one . But apropos of witnesses . What right hare you , of all men living , to objaot to the non-production ot witnesses for your defence 1 You , who would have me to stand so naked before the law , as to term the affidavits of honourable mea " lying affidavits . Surely affidavits areevidenoa as well as " viva voce " testimony ; and why censure that course when pursued by me , when you object to the same means not being resorted to for you ? Those persons , many hundreds , must be under aa obligation to you ! As to yoar notion of the Chief Justice stopping me in my speech , you are wrong ; and though it is not worth while to set you right , yot I wish to set the country right . He did not stop me ia my speech .
When I applied thj first day to have judgment postponed on account of ill health ; before I had spoken ten words , he said— " Mr . O'Connor you are aow answering your ovm application . " But when I spoke in mitigation of punishment in a fortnight afterwards , tho court did not interrupt me—but the people did , by their repeated cheers , not for my " cowardly , " but for my bold and uncompromising tone ; and the Chief Justice , more than once , threatened to clear the court . The same occurred upon each of the three occasions when I was tried ; and I never asked to be transported , nor did I blubber like a great school boy , but I told tho court and the jury that I would break oppression's head , or oppression should break my heart ; and that I would come out of prison a better Chartist than I went in . But you , brave man ! appearso far to honour the law as to court
Us vengoance . You speak against the employment of counsel Allow me to ask what would Frost , Williams , and Jones have done without them 1 and what did you do assist in raising the funds to pay them ? or what one service have you ever rendered to tho cause in your whole life , save and exespt tho honour that you have conferred upon it by ivmg out , of it ? As to my " feigned illness , " 1 was in my bed fourteen days , was blistered , cupped , leeched , blooded , and physicked-almost-to death . \ et 1 rose on the second Monday and would have gone into court had it not been for the injunction of both of my physicians , much too honourable men and too high m practice to be bribed by the tirst man in the land to be guilty of making " lying affidavits . "
Now , as to the recommendation to plead gmity . It proves what a thankle ? s office that of acting for others iB . It was not , 1 who recommended you to plead guilty ; it was counsellors Watson , Murphy , Wilkius , and Worthy , —all of whom had been engaged in the Chartist ; cases at York , and who had witnessed the different sentences passed upon those who went'to tna ! , and thosa who pleaded guilty . They witntssod the ca . ao . if Hoey , A&hton , and Crabtree , who got two years an i hard labour ; and some of the Sheffield , or some other , men who pleaded guilty , an'i got very , slight seiiteucos . I communicated the opinion of counsel , which strongly recommended somo to plead guilty ; and all who did were allowed to remain ouc upoa their recognizances , instead of swelling the demand upon the JSupport Fund .
To all theso matters -Mr . ; Clarkson can bear ' unbiassed testimony . He can also bear me out in saying , that not a single step was taken without tho opiuion of counsel , who lost their fees in each where their advice wa . s followed . But , base and peru'dious wrotch ! you even charge me with the expenditure of more than JE 300 of my own money in defence of prisouers , as a cr . me . Suppose I . had uot employed counsel and the prisoners had got heavy aentencos : what then would have been your chirge , and where would it have ended ? You forget that you lost all self-possession ,
and aotually insulted Mr . Clarkson iu open Court . As to the postponement of my own trial , it was just , what all the traversers , Richardson , Jackson , and others had done at the previous assizes , and for whicn I paid £ 126 . Perhaps chat was also to entrap you all ! With respect to tho lenity that my conduct gained mo from tho Attorney General , and Mr . Wightman , now a judge , you appeur to have forgotten that both one and the other opposed my application for postp » noment , and that I battled the point myself , the judge who was to past sentence upon me in a few weeks well knowing that eighteen months was in store for me .
But pray wnat lias conferred upon you the right of interference and dictation in all matters not only concerning yourself , but in those in which you can have no possible concern ! Or are you not satisfied with having assisted in banishing M'Douall , and with holding up Coopor as an object of jury class hatred ? Do you want more victims out of your way \ Just see how you correct yourself , you say : — " Instead of your suffering for me on account of the Stockport speech , it was I that suffered through your Slur s infamous misreport of i % . Its embodiment as a count in your iuuictnient at York , caused it to be circulated through ; ill tho pjpBrs in tho kingdom , and that , amongst other similar circumstances , caused no small share of the ferocious prejudice which the Liverpool jury were known to entertain towards me in comparison with my fellow prisoners . "
Now , Sir , with this perfect knowledge a . 9 to the effect of creating pnjudicH in the minds of the jury class , frcr-h in your memory ; how can you reconcile the publication of the ¦ " O'd Chartist , " and your recent attack upon poor Cooper ?! It is a most astonishing circumstance that tho man who ha .- « kas& to complain of aa to the trials in 18 ^ 9 , 40 , should bo tho only ono tocomplain . There must bo some reason for it , and the public will guess aright no doubt . You follow up your exordium wuh a most extraordinary admission .- You say that you have received scores of letteiw from O'Connoritea , but you dont wish to publish t-uch things ; while , in order , no doubt , to allaw tho public
to come to an unbiassed conclusion , you publish no fewer than six scurrilous letters from as many red-hot O'Brienites , Lovettites , and Vincentites—all anti-O' <' onnorite 8 . What a very extraordinary notion of justice you must have ! and how very fortunate to have received every one of tho a oresaid epintles , some from unknown and others from too well-known persons , just in the nick of time ! To begin also with poor Mason , and to finish with poor Burns ! You must bo bacily off for a caso . whe . u yuu are compelled to fly to t-uch sources . 'However , taking their every assert oti for fact , let us test the logic of one of thoso " praise God barcboues" Chartist Christian Churchmen— -M'Esven ; a kind of rural Dean ,
who woald charuo mo with falsehood because I asserted that , fifty places , which I had visited , supported the National Petition , while he supports his denial of it thus : — 'There were , " says he , " eighty-four delegates ; and a majority of those were opposed to the National- ' -Pciition . " Why , the great horse-god-mothcr-of-a-devil , did ' nt he know very very well that tho delegates did not represent tho ' same places th-u I had visited ? Was he not aware that a s ? t of them represented lanes btreets , and alleys , in Glasgow ? But to comment upon the imcompreheiisible stuff contained in ail this " nick-of-tiaio" evidence would be au insult ; and I have ever courted the hatred of such fellows . Bnt wliy riot pub ish one , even one letter from one honest ( J'Connorito ?
Sir , you-would audio upon mo every act done by every Chartist in the kingdom if h was displeasing to you . What have I to do with the acts of other men ; but yot . I do thank tho brave fellows who appear to ba so numorous that you cannot select a lino from ail , and so watchful that your perfidy cannot escape any . However , with reference to "Correspondence , " you ask a plain question . You say , "Let them publish the letter ; let them publish all they can : I will stand by all that is my own , whether publio or private . Would they—could they—dare they , do the simo V
Now , this is a plain question , and hear my plain answer . Aye ; and L w . 11 give you full aud entire permission to publish any letter ever written lo any one by . tno iu all my life , and I will give any man £ 10 who will send you one containing a sentence , line , or syllable , reflecting injuriously or , haviug the slightest tendency to injury one single—even the most insignificant Chartist ; and I will give the same to any man who can swear that ho has ever heard me eay one single word calculated to injure you , or even to offond you , until you deserced the cause of the people . Mow , that ' s a plain answer to your plain question . Make all you can of it . I shall now take a rapid review of your conduct since you left Lancaster Castle .
You dined with me on the 4 th of October , after the Manchester , Leeds , and Sheffield demonstrations had taken place . What awkward things those dates are ! Never did heart seem to beat warmer than did yours to meon that occasion ! You were about starting upon yout lecturing tour , and the last act that I performed was that of giving you a check for whatever monies had been collected for you at the Star office during your incarceration . I reminded you that it would be impossible to send a reporter every where after you ; but that the Star should be open to your communications . You thanked me : and it did announce your movements and published every word that was furnished complimentary to you , but no portion of your lectures ; and why ? because you asked the reporters not to
furntsh them , or rather it ; as tho lecture that you delivered at Lancaster upon tho day of yonr release was the same identical one , without alteration or emendation , that you delivered in every town through which yon passed . Mark ! I don't object to that course . On the contrary , I think it wise and prudent to set publio opinion by the same dial ; but I do object f its being matter of accusation against the Star by you and your friends as it has been , that your lecture was not reported , when such non-reporting was at your own request ! Now , let me follow you through yonr tour . You get what pence you could , and small blame to you . You did more to cause strife , confusion , and disssntion , than all the mischief-makers that over went before jou . You preached abstract notions upon
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subjects that you do not understand . Yon denounced ^ very one but J . Bronterre O'Brien . You did not make * single Chartist , but on the contrary , weakened tbefaith of many . You abased the organisation , and you told your hearers that yon thought just as much of O'Connor and the . Star as of old Walter and the Times ; and , to such a pitch did you carry your villany at Halifax , that the whole committee left yon in the room by yourself , and told you if yoH published a paper not to send any to Halifax . You intrigued and defamed with private letters , and made 6 ecret charges against every man whom you think to stand in your way . You returned after disgusting the best part of your audiences . You then went to Bath to form a coalition with Vincent and
the Vindicator . You gave him a glorious character ; and presently the Vindicator begins to fire at O'Connor and the Star : and down it went . You next went to Birmingham , and tried the dodge of intrigue there ; but they found you out . Youthen sat in the Conference preparatory to establishing a place in the " new move ? ' but , like the Devil and the Bottle Imp , they won ' t have you at any price . You then got hold of tho Statesman : your devils having pushed it for the last week of the Convention against the Star . You then turn " new move" man , and invite the League to join the Complete Suffrage Association . You would then , if pressed , sink Annual Parliaments . Then you would stand up as championfor the Ejcecutiveagainst the Star . Then the .
Executive are " cowards and traitors . " Then O'Connor is a " brave and gallant fellow . " Then " he is a coward and a traitor , and always was . " And then , Sir , to crown your villany , what do you do ? You are a professed * lover of justice : you hate the law bocau&e it doeth not justice . You charge a gentleman with being a coward and a traitor , " upon the evidenco of an anonymous writer ; and how do you prove your love of justice ? The law that you profess to despise allows the " traitor" to have a copy of the indictment on which he is charged , of the jury by whom he is to be tried , and of the list of witnesses who are to appear against hiia . The law does that . What does Jas . B . O'Brien ? He publishes the charge , and strengthens
it by adoption ; and then says that he will give the name of the only witness in support of it to any man except to the only one to whom it may be serviceable , and whoaloneis entitled to it ! " Yea , a Daniel , avery Daniel came to judgment . " Ah ! you perfidious , wretched , disappointed , self-destroyer ! think you that the keen and all-piercing eye of public opinion will fail to see through tho thin veil of patriotism with which you have attempted to cover your dark and hellibh plot for the removal of the Star and Feargus O'Connor from out your way ] Keid your list of charges against a man whose every act for the last ten years is known to every one ; and behold how they are shivered against that coat of mail with which honour is ever covered
against the assassins dart . Why , you miserable self-tormentor ! do you suppose there is a child' in England who does not know that you slaughtered the London Dispatch , the London Mercury , tho Operative , and the Southern Star , and that your assa ? s ns-hand is now armed to strike down the liriluh Statesman ? You have neither constitution , head , or stomach , for the- position to which yon would vainly aspire . You have neither knowledge , brains , nor temper to retain the position if fate had assigued it to you ; and so from your marked battery you would aim your missiles at those whose knowledge , courage , and prudence but serve as a contrast to your lack of all those attributes which distinguish a good and honest man . You would be a pensioner upon any man's bounty , rather than lead a life of industry ; thinking that times run hard wheu you are compelled to do more than " open your mouth , aud shut your eyes , aud see what God will send you . " . .
Now , Sir . I have replied to your guesses , your slanders and insiuuatious ; and the only apology that I can make to tho readers of the Star , for that space whieh your gambols have recently occupied , is the assurance , that , with my consent , your name shall never again appear in its columns . You now stand uncovered and U ' . masked before the public . 1 have never assumed oihar character than that which I ha 7 e and ever shall maintain-, that of a , honest , uncompromising , and rer . olute advocate of the people ' s rghts . My whole conduct ia before the public ; to the people I refer the question : ' by
their verdict I will be judged . If I have been a juggler , I havo been the most fascinating " , aud worst paid , that ever appeared upon the stage ; whiie I am bold enough to assert that you have lived well upon the performance of those tricks with which your audience havo become disgusted . You have well supported your position . You have succeeded in foraeiiting- and perpetuating discord from the moment you entered upon publ ic life . I trust that , in that retirement to which , sound public opinion has now consigned you , you will have time ibr reflection and repentance .
I am , the " Coward and Traitor , " F-kaugus O'Connor
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The Spkcial Commissions —We may now state with certainty , says the Staffordshire Advertiser , that Her Majesty has directed letters patent under the great seal to be issued , appointing sptcial commissions for the trials of the persons in custody on charges connected with the disturbances in the manufacturing districts . That for Staffordshire will-be opened on Saturday , the 1 st of October , on Sunday the judges will attend divine service , and on Monr day the trials will commence . Chief Justice Tindal will preside . Upwards of 200 prisoners are now in custody , committed for various offences relating to the late destructive riots in tho Potteries , and to ihe disturbances in the south of the county , who will be tried under the special commission , besides those who are out on bail on similar charges . The prisoners charged with offences not connected with the riots will not be tried under this commission . There will be speoialcom missions for Lancashire and Cheshire .
One of the privates belonging to the 2 d dragoon guards , now stationed at Newcastle , and who took an active part in the affray at Burslem , put an end to his existence , on Friday night week , by discharging a loaded carbine immediately under his chin , having pressed the trigger with his foot , by which the top of his head waB blown to pieceB . It appears that the deceased , whose name was King , had formed an intimacy with a woman at Ne 3 oastle , representing himsejf as an unmarried man ; bat his wife , having been apprised of the connexion , came to Newcastle and frustrated the intentions of the deceased . An inquest was held on the body on Saturday , and a verdict of felo dese was returned .
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EXAMINATION OF MR . WM . BEESLEY , AT BURNLEY . Burnley , Sept . 7 . —Thta day , Mr . Beealey ( nho bad been remanded from Monday , in consequence of the absence of Mr . Philip Grant , reporter for the Matches ter Chronicle , and occasionally for the M 6 mhig Herald , ) was brought before the magistrates , Mr . P . E . Townley Mr . Charles Townley , and the Rev . William Thuwby , charged with uttering a seditions libel on the 12 th day ef June last , at a meeting held on Pendla-bill . Mr . P . Grant being sworn , stated thai ha resided at Manchester—was a reporter—attended a meeting on Pendle Hill on tbe 12 th of June ; what the subjeot of the meeting was did not transpire in my presence . 16 was held on the Snbdea side of Pendle Hill . Arrived there about half-past two o'clock in the afternoon —• there were about 2600 or 2500 persons present—host ings was formed of earth and stones about » yard and a quarter high , and appeared to have required
considerable labour in the erection . There were from 20 to 30 ) persons on the hustings—I went on the hustings—there was not the slightest objection to my going on , or taking notes . The meeting waa quite peaceable , and consisted of working men , women , and boys . I began to take notes immediately when I got on ; the hustings . The copy I here produce is a verbatim copy of what Mr . Beesley said , as far as it goes . It is my own handwriting , transcribed from my note-book on the evening ; tof the meeting . The first sentence I heard was , " I have now given you my view of physical force . I will show you that if you wont unarmed , yon cannot meet the people ' s murderers , and therefore yon must have recourse to other measures ; you have the power to do anything you please if you think proper to exercise it . " dt was here arranged that the reporter shouH read bia notes through , and they should then be copied into the depositions by the magistrate's clerk , Mr . Richard Shaw . ]
Mr . Grant went on to read several pages , stating Mr Beesley ' s opinion of tbe Tories—showing the people the impossibility of making a successful appeal to physical force ; telling them that the middie classes would be sworn in special constables ! and that the formers would be yeomanry , and cut down the people to protect the landlords . That the Queen was receiving an enormous salary every year , while the people were starving ; that she had received £ 8 , 000 to learn to dance , £ 70 , 000 for new stables and learning to ride ; that she could not wash her own chemise , and was spending her evenings at balls while tbe people were starving that they should go in hundreds to the overseers and ask foe
relief ; they should also go to the parsons and demand of them to fulfil the oath they took on their ordination ; that at the next General Election , they should elect 658 men , by the voice of the people , and if they were refused admittance into the House , and were bludgeoned away , they should make a Commons House for themselves , and make laws , and let them be obeyed . He was one of those who thought working men might ba worse off . for if they lost an arm or a leg , they would be worse off ; but if they wero determined to resort to physical force , if they would show him one hundred thousand armed men , then , sooner than they should be without a leader , he would lead them on to victory and the
Charter . Mr . Beesley cross-examined the witness , and elicited from him that he was at . the police-office in Burnley previous to going to the meeting—that he had a reporter from the Times in company with him—that they travelled together in a gig to Sabden , that the London pent , stayed at a public-house in Sabden , while he ( Mr . Grant ) went to the meeting—that he left the meeting at three o ' clock , the business being concluded—that Beesley spake a considerable time—and that several
other speakers addreased the meeting during the short half-hour that he was there—that he furnished the ¦ Time ' s reporter with a copy of his notea , and they were given to the superintendant of police in Burnley— -that Mr . Grant was one of those who went from Manchester to Liverpool to swear against the Cbartists In 1839 , and that he had lost £ 100 by going down there oa that business ( Mr . Grant was evidently labouring under severe indisposition , his appearance being such as to justify a supposition tnat his days or earth are very few ) .
Mr . Beesley read a paragraph from a Manchester paper | the Guardian ) of tbe I 5 th or 18 tfi Juue , which states that he waa opposed to physical force . He also read a paragraph or two ffoin tae Manchester and Salford Adveriisev , aDd drew from the witness an avowal that he had furnished that paper with a report . Mr . B stated , that ao far ftoai being opposed to the witness taking notes , he was glad he was there for the purpose , and gave him every facility to do so . He had been condemned as a cowird for advising tha people at that meeting to rely on their moral power , and shewed the bench , by reading a parajjraph from a letter from Mr .
O'Connor to the Chartists of North Lancashire , that he bad wrote to contradict tbe report given in the Advertiser , of the 18 th June , as a gross and bass misrepresentation . He had done this when he had not the slightest idea of a prosecution being pending ; he had done it in order to set himself right with the public H s complained that the subject should fee brought forward at this time , after baving stood over thirteen weeks , and now to institute proceedings against him on the written testimony of a repo : ter , who it was evident from the facts elicited was a patty to a couspirary to crush him by depriving him of bis liberty .
John Dawhurst . of Wiialley , shoemaker , was the next
witness called on . ( This witness was eximined oa Monday last , and bis examination taken down . ) The Cierk having sworn him , proceeded to read from what purported to be his deposition given on Monday , the witness confirming what was read to him . Mr . Beesley protested against this mode of proceeding , stating that what was then read was nothing like what ha had ijiven iu his testimony on Monday ; that it appeared to him ( Mr . Baelsey ) to have been cooked up in the office and now presented to the witnsss in a polished form , so that it won ! d answer the end of bis prosecutor , by tho witness swearing to it . The following sentence will convey an idea how the thing was intended to be done : —
Clerk reads to the witness , you say that what th » defendant said wai calculated to excite the people to a breach of the peace ? and tbe witnass was composed of such materials , that if , instead of a breach of the peace it bad baen read , to keep the peace , or to set fire to the country , he would have anBWeied , Yes , Sir ? Mr-Beesley appealed to the bench and remarked , that Mr . P . E . Townley had stated on Monday , that if they could produce no stronger testimony than Dewhurst ' s , he should be Bet at lioerty . It was then agreed that the witness should be again examined , and his dc position taken down . In answer to questions , the witners said he attended a meeting on Pendle-bill on Sunday , the 12 th of June ; cannot tell what the meeting was for , but ' o rekkun it ' . wur a Chartist
inezling . Heard Beesley begin to talk . There were two or tluee thousand folks present . They came over the hill , and in the direction of Sabden . I saw Beesley there for one ; there were five or six men on the hustings . He gave a view of physical force . —I was Ive or six yards from the hustings . He encouraged the people to come forward and unite in one . body . He did not urge physical force . —said moral force was of no use . He said something about a number of men ( I have forgotten how many ) going to the Parliament house and demanding admittance to redress their grievances . If they were defeated by bludgeon men , they were to come back and mike laws somewhere else . Said something about the Quoun ' s salary —could not tell what it was—is was either £ 800 or £ 8000 , could not tell which —what he said was calculated lo excite the people to get tke Charter—Aid . not give his opinion in my hearing a ! - ) out physical force . I have no particular remark about that . —Mr Baesley here wished tke clerk to pac
down what the witness actually stated , namely , thpt he did not recom-neml physical force . The clerk said he would when tha witness swore it . After some altercation between tbe clerk and Mr . Beesley , the Rev . Mr . Thvwsby put tha question to tho -witness . Ate you positive you did noc hear him recommend physical force ? Witness—Yes . The magistrates then ordered the clerk to put it down in the deposition . Mr . Beeaky cross-examined the witness , and elicited fram him that he w ; is sent to tho meeting by Superintendent Me Cabe : be bad nothing promised him for the job . Here Mo . Cabe stated , that hu was a special constable , and after same higgling to keep back the Pt > pay system , he b ^ m to put words into the mouth of the witness . Mr . B . very politely told Me . Cabe , that henotbejng a solicitor had no right to interfere or speak . The bench concurred with Mr . B . Mr . Beesley—When was you sworn in constable ? Witness—In June last .
Mr . Beesley—Before or after the meeting ? Witness—Before . Mr . Beesley—How long before ? Witness—I cannot say ; it waa in the spring . Mr . Thursby—How Ion ? w&s it before the meeting ? Was it a month or two months before ? Witness—Two moiiths , sir . Mr . Beesley—You have now stated on 70 m oath that ou was sworn in omatable hi June , that the meeting was in June , and that you was sworn in two month * before the meeting .
Mr . M'Cabe was then sworn , and stated that b ?» along with two others , took the defendant into custody on Saturday the 3 d of September , at Holland ' s Temperance Hotel , Curzon-street , Burnley . He took possession of a travelling bag—read a list of its content *—an Address from the Complete Suffrage Union , signed Joseph Sturge , and some resolutions passed at a dele * gate meeting , ¦ were retained . Several books , two 0 ? three dozen ef Emmett ' s life and trial— Cobbett * Paper against Gold , fee ., were returned .. The Court was then ordered to ba ckared , for tba magistrate * to consult . When we again entered toe hd
court , Mr . Beesley was informed by the clerk that must be bound himself in £ 100 , and two sureties U £ 50 each , to appear at the next Lancaster ( Marco Assizes , to answer an indictment that would be preferred against him for uttering a seditious libel . B >» was immediately tendered , and accepted . Mr . M'CM » was bound over to prosecute , and the witnesses bonflo to appear and give evidence , when Mr . Bsesley was »» at liberty , and retired with his friends . ° f * r . Beesley making his appearance outalde the Saw " " room , three hearty cheers were given for the Charter »> 7 the multitudd assembled .
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Devonport , Saturday .-The Archduke £ r * gjj of Austria landed here to-day at two o ' clock , ^ S »« bs arrived in command of the Austrian frigate Be *""" at an e » Iy hour of the day .
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6 THI NO 1 TH 11 N STAR .
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TREMENDOUSLY DARING FEAT . CFrom the Northern J'imes . J An American seuman , named Michael Smith , . " . Red 23 , proposed to leap from the east side of Sunderlami -bridge into the river on Wednesday last . His intention was announced by hand-bills on the previous evening , and at the time axed , ( four o ' clock ) , hundreds of persons assembled to witness this daring and novel . exploit . Smith , learning that the officers of police would bo on the alert to prevent him accomplisning hi 3 ohj-ct . changed his dress , to evade d « teeUon , and proceeded across in the ferry-boat to the north side , which caused a little delay . On arriving at the centre of tbe bridge he instantly mounted the railing , and was preparing to throw himself off when ho vfiis seized by the police , who dragged him to the station-housa , to the groat disappointment of tho spectators . . On Thursday he was brought before the magistrates on the charge of obstructing tbe thoroughfare . The case was stated by Sergeant Paxton , and Superintendent Brown remarked
thai tbe man had been previously cautioned . Smith , in defence , said , that he was a shipwrecked mariner , and belonged to New York . He was aa experienced diver , and had no other intention in performing the feat than io raise a little money , in order that he might be enabled to fit himself out for sea . The Mayor told him that he hart no business to © bstrdct the footpiv ' . h ; if ' he would jump eff the bridge ptople must go to see him , and that the police had acted perfectly right in taking him into custodv . Sergeant PdXton here stated that Smith told the officers ha would do it in spite of them and the magistrates . Smith denied this charge , but intimated to the bench that he would yet le ; ip off the bridge , providing he could get their sanction . This , however , was refused , iind the Mayor told him that , as a foreigrer , tho bench were inclined to deal leniepfcly , and discharged him on paying costs ; but that tbe police would feet » p a strict eye upoa him , and it he disooeyed their injunctions ho would be taken up and bound over to keep the paac 6 .
THE ACTUAL LEAP . About six o ' clock in tha evening of the same day , determined not to be diverted from kis purpose , Smith went privately on the bridge , and despatched his companions to apprise certain parties who had befriended him of his determination to leap . S « veral were , howevur , disappointed , Smith having btfore they arrived i-erched himself on the summit of the lamp-frame , from whence , waving his cap gallantly , he sprang into the river Wear—a height of upwards of 1-10 feet . Oa reaching the water he struck out and swam " like a sea-bird , " to a keel or barge , from whence he saluted the spectators on the bridge and on the heights in . the style ot a true jack tar , which was immediutejy returned by a round of hearty cheers from , the astonished luultttude . It is almost unnecessary to inform our distant readers ( for ftere are few but must have heard of the fnr-fame < l iron bridge at Sundoiland ) that it ia so constructed that Urge veaaels of 400 Urns sail underneath it without striking their uiaats .
Smith has done what no man ever did before , and what , very probably , no other man will dare to attempt again . Smith ia an active , brave , jolly-hearted fellow , short made , and about twenty-three years of age . He ha * fr . queutiy leaps ! from the highest-yards and mavts of ships into the eea ; aad , ia several instances , ' jur been iaatvuuieutal in . saving the lives of his feliow-men at great peril . - Oa reaching the shore , after having achieved little less than it miracle , a number of people gathered round him , who cheerfully presented him , with trifling sums of money , when the police immediately interfered and dragged him off to the station-house , alleging as a reason that he waa " begging meney . "
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 17, 1842, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct771/page/6/
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