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TO MR . O'BRIEN . Yerily , Sir , you have most ingeniously attempted to light ma&y email fires around your " ui < i Chartist " pile , in order that you may escape in the smoke ; but you will please to remember that it was I , not you , ¦ whom you and the " Old Chartisv" would tie to the stake , while you , the offender , would now turn upon your intended victim , and cry out " Murder , murder ! save me , save me ! " That I have not been prompted by an over-anxious desire to recriminate , even yon must admit : at least , the country will , in my own justification 1 did not display that irrascibil ; y which you , as niy accuser , bare " manifested . I merely confioea myself to f&ots , whilf my tojal disregard of your insolent leader of the following week & 2 d my determination not to notice it , evinces no ^ reat desire to continue a dispure in which you were the offender and 1 the offended . However , in the last number of the Statesman you not only invite but dire me to the contest .
> ' ; w , Sir , bear in mind , that I sought you not . Yo . 1 grappled with my honour ; if , in the conflict , youv own should suffer damage , "blame jour rashuess , not ci \ t- merity . The prospectus of youT anticipated labours in the Char : L t cause 1 pass over ; they cover the two first paragraphs . I sincerely wish you haa omi' : cd the third , and allowed poor Cooper , in h s dungeon , the benefit of whatever lit ' . le jary-clas ^ syir . pa . thy the Morning Chronicle ha ? left him . Bui fio ; Sir , he appears : o be yoar personal enemy , and ven- ^ snee ha 3 triumphed over justice . K . iving thus bri ' . fly noticed those three paragraphs , I shall now select your sixth , which runs thus , as my text : —
" And now that I have confessed the debt , and thereby vrrifiM ilr . Hill ' s statsmest in the Star , will that reverend personage , or his great master , act an honourable i » rt ' for once in tktir lives , by acknowledging on their part that , though I « wa O'Connor the debt , I owe hin ; no gratitude for it ; bat . on the contrary , hatred and contempt . WiH they state to the public all the orcimsticce * whick preceded and followed the incurring of the obligation ! Not a bit of it ! It is cot in their nature to do justice to any man , unless the doing so ^ houid happen to suit their own private views . Tbty will mike a great noise about the pound a-weik , but ihey will cot inferm the Chartist public" lit . That the p-juad a week from 0 Connor proven ' . -A , and was intended to prevent , my family from get-ing twice that aiiount , or more , from the pnblie .
2 That it was purposely remitted in snrh a way as to p .-odnce that effect , the party selected for paying it bei' -J a person -whom O'Counor well knew to be no frieni of mine—a person with whom I was r . ot even on 8 ^ fcS terms for long Wore . A real benefactor " -BanTo good by stealth , and blush to find it fains-, " but si far YTis thU from being the style of O'dnnor ' s bec ^ voUnce , that almost every body acquainted with the parties knew of the ponad a week before it cams to my knowledge . As ray letters were subject to examination by the Governor and CLsj > lain ,-of the Gaol before tfc * y were handed to me , my wife was naturally very slow and delicate in comraunicating the circumstance I was almost the last , person to tear of it ; so much so . indeed , that soma of my fallow-prisoners actually knew of O'Connor ' s bountv before I knew of it , myself .
34 . There was no ocasicn whatever fer O Connor ' s twenty on tha occcaslon . He could hare got twice or three times the amount raised for me , without putting his hand iato his own pocket A single paragraph in the Star , with his name attached to it , and stating how my family were sitasted , would have done thd business , or , without & paragraph at all , be had but to . call a few friends togethsr to form a committee for . the purpose . Jxii ^ ed , at the time he made tbe arrangement with Mrs . O'Snen , theie was a comnnUee being formed in Lop don , thfc principal members of which kindly undertook to raise a pound a w&ek . But as soon as they learned wh ^ t OCoanor had dose , they ceased to act , as did also niiny cthtrr active friends in tee country . In short , it soon
became a g-sneraily Tintferstood thing , both in town ebnr . 'rr . taat " O'Brien rjuded no suiscriplion . as his friendO Connor had iibt rally provided for him ; ' nnrt it was s common phrase at tha time , when spe ^ ki **^ of the Tic irus— " Don t mind 0 Brien , O ' Connor lets him taint for Tio ' Jiiiig . He sehds him money regularly through his agents . I know one through whom he -sends him a pound a iveek reju ' arty' ic , ic , There are scares of persons in town and c-juctry to bear witness to the tmth of this statement . In fac ; , had O'Connor left me to my own fr . en&s , so far from coeeding his assistance , my family would have fared much better thaa they did , sad I should have escaped some sixteen months of such mental torture sad nrsery , as I would not again eciure for ail the money in England . "
Anxious as I was to steer clear of all private matters , and grieved and annoyed as I was to see any reference made to them in the Star , your challenge in the above paragraph eompels me to state all the circumstances which PRECEDED A . ND FOLLOWED the incurring of ihe obligation . " Yyu charge me with rendering you a service for the purpose of subsequently turning it to your disadvantage . That charge I mu 3 t meet by pleading preceding circumstances of a like charaetT , to which
such a motive could not be assigned . Had I served yon but in o ^ e instance , and that had been used ev&n casually to your disadvantage , ( yourself-making it cunningly the pretext ) a good chain of well-fabricate ! circumstantial events might have made a case profitable and plausible out of it . If 1 can show , howevsr , that from my fir .-t acquaintance rrith yon down to the clcss of tne Birmiagb-ra Conference , I had been laying the SAME SNARES FOR YOU . ¦ what must the world think of the construction you would pit upon my kindness I
In 1837 I established the " Northern Siar , " and very shortly alter its appearance' I engaged you as & contributor , by which you earned from two guineas to three guineas per week ; or rather you got it , for Tery slovenly and ha ^ iiy-wriuen letters of very little interest ; howevcr , you got it . Yon were poor , &s many & good man is ; a \ d your pay was nearly al-Kays in advance . Yo * irlett ? rs were low-spirited and pointless . Every one s-iw the failing off in your "homilies . " At the same time you were engaged to write & lif- 'cf Robespiere , for Air . Watson ; with this I have no more to do than merelj to use it as introductory to an act of kindness , which was of course ** intended to damn you . " Mr . Watson wrote to me to Fay rhat the state of your mind had completely subdned your energy ; and that it I would lend you £ 49 , no
doub ; it would restore you to hope . I immediately Kent to London : and though I did not lend you £ 40 , I tell you what I did do . I took you to a friena ' s hoase and borrowed £ 30 , ( . vhich I would not have done for myaelf , ) aad I mid * you a prrsent of it ; althongh at the time you was inarrear £ 15 ; thus presentingyou with £ 30 as a gift , and leaving £ 16 to be worked ont . I tbonghtyon would have gone mad with gratitude !! And huw did you repay this act of kindness ! Wty , by immediately Cfasing ail correspondence with the Star , without any other notice than the non-arrival of your weekly letter ! ! and by accepting the editorship of the Operative without any word of noiice . You thu 3 got £ 46 of my money ; and . this wa 3 there , urn you made me for it ! Tnis was in 1837 .
Nnw how did I turn that act of kindness to your destruction ? Hear , Sir . In March , 1839 , you " had pretty nearly written the Operative down ; when & deputation , consisting of Dr . Taylor and others , waited upon me . for the purpose of inducing me to take t ^ n £ 1 shares , to keep M poor O'Brien ' s paper on its legs . " I refused to take ten shares , but presented the committee with £ 10 a-s a gift . Doubtless this also was " done to damn you /' Nfse : in May , 1839 , the Rev . Mr . Hill began to fiiid the labours of Editor ? hip and the duties which his Sock required at his hands more than his health could well bear , especially as a ; that time the journey to Hull by coach was tediou ? , tiresome , and expensive . His flock desired to have more
of Ms time ; and , with m&re gratitude and honour than you have evinced , he gava me notice that circumstances- icighs compel him reluctantly to abruidon the editorship of the Star , but that , whatever tbe result mi f rbt be , he would pot desert his po ? t until I was eupplhd with a suhukute ; aud HE NAMED YOU . He did not know ybuthen . He al ~ o toi-d me that he though ? he might be equally serviceable to the cause at Hull , as he shonld probably get eoimict-cd with a paper in wbica ho would advocate the principles he had maintained in the Star . Ifeihiiig would have gnev ^ me more than parting wluh Mr . Hill ; 1 momioned the whole circumstance to you , and told yon tiiat , coxin « G £ Mi . T upon Mr . Hill bei > g comp £ LLed to leave the Star , ycu
should have the offer ; upon which you replied that Mrs . O'Brien would not live at Leeds if I gave you the Siar . but that you won ; d sdite it is Loxi > oi » . I told you that there wore other duues besides writing frora London ; and that I had tried that before . This was no proof o > ^ desire to iajure you ; ana I merely mention it h ' _ re for the purpose of exposing » deep conspiracy of which Mr . Hill was to have been the vietim , and which was hatched- by your friends at HaddersSeld for his acetruction , and of which this is the first uitunatioo he his had from me , » nd of which yew charges while in Lancaster C&stie were to form , and did fora , the groundwork . "Well , Sir , in spite even of all tbe propping ap of ihe Star you rery quickly despatched the Operative , and in Jantaryy 1840 , you started the Southern Star . Its &ppeaMBe » w& 8 &&aoano 3 a for many successive weeks , and puffed off by the " blackguard Parson , '
Bat lo ! you-had ro friena to give the necessary seeorivT to the Stamp Office , and were compelled to apply to tie *• coteard , " the " traitor ^ and the friend who but « erve 9 to damn I" You applied to me . I tflodered mypelf and was refused . That refusal would hare satisfied yon as far as I was concerned , bat it did not satisfy me . I wjshed to tkat TOtr ; aad in pood truth the way to trap you is to give yon a newspaper . However , I was cot satisfied ; and I made my solicitors threaten the Comsiissionert teith an action \ f they persisted in refuting me ; and after a hard battle I compelled tnem to accept me . Now , Sir , how the Northern Star puffed off , and copied from the Southern Star , all must recollect ; while few will have forgotten the hot water in which tk&t p&per embroiled all connected with it , and its subsequent death . But of course that was no faul ; of y » ars ! Oh no ; every misfortuc * thit befals you
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is p tenspiracy ! no indiscretion of your own has ever had any share in the departure of the many papers of which you have been " in at the death !" My next act " of kindness done with a view to entrap you , was that " UNSOLICITED ONE , " which so unnerved you , and added to the horror of your confinement , well knowing that it would be used for vour destruction ! Thai act of which you knew nothing till long after it was performed . Bat let us have yoar own words : — " Let me at once and for ever confess ' tbe report is true' that O'Comor did , unsolicited by me , advance s ponnd a week to my family during sixteen or seventeen months of my imprisonment in Lancaster Castle ; and a bitter day it was for me—the day the arrangement was made ! I was not a consenting party to it : I knew nothing abeufc it when it was mada . I was locked up at the time , and the moment I heard of it I
felt as if I were paralizdd . I knew full well the use rhat would be made of it I foresaw all that has since bsppened ; and I apprised several friends of the same . There are at least a score of persons now in the country whe can bear witness that I communicated the circumstance to them as the greatest calamity in my life . I saw at once that his object was to make a slave of me , and that , having previously failed , with all his cunning , to destroy my credit with the radical public , he would Doty , sooner or later , succeed in overwhelming me with the c ) ii ' Tabt between his own ' generosity' and my 'inyrniiiude . ' In Bhort , I told my friends that it was a sc ' jeiae of O'Connor ' s to put a gag in my mouth ; f&r , that the moment I refused to be a party to his ulterior projpets , that moment he would get me denounee-1 as an ' ungrateful wretch , ' &c , hnving previously taken go d care to gtt kis generosity whispered about all over the country . "
Now , Sir , read that ! and confess yourself the vc-it < st hypocrite and greatest liar that ever stood befure the country ! The first announcement that I had oi your condition in Lancaster WAS FROM YOURSELF , m a Utter which made me shed tears ; and in TH AT LET LER you assured ma that your sufferings would be much alleviated if I would see Mrs . O'BaiEN and make such arrangements as would render h ^ r comfortable !!! Youeaid that you had some friends in London who would probably form a committee for the purpose ; and " O how you would repay mo . " I did not know where Mrs . O'Brien lived " till I got your letter . I received it at Hammersmith at four o ' clock , and I wa 3 at the far end of tiie 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 ? trtet till she 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 upon Mr . Cleave , and told her that I would allow her £ 2 per week during your incarceration . I calk'd upon Mr . Cleave upon my re ' . urn . mentioned tho arrangement : o him , aiid requested that he would not allow it to escape his lips to mortal man . I read your letter to Cleave to show what a weight it would take off your mind , aud we parted . In a fvw days I understood that a com mi : tee was about 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 Mrs . 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 Nf > esom , with some others , called upon me for tbe purpose of arranging a subscription fund for your family , and a < ked my aid . I had no course left but to state what I had already done . ~ Svw , Sir , that" blood money" you received daring 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
queationod as to its correctness , I requertt-d that no mention should be made of n lest it should make the country indifferen : as to yuur circumttanct' 8 . Besides , Sir , at that lime 1 was pa \ iug to more worthy individuals than yourself £ 6 per week ; while I was borrowing money mystlf every week from Mr . A . Hey wood to keep the Star on its Ifgs ; every soul to whom it owed a penny pouncing upon me at ouce , in consequence of tho determination of Government to put it down by persecution ; and I defy you to produce one man in England who ever heard the fact from me that you had that "blood- money ' other than those I have Darned , until you showed your ingratitude ; and not even then except in reply t < j the question , " Is it possible that you supported O'Brien s family while he was in Lancaster ?
You complain also of the mede of receiving the pound a week . Mr . Cleave was the only agent I had in London through whom it could bo paid !!! You say I knew you wure not on speaking terms "with him , and that be was no friend of yours . I did not know that you were not on speaking terms ; but I soon foai . d out that you had not one friend in LondoD , although I had no reason to Fuppose that Mr . Cltavc was your enemy . But , after all , my grc-t crime , appears to coJitist in oih' -r poopl » n < u k « pir : g the thinn secret ; so that your feelings were hut trar : by my act oi kindness , but by the knowledge that others had of it : while the fact is , I don't think a dozen men in England knew anything of the matter , while all would have rejoiced at it , had you proved deserving .
Now , Sir , what have you to say to my " cusolicited act of kindness" ! What was the next i When the Convention of 1841 was sitting , I read among oiher cf their proceedings , that yon were in a daat ; c-rcus state of health ; and what did I do ? I ins-tamiy sit dosvn and wrote to Mrs . O'B . desiring her to procure what adviceshe pleased , to furnish you with anything that you would prssibiy want or desire , as a to itnd the bill to me—of c jvsss to huin y ou !! What wti 3 the next ? You knew that my expences
were tremendous and my calls many , and you wrote to me to York asking me if I wodld continue my allowakck 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 , it you send one column , you shall have £ 2 . Is . and it' two columns £ 3 . 2 s . always adding the £ 1 to your allowance . And yet you were stung to the soul by tuis blow aimed for your destruction !!
You have a bad memory . You ought to have a good oi . e . You have altogether mi-quoled my letter written to you from York Castle , and published in the Northern Star . The letter appeared in the Star , haa been before the public , and your sensitiveness npon it has been universally condemned , as there was not one single syllable in it calculated to injure you , to hurt your feelings , or to les ^ n ycu in public estimation . But why was your answer to it not published 1 Because it waB the most rascally , vicious , brutal , beastly , and insidious attack , that ever was made upoa the Star and the
Editor , and especially upon tue Editor ; and at the same time you wrote to n ? o a ' ery polite note , saying that Mr . Hill had now made the " amende , ' by the publication of one of your letlera for which there was not room in the previous number . Upon reading your viperouB epistle , I sent 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 for the turn whioh the fruits of that mission gave to the whole question of " correspondence , " had you even wrltteu aa a correspondent , which you never did ; not one Uncle line .
Mr . Hobsou having occasion to go to Chester to see the Reverend Mr . Stephens , on business , had put into his hands—what thiukycu ? Why , a letter from James Bronterre O'Brion , expreFsing an anxiety to be once more at liberty for the purpose of destroying the popularly of Dr . M pouall . Mr . Hobso ' n returned to York , and fail of apprehension said , " Sir , yon muat be cautious of O'Brieu , or he will ruin the movement , " and he tbeu communicated t :. e fact . Now , Sir , tako that commnuicatiua in connection with tka following extract from your lette ; to Mr . Warden , written immediately alter M'Douall ' s
release , and of which you demand the publication ; and thin ask yourself whether any sane man can ooifle to auy other conclusion , than that curing the period of your imprisonment you were ooHCOctine ; schemes for tbe destruction of every leader , and for the breaking up of the movement 1 You knew that Warden and Cardo were denounced by the Star aini the country as foreign policy" men , who desired to ruiu Chartism for a more profitable trade . You know that you had witten privately to the Editor thanking him for his exposure of these parties ; and yet , you write thus 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 th 9 pro « assions , dinners , &c . in honour of Oilins an 4 M-Dotxall ; and * s to the movemeut , I considtT it to ba virtually extinct for all useful purposes . I have no confidence whatever in the present race of agitators , with one ortiro exceptions [ no doubt Warden and Cardo ] . They have neither tbe knowledge nor tha integrity , neither the capacity nor the courage requisite for Bach a MISSION . The majority of them are actuated aolely by personal motives , either the immediate one of profit , or th « more remote but not less unworthy one of smKtion . Not a few of them are also , I fear , confirmed spies and embRTo traitors . I could say more on this head than I choose to commit to print , but sufficient for the day is the evil thereof . "
Now , sir , even these two circumstances were Hot the cause of your productions not appearing in the Star . There were othew ; firstly , tou did not send any ., as you $ aid that Captiin Williams had prevented your writing t ! You wrote to the Reverend Wm . Hill , it is Uue ; bat such letters as would have folly justified him in kicking yea out of bis office the moment yon made your appearance there . They were low t base , scurrilous , false and ungentlemanlike ; and while he was receiving those I was r eceiving 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 . Hill , upon his , ( Mr . O'Brien ' s , ) release from prison ! My next malicious act of kindness was after the Slurge Conference broke up . Then I proaised you as much type as would start you in your new under-
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taking . Upon that occasion I paid yoa £ 42 , as treasurer to a portion of your press fund , and you wero of coarse so anxious to cancel all" obligations , " that you repaid it me unpaxt payment of the advanced "blood-money" I At least , from your great desire to repay it , one would suppose so . But not bo ! nor did I ask it ; nor would I have accepted it , had you been just enough to have made the offer . Before I leave Birmingham , I shall dispose of the Conference . And fin-tly , as to what took you there . When you were at Stroud , upon a mission to damn O'Connor and the Slar , through Vincent and the Vindicator , you , with a few others , left tbe fustian jackets , and repaired to a private room , when a gentleman gaid to you , " O'Brien , if you were elected to the Sturge Conference' would you go ! " " Yes , " was your reply . "I am delighted to hear it , " said the gentleman , " it would give yon great moral influence ; and one man and one paper have had
ALL THEIE OWN WAY LONG ENOUGH . " Now , Sir , I never hint at things . I givo my authority . The sub-Secretary to the Chartist Association at Cheltenham , i 3 my informant : and it was told as a sarcasm upou praise which I was bestowing upou you . You went to the conference : and you have denied what ¦ I published with regard to your conduct while there . Now there are three living witnesses to the material facts , * 11 of which you deny : Mr . James Leach , with reference to yoar conduct upon all occasions when you joined the people ' s delegates , and Mr . and Mrs . Porter respecting tho most material points ; my invitatiou to you and your accop ' snoe of it to write your own version of your 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 Wolverhampton ; and in fact as respects the entire transaction .
Let any of your friends read my letter in the Star of April last , over to Mr . and Mrs . Porter and to Leach ; and if any one of them will say that there is an inaccuracy , the public may consider the whole as being falso and malicious . And with respect to the charge that you now make agaiust tho Editor of the Star and myself of having ohanged our opinions as to thefirBt Birmingham Conference : you are wholly in error , inasmuch as we still hold to the opinions we at first expressed , and merely approve another Co > fercnoo upon the understanding that it shall be a national representation , instead of a packed junto . As to my praise of Stuvge ; I always said that he was much too good for bis followers . But , as to any junction with that party upon any othor terms than those contained in the resolutiou which I published , and which I would have moved had the Confereuco mot , it is idle fer them lo hope for it . As to the
resolution which I supported at Birmingham , I wiil give you a stronger case . It was I who recommended it . But what does i ; do I It thanks the Conference as a distinct and separate body from the Chartists , for goiDg so far before their order ; and wherever you think proper to move tha satno , I will support it . The Conference ended , the Convention shortly afterwards assembled in London . We sat for three whole weeks , and never did so much kindiy good feeling and nnion prevail among the people ' s repressntatives ; when , lo ! upon the last week you made your appearance , and harmony , as if by magic , was turned into discord . Nothing but fighting and squabbling , rowing , accusations and recriminations . There , too , I was ready to snioi her the past , and to go unitedly for the future . But , no ; that would not suit your book ; you thought that iu a storm alone you could live . Well , we passed tho two following resolutions : —
That this Convention deem it absolutely essential to the success of tbe Chartist movement , and to the safety of all who take a prominent part in it , that no public men connected with oar causo should be denounced in any assembly of the people , or in any newspaper supposed to be in the interests of the people , until i ; ftur the party against whom the denunciations may ba levelled , has been fully heard in his own defence in the presence of the assembly , or through the columns of tho newspaper which would denounce him ; and furthermore this Convention records its solemn ilekrinination , collectively and individually , to tre . it all denunciations ? . s calumnies and misrepresentations against the partif s who may be the objrets of them , unless the denunciators shall have previously 'nvitfcd or brought the rtenouncert parties in presence of tbe public , bo that a fair hearing of both sides may take place ^—the public as jurymen—before any public centre is awarded . "
" That we respectfully invite our brother Chartists throughout the empire to close their ears against all priva ' -a slander levelled against the clm-ider of the people ' s friends and advocates , aud at once to silence all such attempts to recognise In such a pernicious system the destruction of union so necessary , and the frittering away of character so essentially nacessaty to the success of our common cause . 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 tl . air attention t'i the support of individuals iiibtead of the furtherance of the c . use , be discountenanced . "
The first you moved , and I seconded it ; the last I moved and you seconded it . I promised that your " blackguard letter" to Mr . Uill hhould be returned ; and it was returned . I pledged myself that any ' communication you seut to the Star , iu explanation of your conduct , or in contradiction of my letter should be inserted ; or any other oommu . ' iication that was not personal . Did you take advantage of this opportunity which uow and at all tiaiea you have expressed such a desire to have afforded to you 1 Did you ever try the experiment in order to strengthen your cataloguo of grievances if refused 11 No such thing ! 1 You never wrote a word to tho Slar , beeaute you had nothing to complain of . Now , surely to a man really deserving union , her * was a wiping out of the " bye gones , "
and a fair prospect for a bi . tter understanding in future . Did you embrace it ? No , you vile man ! The ink in which tho ab- ve resolutions wero written was scarce upon the paper betore 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 mmb' -r of Chartists ; when thsy , vi . ry anx'ous to hear all , took the letter from him by force , and road your foul , unjust , ungenerous and false denunoiatons . You had the columns of the Star at your service ; you accepted my offer of type to bring out a pamphlet in numbers to introduce your paper ; and what did the first number contain ! Why , a united attack upon me by yourself , Vincent , and others , which of itself was sufficient to damn vou as a public man .
Now , St , Btato v ? hat act of mine , or of the Editor of tho Star , between the passing of those resolutions aud the offering your communications publicity , and tho appearanco of your pamphlet , could have justified jou ia such a course 1 Another attempt to entrap you had nearly escaped my memory . J intended to establish a daily paper ; and what was my offer to you \ It wa . 3 to join me in a tour of England , Scotland , and Wales , for the PHrpose of announcing it , at my expence ; and the further cff . rto you , without a farthing's subscription towards it , to become joint proprietor with me , or to name your own terms as Editor , without risk . Having now dispost-a of that portion of the subject which you challenged me to explain , I come to your seussless , foolish , and self-answering allegations as to your trial at Liverpaol . Firstly , you wore never tried for any ono of tho-e "fabricated speeches" of yours which
appeared in th < 3 Star . I was tried for publishing them in the Star ; while you was triud and convicted upou the Manchester Guardian reporter's version of one of those Eaid speeches . And , curious to say , I was convicted Ht York , before the Judge who tried you at Newcastle , ard was . convicted for tho publication of the speech for uttering whioh you wero acquitted You forget that the Star reports were never offored in evidence except against me . You also forget that you was acquitted at Newcastle in consequence of the imperfect r « onllection of the reporter ; whereas you was convicted at Liverpool upon the testimony of a reportor who swore that he had taken down every word you spoke , and who read his notes as glibly £ 8 though they were printed . You also forgot that if the Slar report had been raoro strong against you , that that report would have been preferred to any othor from any 6 ouroe whatever .
As to your version of my oonduot upon your trial , thcrd : s cot a child of seven years of age who heard of it , bat muBt laugh heartily at it . " WHAT DID YOU USE THAT LANGUAGE , O'BRIEN 1 " Madman ! who in court but yourself heard it , or evor heard of such a thing ! 1 Three barristers sat between you and me , Mr . Clark 6 on , the solicitor , was at my albow , and the Rev . Mr . Jackson , and other Charfciste , were close by me : did they hear it ! No , faith 1 and for the very boat of all possible reasons : because I never opened my lips from the
time the trial began till it closed , except for the purpose or instructing counsel as tothecross-examieation of ClarkBOu tho reporter . Why , foolish man , I did'nt even condemn your Janguage upon my own trial , when it might har « been servicable to me !! But for a barrister to get up m court while counsel was speaking to evidenoe , and especially a Chartist barrister npon 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 shonld have so long kept his mouth shut upoa such a plum !
As to the charge of your witnesses not being in attendance , both Mrs . Lerercshe and Mr . Templeton were there in eourt subpetaed , and what were they to swear to ? Just this ; that there were better reporters than Clarksfcn ; but not to contradict one word ho Eaid . 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 ke pleases , but I won't ; as it ia 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 . CJarkson the solicitor , acquiesced ; and upon those grounds the witnesses were not examin- d for any one . But apropos of witnesses . What right have you , of all men living , to object to the non-production of witnesses for your defencel You , who would have me to stand so naked before the law , as to term the affidavits of honourable men " lying affidavits . Surely affidavits are evidence as well as " viva voce " testimony ; and why censure that course when pursued by me , when you obp « t to the same means not being resorted to for you ? Those persons , many hundreds , must be under an obligation to you ! As to ycur notion of the Chief Justice stopping mo in my speech , you are wrong ; and though it is not worth while to set you right , yet I wish to set the country right . Ho did not stop me in my speech .
When I applied the first day to have judg-i ment postponed on aocounc of ill health ;! before I had spoken ten words , ho said— "Mr . O'Connor you are now answering your own application . " But when I spoke in mitigation j of punishment in a fortnight afterwards , the court i did not interrupt me—but the peoplo did , by their ' repeated cheers , not for my " cowardly , " but for my I 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 bo transported , nor did I blubber like a great school boy , but I told the court and tho jury ' that I would break oppression ' s hear , or oppression should break my heart ; and that I would come out of prison a better Chartist than I want in . But you , brave man ! appear so for to honour the law as to court
its vengeance . You speak against the employment of counsel . Allow me to ask what would Frost , Williams , and Jones have done without them \ and what did you do assist in raising the funds to pay them 1 or what one service have you ever rendered to the cause in . your j whole life , save and except the honour that you have i conferred upon it by iving out of it ? As to my " feigned illness , " I was in my bed i fourteen days , was blisiered , cupped , leeched , ; blooded , and physicked almost to death . \ et 11 ' roso on the second Monday and would have gone j into court had it cot ; been for the injunction ' of boc-h ; of my physicians , much too honourable men and too high in practice to be bribed by the first man in , tho land to be guilty of making " lying affidavits . " j Now , as to the recommendation to plead guilty .
It proves what a thankless office that of acting for ; others is . It was not I who recommended you to plead guilty ; it was counsellors Watson , Murphy ,, Wilkins , and Wortley , —all of whom had been en- , gaged in the Chartist cases at York , ard who had ( witnessed the diffacout sentences pissed upon those i who went to trial , and those who pleaded guiliy . They witnessed tho case of Hocy , Ashton , and Crabtree , who go * , two years and hard labour ; and some j of the Sheffidld , or some other , mea who pleaded j guilty , and got very Blight sentences . I comm ' uni- 1 cated the opinion of counsel , which strongly recom- j mended some to plead guilty ; and all who did were i allowed to remain out upon their recognizances , instead of swelling the demand upon the Support , Fund . i To ail these matters Mr . Clarkson can bear
unbiassed testimony . He can also bear me out in saying , that not a single Btep was taken without the opinion of counsel , who lost their fees in eachi where their advice was followed . ! But , baso aud perfidious wretch ! you even charge j me with the expenditure of more than £ 300 of my own money in defence of prisoners , as a crime .. Suppose I had not employed counsel and the pri-HOiiera had got heavy sentenoes : what then would have been your charge , and where would it have ended ! You forget that you lost all self-possession , ' , and actually insulted Mr . Clarknon in open Court .:
As to the postponement of i « y own trial , it was juat what all the travorser ? , Richardson , Juckson , and others had done at tha previous ^ assizes , and for whicb . 'I paid £ 126 . Pe : haps that wa ^ also to entrap you all ! With respect to the lenity that my conduct gained uio from the Attorney General , and Mr . Wightnian , now a judge , you appear to have forgotten that both one and the other oppo-od my application for postponement , and that I battled , tho point myself , the judge who was to pass sentence upon mo in a few weeks well knowing that eighteen months was in store for me .
But pvay what has conferred upon you the right f interference and dictation in all matters not only concerning yourself , but iu those in which you can have no possible concern ! Or are you aoc satisfied with having assisted in banishing M'Douall , and withholding up Cooper as an objact of jury class hatred ! Do you want more victims out of your way Just see how you correct yourself , you say : — 11 Instead of your suffering for me on account of the Stnckport speech , it was I that suffered turough your Star s infamous mlsreport of it . Its embodiment as a cotuit in your indictment at York , caused it to be circulated through all the paptra in tho kingdom , and that , amongst other similar circumstances , caused no small share of the ferocious pr < judice which the Liverpool jury were known to entertain towards me in comparison with my fellow prisonera . "
Now , Sir , with this perfect knowledge as to the eiLot of creating prejudice in the minds of the jury class , frt ; t = h in your memory ; how can you reconcile the publication of the " OldChartisl , " andyour recent attack upon poor Cooper ?! It is a most astonishing circumstance that tho man who has least to complain of as to the trials in 1839 , 40 , should bo the only one tocomplaiu . There must be some reason for it , aud the public will guess aright no doubt . You follow up your exordium with a most extraordinary admission . You say that you have received scores of letters from O'Connorites , but you dont wish to publish such things ; while , in order , no doubt , to allow the public
to come to an unbiassed conclusion , you publish no fewer than six scurrilous Ietter 3 from as many red-hot O'Brienitos , Lovettites , and Vinoentitos—all anti-O'Connorites . What a very extraordinary notion of justice you must have ! and how vtry fortunate to have received every one of tho aforesaid epistles , some from unknown and others fvom too well-knowu persons , just in the nick of time ! To begin also with poor Mason , and to finish with poor Burns ! You must bo badly off for a caso when you are compelled to fly to such sources . However , taking their every assertion for fact , let us test tho logic of one of those " praise God barcbones" Chartist Christian Churchmen—M'Ewon ; a kind of rural Dean ,
who woHid charge me with falsehood because I asserted that fifty places , which I had visited , supported tho 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 Petition . " Why , tho great horse-god-mother-of-a-devil , did ' nt he know very very well that the delegates did not represent tho same places that I had visited } Was he not aware that a set of them represented lanes streets , and alleys , in Glasgow } But to comment upon the incomprehensible stuff contained in all this " nickof-time" evidence would be au insult ; and I have ever courted the hatred of such fellows . But why not publish one , even one letter from one honest O'Connorite 1
Sir , you would -addle upon me every act dono by every Chartist ia the kingdom if it was displeasing to you . What have I to do with the acts of other mcu ; but yet I do thank the brave follows who appear to be so numerous that you cannot select a line from all , and so watchful that your perfidy cannot escape any . However , with reference to "Correspondence , " you ask a plain question . You say , "Let the ; n publish the letter ; let them publish all they can : I will stand by all that ia my own , jvhtfcher public or private . Would they—couid they—dare they , do the Bamc }"
Now , this is a plain question , and hear my plain answer . Aye ; and I Will give you full and entire permission to publish any letter ever written to any one by me in all my life , and I will givo any man £ 10 who will send you ono containing a sentence , line , or syllable , reflecting injuriously or , having th « slightest tendency to injury ono single—even tha most insignificant Chartist ; and I will give the eamo to any man who can swear that he has over heard me say ono single word calculated to injure you , or even to offond you , . until you deserted the cause of the people . Now , 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 tho 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 your 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 b « impossible to send a reporter everywhere after you ; but that the Slar should be open to your communications . You thanked me : and it did announce your movements , an . d published every word ' that was furnished complimentary to yoa , but no portion of vour lectures :
and why ? because you asked the reporters not to furnish them , vr rather it ; as the leoture that you delivered at Lancaster npon the day of your release was the same identical one , without alteration or emendation , that yoa delivered in every town through whioh you passed . Mark 1 I don ' t object to that course . Oa the contrary , I think it wise and prudent to Bet public opinion by the same dialj but I do object to its being matter of accusation againBt the Star by you and your friends ^ as it has been , that your lecture was toot reported , when such non-reporting was at your , own request ! Now , lot me follow you through your tour . You get what pence yoa could , and small blame to you . You did more to cause strife , confusion , and dissention , than all the mischief-makers that ever went before you . You preached abstract notions i pom
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subjects that you do not understand . You denouueed every one but J . Bronterre O'Brien . You did not make a single Chartist , but on tbe contrary , weakened the faith of many . You abused the organisation , and you told your hearers that you thought just as much of O'Connor and the Star as of old Walter and the Times ; and , to such a pitch did you oarry your villany at Halifax , that the whole committee left you in the room by yourself , and told ym if you published a paper not to send any to Halifax . You intrigued and defamed with private letters , and made secret charges against every man whom you think to stand in your way . You returned after disgusting the best part of your audiences . Youthen weut to Bath to form a . coalition with Vincent and
the Vindicator . You gave him a glorious character ; find 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 ; " buf , like the Devil aud the : Bottle Imp , they won ' t have you at any price . You then got hold of the 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 Executivoagainst the Star . Then the Executive are " cowards and traitors . " Then O'Connor is a " brave and gallant fellow . " Tken " 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 bocause it dceth not justice . You charge a gentleman with being a * ' coward and a traitor , " upon the evidenoe 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 oa which he is charged , of the jury by whom he is to be tried , and of tho list ' of witnesses who are to appear against hia . The law does that . What does Jas . B .
O Briani He publishes the charge , and strengthens it bf adoption ; and then says that he will give the name of the only witness in support of it to any man exceps to the only one to whom" it may beserviceable ^ and whoaloneis entitled to it ! " Yea , a Daniel , a very Daniel came to judgmont . " Ah J you perfidious , wretched , disappointed , self-destroyer ! think you that the keen aud all-piercing eye of public opinion will fail to see through the thin veil of patriotism with which you have attempted to cover your dark and hellish plot for the removal of tho
Slar and Feargus O'Connor from out your way ? ftead your list of charges against a man whose every act for the last ten years is known t © 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 , the Operative , and tho Southern Star , and that your assassins-hand is now armed to strike down the British Statesman 7 You have neither
constitution , head , or stomach , for the position to whioh you would vainly aspire . You have neither knowledge , brains , nor temper to retain the position if fate had assigned it to you ; and so from your masked battery you would aim your missiles at those whoso 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 ' a bounty , rather thau lead a life of iadustry : thinking that tinifts riln
hard when you are compelled to do more than open your mouth , and shut your eyes , and see what God will send you . " , Now , Sir , I have replied to your guesses , your slanders and insinuations ; and the only apology that I can make ta the readers of the Star , for that space which your gambols have recently eecupied , is the assurance , that , with my consent , your name shall never again appear in its columns . You now stand uncovered and uvmasked before the public . I have never assumed other character than that which I
have and ever shall maintain , that of a honest , uncompromising , and resolute advocate of the people ' s rghts . My whole conduct is before the public ; to the people I refer tho question ; by thfir verdict I will be judged . If I have been a j ' -iggler , I ha . vo been the most fasoinat ; ng , and worst paid , that ever appeared upon the sta # o ; while I am bold enoui ^ h to assert chat you have lived well upon the performance of those tricks with which your audience have become disgusted . You have well supported your position . You have sucoeeded in iou . eiiting and perpetuating discord from the moment you entered upon publ iolife . I trust that , in that retirement to which sound public opinion has now consigned you , you will have time for reflection and repentance . I am , the " Coward and Traitor , " . Feabqus O'Connor .
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TREMENDOUSLY DARING FEAT . ( From the Norttiem Times . ) An American seaman , named Michael Smith , aged 23 , proposed to leap from the east aide of Suuderland-biklge into tbe river on Wednesday last . His intention wa 3 announced by haud-billa on the previous evening , and at the time fixed ( four o ' clock ) , hundreds of persons assembled to witness this daring and novel exploit Smith , learning that the officers of police would be on tbe alert to prevent him accomplishing his ohj ct , changed his dress , to evade detection , and proceeded across in the ferry-boat to th « north aide , which caused a little delay . O ; i arriving at tha centre of the bridge he instantly mounted the railing , and was preparing to throw himself off when he was Beizad by the police .
who dragged him to the station-housa , to the groit disappointment of the spectators . On Thursday he was brought bfcfore the magistrates on the charge of obstructing tbe thoroughfate . The case was stated by Sergeant Paxton , and Superintendent Brown remarked that the man had been previously cautioned . Smith , in defence , said , that he was a shipwrecked mariner , and Iwlo&ged to N > jw York . He was an experienced diver , and had no other intention in performing tbe f « : it than to raise a little money , in order that he might be enabled to fit bimttelf out for sea . The Mayor told him that he had no business to obstruct the footpath : if he
would jump eff the bridge people mast go to see him , and that the police had aoted perfectly right in taking him into custody . Sergeant Piixton here stated thM ; Smith told the officers he would do it in spite of them and the magistrates . Smith denied this eharge , but intimated to the bench that he would yet leap oft the bridge , providing he could get their sanction . This , however , was refused , and the Mayor told him that , as a forei ^ rer , the bench were inclined to deal leuient ' y , and discharged him on paying costs ; but that the police would keep a strict eye upon him , and if be "disobeyed their injunctions he would be taken up and bound over to keep the peace .
THE ACTUAL LEAP . About six o'clock in the evening of the sama day , determined not to be diverted from his purpose , Smith went privately on tue bridge , and despatched his companions to apprise certain parties who had bafriendtKi him of hia determination to leap . Several were , however , disappointed , Smith having before they arrived perched himself on the summit of the lamp-frame , -from whence , waving his cap gallantly , he 3 prang into t ' ny river Wear—a height of upwatdB of 110 feet . Oa reaching the water he struck out and swam " like a acR-blrd , " to a keel or barge , from whence he aalutvd the spectators on the bridge and on the heights in tbe style of a true jack tar , which was immediately returned
by a round of hearty ch-jers from the astonished multitude . It is almost unnecessary to inform" our distant raadera ( for there are few but must have heard of tbe far-famed iron bridge at Sundeviaud ) that it . ia so constructed that large ve ; se ! s of 400 tons sail underneath it without striking their maats . Smith haa doou what no man ever did before , and what , very probably , no othor man will dare to attempt again . Smith i 3 nn active , brave , jolly-hearted fellow , short made , and about * * twenty-three years of age . He has frequently teapai fi'om the highest yards and masts of ship * iutQ tlie sea ; and , in several instances , bais been iu at vu mental in uaving the lives of his fellow-men at grant peril . Ok reaching the shore , after having achioved little lees than * . miracle , a i ; uu : ber of people gathered round him , who cheerfully presented him . with trifling . sums oi money , whan the -polico iwmediataly interfered and dragged him oft" to the station-house , alleging as a reason that he wa 3 " begging money . "
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ii ¦ i —¦ ¦ ¦ Hi- i ¦ ! ¦ - —¦^ i ^^ ^^^ j ^ ' ' m EX AMINATION OF ' ^ W jL BEESLEY Burnlei , Sept . 7 . —This day , Mr . Beesley ( wh 8 had been remanded from Monday , in coDscquence 6 t tfe absence of Mr . Philip Grant , reporter for the Jfaaeta . Usr Chronicle , and occasionally for the Mormn ^ u ^ rgi was brought before the magistrates , Mr . P . E . Towaler , Mr . Charles Townley , and the Rev . William Thuiibf , charged with uttering a seditions libel on the 12 th d » of June last , at a meeting held on Pandle-hill . Mr . P . Grant being sworn , stated that ha resided g Manchester—was a reporter—attended a meeting oa PcndleHill on the 12 th of Jane ; what the subject < rf the meeting was did not transpire in my presence . \\ was held on the Sabden side of Pendle Hill . Arrived , thsre about half-past two o ' clock in the afternoon-, there were about 2000 or 2500 persons present—bast * ings was formed of earth and stones about * yard ao ^ s quarter high , and appeared to have required considers ble labour in the erection . Tdere 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 was quite peaceable , and consists oi working wen , women , and boys . I beg-as to take notes immediately when I got on the hustings . Tb » copy I here produce i&averhatim copy of what Mr Beesley said , as far as it goes . It is my own handwriting , transcribed from my note-book oa the evening of the meeting . The first sentence I heard was , "I have now given you my view of physical force , twill show you that if you went unarmed , yon cannot meet the people ' s murderers , and therefore you must have recourse to othtr measures ; you have the power t-j do anything you please if you think proper to exercise ft . ' dt was hera arranged that the reporter shouM read nfi notes through , and tbiey should then be copied into the depositions by the magistrate ' s clerk , Mr . Richard Shaw . ] . . ;
Mr . Grant went on to retd several pages , stating lli * , Beesley ' s opinion of the Tories—showing the people U * impossibility of making a successful appaal to physics force ; telling them that tbe middie classes would be sworn in special constables , and that the farmers wouli be yeomanry , and cut down the p « op ] e to protect thj landlords . That the Qieen was receiving an enormwu salary every year , while the people were starving ; that ehe had received £ 8 , 000 to learn to dance , £ 70 , 000 f « ne w stables and learning to ride ; that she could not wash her own chemise , and was spending bar evenings at balls while the people were starving ; that they should go in hundreds to the overseers and ask foi
relief ; they should alao go to tbe parsons and demand of them to fulfil the oath they took on their ordination ; th'it at the next General Election , they should elect 653 men , by the voice of the people , and if they were refos . ed admittance into tbe House , and were bludgeoned away , they should make a Commons House for them salves , and make laws , and let them be obeyed . Ha was one of these who thought working men - might bt worse off , for if they lost an arm or a leg , they would be worsa off ; but if they were determined to resort to phy sical force , if they would show him one hundred thoa » sand armed men , then , sooner than they should be -with out a leader , he would lead them on to -victory and tha Charter .
Mr . Beesley cross-examined the wltnens , and elicited from him that he was at the polioe-office in Burnlejr previous to gelug to the meeting—that he had a re * porter from the Times in company with him—tbat thqy travelled together in a gig to Sabden , that the Londot Kent , stayed at a public-house in Sabden , while he ( Mi Grant ) went to the meeting—that be left the meetiof at three o ' cloek , the business being concluded—thai Beesley spske a considerable time—and that seven ! other speakers addressed the meeting during the short half-hour that he » was there—that he furnished tf » Times reporter with a copy of his notea ^ and they wen given to the superintendent of police in Burnley—tint Mr . Grant was one of those who went from Manch * ter to Liverpool to swear against the Chartists in 1830 , and that he had lost £ 100 by going down there oa tint business ( Mr . Grant was evidently labouring und « severe indisposition , hia appearance being such as to justify a supposition that his days or earth are veij few ) .
Mr . Beesley read a paragraph from a Mancheste paper ( the Guardian ) of the I 5 th or 18 ih June , - whici states that he was opposed to physical force . Heal *) read a paragraph or two fro ; n tbe Ifanchester and Salford Advertiser , aoA drew from the witness an avowil that he had furnished that paper with a report . Mr . £ stated , that » o far from being opposed to the witnea taking notes , he was glad he was there for the parpoa , antl save him every facility to do so . He had been condemned as a cowird for advising the people at ttat meeting to rely on their moral power , and shewed thj b » nch , by readinjf a paragraph from a letter from Mt
O'Connor to the Chartists of North Lancashire , that la had wrote to contradict the report given in the Advertiser , of the 18 th June , as a gross and base misrepresai tation . He hid done thiswhsn he had not the slightest idea of a prosecution troing pending ; he had done it to order to set himsslf right -with the public . Hacompkinoi that the subject should be brought forwards this time , after having stood orer thirteen weeks , and now to institute proceedings against him on the writta testimony of a reporter , v ? ho it was evident from tha fiots elfcited waa a party to a conspirary to crush hia by depriving him of his liberty .
John Dewhnrst , of Whalldy , shoemaker , waa the next witness called on . ( This witness was examined on Monday last , and bis examination tak « n down . ) The Clerk having sworn him , proceeded to read froa what purported to ba his deposition give : i oa Monday , the witness conarming what wa 3 read to him . Mr . Beesloy protested against this mode of proceeding , stating that what was then read was nothing like what he had given in his testimony on Monday ; that it appeared to him ( Mr . Bdelsey ) to have been cooked u in \ . he office aivd now pteseated to the witness in i polished form , so that it would answer th » end of bil prosecutor , by the witness swearing to it The following sentence will convey an idea how the thing wu intended to be done : —
Clerk reads to the witness , you say that what thi defendant said was calculated to excite the people to i breach of the peace ? and the witnass was composed of such materials , that if , instead of a breach of thepeaa it had been read , to keep the peace , or to set fire to tht country , he would have answered , Yes , Sir 1 } Mr . Beesley appealed to the bench and remarked , that Mr . P . E . Townley hod stated on Monday , that if they could produce no stronger testimony than Dawhurst ' i , bo should bo sat at liberty . It was then agreed that the witness shonld be again examined , and his d « - position taken down . In answer to questions , the witness said he attended a meeting on Penile-ha on Sunday , the 12 th of Jane ; cannot tell what the meeting was for , but ' o rekkun it $ vur a Chaiiui
mating . Heard Beesley begin to talk . There were two or three thousand folks present They cams over tl » hill , and in tbs direction of Sabden . I saw Beeilej there for one ; there were five « six men on the butinga . He gave a view of physical force . —I was Ivbot six yards ( torn the hustings . He encouraged the peopl * to come forward and unite in one body . He did sot urge physical force . —said moial force traa of no n » Ho said something about a number of men ( I hav « forgotten how many ) going to the Parliament house aw demanding admittanco to redress their grievances , a they were defeated by bludgeon mea , they wewto come back and miifea laws somewhere else . S 3 id toot
thing about the Qieen's salary—could not tell what " was—it was either £ 800 or £ 8000 , could not tell wbidi —what he said was calculated to excite the people top the Charier—did not givo his opinion in my be « ii 4 aV > out physical force . I have no particular remi » about that . —Mr . Beesley hero wished tke clerk to pti down what the witness actually stated , namely , tb « t « did not recommend physical force . The clwk said ha would when the witness swore it . After some alteration between the c ' . &vk and Mr . Beeaky , the Rev . Thnr 3 by pnt the question to the witness . Are 1 < positive you did not hear him iecommynd pby 5 ** force ? Witness—Yes . The magistrates then ordered
the clerk to put it down in the depositisn . Mr . Beasley cross-examined the witness , end elicit * frsm him that he was sent to tha meeting by Super * fcendenfc Me . Cabd : bo had nothing promised him j ' the job . Here Me . Cabs stated , that he was a sprcW constable , and after some higgling to keep back tw P » pay system , he bogan to put words into the mouth <» the witness . Mr . B . very politely told Mo . Caba , tnai he not being a solicitor had no right to interfere ° r speak . The bench concurred with Mr . B . Mr . Beesloy—When was you sworn in constable / Witness— In June lost Mr . Beesley—Before or after the meeting 1 Witness—Before . Mr . Beesley—How long before ? Witr . tBS—I cannot say ; it was in the spring . Mr . Thnrsby—How lorw wm it before the
msstmg-Was ft a month or two months before ? Witness—Two months , sir . .-. Mr . Beesley—You have now stated on your oath jr * ou was sworn in ooastabte In June ,- that the n ^ rTj v . as in June , and that you waa sworn in two diodb » before the meeting . * ^ Mr . M'Cabewas then ewora , and . stated that * : ' along with two others , took the defendant into co « W on Saturday the 3 d of September , at Holland ' s T- ^ FJ nnce Hotel , Coizon-street , Bnraley . He took P 08- ** " * , of a travelling bag—read a list of its contend- *; Address from the Complete Soflrage TJaion , » jp ? Joieph Sturge , ' and some resolutions passed at a <» £ gate meeting , were retained . ¦ Several books , tff ^' three dAgen ef Emmetfs life and / trial—CobWO
Paper against Gold , Ac ,-were returned . / tha The Coart was then ttrdered to b « cleared " , »* £ magistrates * to consult .- When ' -we again eoteiea court , Mr . Beesley was Informed byr the clerk tW * must be bound himself In £ 100 , and . two ««< $% ) £ 50 each , to appear at the next Lancaster ( . M *^ Assies , ts answer an Indictment that would . wr ^ ferred agains * him for uttering » seditious ^\^ was Immediately tendered , and aeoeptW . ^ Mr . » . was bound over to prosecute , and th » * witnessesj w * j ^ to appear and give evidence , when Mr . Bsesiey w » at liberty , and -retired with his friends . V » Be-sley making * his » ppearanee outside the a * -- ^ room , three bearty cfaeera were giren for the CWIW # tbs mnltitndd assembled .
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Dbtonpobt , Saturday . —The Archduke ^ Dg of ~ AUStria-landed here to-day at two o w ^ nM aVk arrived in command of the Austrian irig »»•*•**" at an early hour of the day .
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6 THi KO 1 T . H 1 . 11 ? STA 1 , :
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The Special Commissions . —We may n <> w state wiih certainty , saya the Staffordshire Advertiser . that Her Majesty has directed letters patent un : tr the great seal to be issued , appointing gpicial commissions for the trials of the persons in custody on charges connected with the disturbances in
themauufac . aring districts . That for Staffordshire will be opened on Saturday , the 1 st of October , on Sunday the judges will attend divine service , and on Monday the trials will commence . Chief Justice Tin ; l « l will preside . Upwards of 200 prisoners are now in custody , commuted for various offences relating to the late destructive riots in the Potteries , and to the disturbances in the south of the county , who will be tried under the special commission , besides those who arc out on bail on similar charges . The prisoners charged with offences not connected with the riots will riot be tried under this commission . There will be special commissions for Lancashire and Cheshire .
One of the privates belonging to the 2 d dragoon guards , now stationed at Newcastle , * and vjho took an aotivo part in tho affray at Burslem , pnt an end to his existence , on Friday night week , by discharging a loaded carbine immediately under his chin , havin " pressed the trigger with his foot , by which the top ol his head was blown to pieces . It appears that the deceased , whoBe name was King , had formed au intimacy with a woman at Newcastle , representing himseif as an unmarried man ; bnt hia wife , having beea apprised of the connexion , oarae to Newcastle and frustrated the intentions of the deceased . An inquest was held on tho body on Saturday , and a verdict of ft lo de se was returned .
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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-ncseproduct905/page/6/
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