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VOLTAIRE ' S PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARY . The first Volume of thiB celebrated Work is now complete , and contains 614 Pages , double columns , and an elegant Portrait of the Author . This is undoubtedly the cheapest Liberal Book ever offered to -the Public . The second Volume is progressing ; Part 16 , commencing it , may now be had , and Part 17 will be ready this ensuing week .
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rrowth . of mind : and so sore as the march Oman's intellect ia onward and forward / *> « n » ffl-aaw jnfcoplsB go on , conquering and to congner . y ^ , in file language of the martyredMuir , " it is a ood oase ; it shall ultunUely ^ prevafl it shall finally ^ jjniipb . "—The conviction that- cheered thai patriot on tbe ere of banishmant from iia JoTed land , is my PQjuolitwD on the threshold of a dungeon . QenUejuen , l have done ; l-Ieave my-ease in your hand *; 1 la -re a bright to expect at your handa a verdict of gegnlttal / bat if yo » Tardicfc * hdnld : 6 e the opposite of Trtat 1 bars a tight tbanOdpate , a famst a shaU jseet the consequences of a TWdieV of Gnilly wili »^ -f ortitBde -winc h -will income me as a man , and of
g ^ t unflinching conarteney conduct , and unyielding aer otion to principle , whieh should « ver characteriia jjja man who , as X have dons , derates Ma life to the 9 gitet > 4 & his fellow-men , and the promotion of the juppiness and "welfare of the whole Jmmsn family . ; SanjsL Pxskes nest addressed the Jury . The defen dant commenced by a narrative oT his life , from M 3 youth upward ^ showing the dtfBeialtleB he jtad h& 3 to struggle against , in ^ consequence of poreriy and other , adverse circumstances , all of jjiblch hb had been ntt ^ y tma&le t © resist , ; . nctjnthstanding thai he had laboured with unwearied indns try , and had invariablyconducted himself with sobrie ty and integrity . Undine hihiself unable" to
better his condition in life , he began to suspect that there most be something radically defective in the governing system , and , after a careful examination ef facts , & arrived at the conclusion thai the poverty of the people was caused by a vicldu * system of representation , whieh could only be cured Tsy the suffra ge being made universal . The defendant . ^ 55 proceeding in this strain , when The Jcdgb interposed , and said—I most callyour attention K > the charge against you . The observations you have been making are ^ uite irrelevant . If « fery defendant is to give an account of his birth , ptreatage , and education , I am afraid I shall have * o sit here till next week .
& Juiymaa— -I . understood from an observation made by your Lordship , that we should tare laid before us the eTidehca as aSeeting ^ aeh defendant . I -srish to ask your Lordship whether it is necessary far us to si * ^ re to listen to speeches such as have lien deRvered &y the two last speakers , which have nothing whatevei io dovith ihe question ! Ihe Judge—Really , Sir , I can give no answer to anj sach question . * s that . Itis one altogether . new tome . ¦ « Mr . ( fConnor—My Lord , I beg to make an application to your Lordship , to have the question of the jur or inserted npon your notes . The Judge—Certainly jiot : 1 can take no notice of it whatever . I never had such an application BjadetomeinnyKfe . - Mr . 3 d 0 ribray—It appears to aie . 2 Dv Lord , that
Jhis question will go forth to the world . Tbe Judge—I must interrupt you . 1 can't hear yon on any such . matter . The Defendant than resumed Ms observations , and was proceeding to advocate the Charter , and xecommending its adoption , when . Tie Judge again interposed , saying , that ihe Doment yon adopt- sneh & line of argument as this I esn t hear you , because I shonld not bejnstifieo ! in listening to a discussion as to what would be the best xaeans of relieving the present distress . Defendant—Then I abandon that . TbsJndge— -There is every disposition to give the utmost attention to anything that has the remotest reference to the issne , but I cannot allow the public go © to be occupied with matter which is wholly irrelevant to this inquiry .
The defendant resumed his address , and denied altogether the charge . of conspiracy . Those parties vritfe whom he was said to lave conspl ^ d , he knew nething abpnt them , either personally or in any other way , - ; JUehard Otley next- appeared . —He viewed the evidence which had been offered in support of the prosecution as resembling a very beautiful flower , tcrand on the banksfrf the Dead Sea , It appeared very beautiful to the eye , but the moment it was touched by the hand h crumbled into pieces . So it
was with the Attorney General ' s evidence . It a > -pesred to be Tery spjedous / bnt when it came to he tested by the appHeanon of truth and common sense it was found to' be ef no effect . The defendant was abont to read from a m&nuscript , which he had in Ms possession , but on the suggestion of some friends irho sat near him , be was induced to forogo hi 3 intention , and to content himself by disclaiming ever having had the intention of conspiring with any poriion « f MBfeHowsnbfects .
George Johnson was about to address the Court , when ¦ ' ' ~ The Attoshet- Geserix intimated to his Lordship that he did cot think there was sufficient evidence against Johnson to induce him to proceed further with the charge . A TeiSict of acquittal was zccoxdingly taken . I ) efendant- ^ Then" 1 have not an ODportunity of saying anything more ! ( Great laughter . ) Charlea Storer , in Ms defence , said he had only
recommended a strike for wages , and he believed Ihe sole reaBpiL yrhy Jia ^ yas prosecnted waa , that he Lid been % strennous opponent of ihe Aati-Corn X&w X ^ a gna . / As & Charfclst , he h * d a right to mtfTtJ"Ti whatever political opinions he thought pro-¦ psr . He had advocated Cb&rtism , and be should do bo again , noiwithstanding tost ' ho might be incaroenied in a dungeon . If the Jury did him justice , howeTeTj they must acquit him , for he could Best conscientiousl y say , that lie had done nothing rrrantr .
Barnard il'Cartney , in answer to the charge igjinstiim , appealed to the past actions of Ms life , ill of which , especially during the late disturba&ces , hid been regulated by a regard for the sacredness of property , aid inviolability of person , ^ and the incule » & > B open the minds of ihe political party with whom he associated , toTespect the opinions of those irno might happen to differ with Mm . In allusion to the evidence which had been offered by the Jbtorney-General , the defendant then inquired » by ths witnesses who had given evidence against tem before the magistrates tad not been put into ihe box to state to the jury what they knew of iia . If they , had been produced ,: they would
distinctly and unhefiitaringly have declared that at the settings he had attended j he recommended the people to protect every blade of grass , and _ every squire ot glass in the country . Was tMs conijamy ! He .-trusted they were not aboat to le | il&eed under a military despotism , but that the jarj by their verdict of : acquittal would jconfirm . tai seal some of those privileges , in the enjoyment of which tluy were on all occasions priding them-» hrEsa 3 being superior to all the oiner nations of 2 a world . If any attempt was made to arrest the kguimate expression of public opinion , they would iriTe ihB people to desperate remedies , which he trusted would never be found to be the result of ft
Terdiet of a British jnry , impannelled for the purpose of putting a legitimate construction upon what tt&srimted the liberty of ihe subject . The defadint denied that any inference could be drawn fcumhe Tecent turn-out favourable to the suppoafion thai the people intended to eonspire together iw the destruction of property , for no suca tOIDg hi taken place ; on the contrary , it nad been adanted thar from the holding of the Coaferenceup io the present time , things had been tranquillising iowa to their former peacefal eharacter , Mr , MHirfeiey then allnded tothe , witness Griffin , whom is dfcDOHnced as a man who had banished all ihe "tigher feelings of human nature from Ms breast . Trio had violated every principle of honour and pwimde , for , after ! haviiig -risited him ^ ( Mr . ^ CCaitnej ) in the prison , sympathised with Mm in
ia confinemeut , congratulated him on his wlease , fkooi Mm warmly by the hand , on separating from each other , and then this Tery * an turned round , and furnished the infbrteanon , on the - - strength of wMch , he was HJaa arrested . With regard to the charge , the oefeDdant 4 eagnated the evidenea wMch had been * Waeed insapportof it , as flimsy , trifling , andoontem » nble , and such as theyconld not foand a verdict tf iniky npon . Mr . M ^ Cwtoejinstified bis attrad-* ¥ » at the meeting of delegates , wMeh Jiemajn-Jiaed was perfeetly -legal , and with regard to his ^ toeTroceedings , herald he should feel ithis duty » persevere in the advocacy of the same principles , wlesdy and boldly , ihongh at the same time , lj ? Himaie ] y , and he hoped with that respect for the * 5 HBH > nor otbera-ffMch all men claiming freedom of I 5 *« hand thought , ought hoaesily to accord ,
Joan Alinson , next proceeded to address the Jury , *« he was relieved from the the necessity of doing o , ij The Attorney-General consenting to take a ver-OJR of Acgmttal , tie ovidenee being insufficient to ^ saan the charge . * & "• Bksot , in addressing Ui © Jary , said he jDald not occupy nmeh time , as he was . conscious «» Jarj would already be fatigued and wearied ** & the incessant attention wMch this case hadrejfrired at their hands so long a time . He woald ¦"' ieay allnde to those circumstances of it wMch interned Mmself , and "he trusted they would xe--teTefromthe Jury thati consideratioh wMch might ^ ble th em » give si impartial verdict . - It was ^ «« i dificnlt to see in what w » v the evidence bore * j 5 * iBst him at all ; nesbxrald pernaps best nave eon-5 ^ Hb interest by saying nothing , for he really 2 * m no * conceive that there was any evidence at had bro
f ^ a gamst ijni . Ifoaiing been ught home ?* &a in connection with the case ; he had not ^ identified in or with it . No charge had even " ^ prefened against him , for he had never been •^ tested on &e charge contained in this indictment , ^ iaA he ever pleaded to it , Guilty or " ° i Gnfl ^ , DCTer having been required to do " « jfrae , it had been sworn by Carsledge that ' ZLW * - Beealey ) was at the Conference , bnl no f ^ t had been made to bring home Has evidence g ™ - It had not been shewn that he was the v- ^ J meant . There were many Beesleys besides Vnlv 11551 ? ? &s BOt bonad to asast the GovernmenJ t \ J !; ^ nisaons in secoring Mb conviction . Bat r ^/ ae was awaM ef this , te had no wish to ^ J aaasdf of quirks or quibbles . He was not the * = « *> sadier Mmself under ths false mantle of eva-
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sion ; hewould assert . aBlrnth-JilwajB Tviihout fear © f consequeuces . ; It had noi been proved that ha waaatiheConTewnee ; bathew ^ oSgtodeny ^ l ^ ** that Conference , ^ H * wentX * at the request and as thexepresentatiTO of theinhabitante SwAp- & ** h * J ^ Eke PWPOses in Tiew , and v ^^^ "s ^ d fneQds sho « i 4 agMn eteot Mm , he should agautfeei : it Ms duty t © attend ^ flehad Eyj ^^^ W ^ Wft » theVVerdS heshouldnot learnit , that the ban feet of his attendmgthat meetmjj OOUld beeonsiraed as a crime : Jbr he wm there , hB took part . in . the proceedings of the Conference , ud the part he , ; iook was in _ opposition te the strike :
nw oecanse he considered the strike to be nnjustifisJ > l 8 . «» .. 3 Jpg « li fcnt because in Ms ^ id gment it was mpoLtio to mix Bp the Chirtfet movement with it . He thought it calculated to retard that movement , which his heart held dearest of allthings , and hence Ma opposition to the proceedings of those who saw mo such danger , and who songht therefore «^ t = * i ?? a * lieans « f advancing that movement , if he had though * that the Chaitist nwvenwnt « ould beiaereby accelerated , he wonld have upheld the strike , though he might for so doing have been called coMpirator or branded with any other epithet which the Crown lawyers might have thought fit to apply to him . In Ms own district he had laboured to repress violence and to cause life and property to to be
respected . He was too poor to bring witnesses to speak to these facts , hut he knew them to be within the knowledge of the Attorney-General , and he might appealtohim as Ms best witness . Tha Learned Gentleman had sent out a commission to enquire into the state of his neighbourhood , and he knew that the commission had been informed that the preservation of peace had been mainly owing to his exertions . The Attorney-General knew this , and it would but have been candid in Mm to have told it to the Jnry and have saved him ( Beealey } the trouble Of doing so . The only other matter of evidence against him waa that af Superinlend&at M'Cabe , who deposed to having found in Ms carpet bag , when taking him into custody upon a former oharee .
several printed papers , purporting tobe passed by the Conference , He had no recollection of these papers , he was not aware that they were in Ms carpet-bag at all , nor had any proof been offered to tbe Court or Jnry that these were the same papers that were alleged to have beea found in Ms-carpet-bag . But , supposing them tobe so—and he had no disposition to be . nice about the matter—what then ! What was there in the possession of these documents to criminate any man ! He was sorry they had not left him an add one , or he wonld have read H to them . { A laughO The Attorney-General procured one of tbe documents from off the Judge ' s bench , and handed it to the defendant .
Mr . BeeBley read it to the Jury , and then went on to say , that though he had opposed that resolution at the Conference , he was prepared to defend it now . He maintained that there was nothing in it to merit the character which had been endeavoured to be fastened on these proceedings by the prosecution . The Conference had been sufficiently' demonstrated by the learned counsel , who { preceded him , to be a legal meeting , and the resolution was one wMoh any legal meeting was competent to pass . Mr . Beesley then went on to some other matters , not perhaps . qnite ^ revelant to the issue , and which we , therefore , omit . He concluded by reminding the Jury that they had an important duty to perform , and that though some , or perhaps all of them , might
entertain political opinions different from Ms own , they were not to permit those opinions to pervert judgment , and t » warp the cause of justice . He claimed at their hands such verdict as the circumstances and the evidence required against him , and he felt quite confident that that verdict would be" Not guilty" in any case . His principles would remain unaltered , and Ms determination to assert them equally so ; he was a Chartist : and whatever amount of persecution or imprisonment it might subject him to , he should remain a Chartist . Their verdict might consign him to a dungeon for a season , but the time would pass over ; and when the gates should be again unbarred to Mm , and he emerged into the free air of heaven , he would be the same
man . Ten thousand prosecutions could neither hurt nor harm him , for he was determined , while life lasted , to ssund the tocsin of the Charter as the death-note of tyranny and faction CHBiSTorHEB Dotle , in addressing the Jury , denied that the Chartists were the authors of the late strike , and he referred to the meetings of the anti-Corn Law party for the purpose of showing that the language used by those parties , was far more violent than that employed by the Chartists . He { Us . D . ) had always stood up for Ms rights , but he had done so fairly , honestly , and legally . On all occasions , he had recommended the people to obey the law , even though it was a bad one , so far ae their interests were concerned , and during the late strike , he had
Inculcated the same peaceful demeanour , and he Mmself prevented violence being offered to both person and property . With respect to the Charter , the defendant said that " same of its principles had been advocated by the Dnke ot Richmond , Charles James Pox , and the Marquis of Lansdowne , and it was solely on account of prejudice that those principles were not generally acted upon now . Mr . Dojle maintained that it was owing to unjust laws that the people were discontented , and he believed that so long as a system continued which allowed one portion of the community to riot in unbounded luxury , while the other portion—the producers of all wealth —were in a state of destitution , and left to pine
for the common necessaries of life , the people never would be contented , and order could not be preserved in the country . With respect to the indictment Mr . Doyle maintained the legality of the Delegate Meeting , and the resolution which had emanated from it , and concluded by saying that he should feel bound , in justice to Mb own convictions , to continue his advocacy of the Charter in future . JoxATHaJf JBjobstow defended the legality of all his act ions , with respect to the meeting of delegates , which he maintained was merely an assemblage of freeborn y . nglt « t np ""] met together to discuss a great principle . . _
WiLLtiM Wouekdxh adopted a similar line of defence , and denied having attended the meeting at Mottram Moor . Jakes Lkach addressed the Jury at considerable length . He showed most inoontestibly that the late strike was the result of deep-rooted discontent on the part of the working classes , occasioned by unjust laws and oppressive taxation , which subjected them to unceasing toil , to the lowest amount of remuneration for their labour , to great physical endurance ,, and to all the misery and privation which such a state of things was calculated to produce . Mr . Leach justified Ms attendance at the delegate meeting ; and as to the charge of conspiracy , he cheerfully appealed to those parties by whom he was best known , to say whether he had not on all occa sions enforced obedience to the law , and an abstinence from every thing approaching to outrage upon either person or property . At the close of Mi . ^ Leach ' s address ,
Mr . O'COBSOS stated to Ms Lordship that he was the last defendant who had to address the jury , and , therefore , he had to ask for an adjournment till the following morning . The Learned Judge consented , and the Court rose at seven o ' clock .
WEDNESDAY—SEVENTH DAY . Mr Baron Bous took Ms seat on the bench at Mne o ' clock . Mr . ( yCoKKOBthen rose , and addressing his LordsMpand the Jury , said , that before he entered into a consideration of this case he hoped he might be allowed in the first instance , to add Ma meed of praise to that wMch had already been bestowed upon the manner in which this trial had been conducted , from the beginning of it up to the present moment . The defendants h&d no righi to complain—they had no fault to find , and therefore they did not complain . He did not look upon this prosecution as an act of kindness , or as an act of justice , or as an act of courtesy . He went farther—he looked npon it , as
regarded himself , as an act oi grace . Alter the evidenoe they had heard , if their verdict upon it was one of guilty , it would not convey to the public mind of this country half the criminality which before this trial attachedio Ms character . When the occurrences wMch had been made the subject of investigation first commenced , the press of all parties teemed with the importance of the case , —that it was one little Bhort of-Mgh treason , and that he < Mr . O'Connor ) was the prime mover in the various transactions connected with it . He was well aware that it wonld be impossible for liim altogether to remove those prejudices wMeh for years had bees engendered in their minds . He did not seek to perform any such Herculean task , but if they left that box with those
prejudices against his character less than when they entered it , then would he have acMeved a greater triumph than even their verdict of acqoiital could give him . They bad heard several of the other defendants defend themselves , and speak disrespectfully of their verdict—he meant disregarding it . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) only comparatively disregarded it . If he destroyed their prejudices , and if the law told them that they ou ght to find Mm guilty from the evidence , let it be so 4 but , provided he destroyed their prejudices , again he would say that he should hail their verdict as a triumph . They were now to come back after this long and rambling investigation to something like a consideration of the real
ouesiion , and out of the multiplicity of ovidenee which 5 ad beenihrown before the jury , all mixed up together it wonld be his duty , although considerably relieved by the analysis of the evidence ivMoh Ms Lordship had made , to bring their mind 3 baok to the consideration of there *! charge , if any there . existed , against limself and the other defendants . They mast naturally suppose that in a prosecution of this kind the Attorney-General , on behalf of the-Crown , would lav his whole case before them . They must natuxally conclude that he would jmpport this prosecution by all ihe evidence which he could possibly produce . He admitted that the © pening speech of the Attorney-General was what the opening speech of a
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T'T 1 I ¦ lawyer sad a genflen « n ; Beeking justice ought to be . ltwas a very . different . speech from those which , under similar circumstances , be had been accustomed to hear i hut taking ; it without any contrast at all it was the speech © fa lawyer and a gentleman . He . agreed with the ¦ Attorney General that investigation was not only necessary but indispensible . After the state whioh had been represented to them -r-after ^ the Btate wMchjhad been proved to them that ihia county was ia tor a considerable time , the Attorney General would hare been JHStly charged Tilth a dereliction of duty if he had not made this solemn enquiry in a Court of Justice . ^ Bat another question followed that , namely , whether the right parties were before them : and
that was a question which he should have to submit to them : by-andrby . What was the nature of the crime with which the defendants were charged ! Did anybody understand ¦ it 1 What was the reason that , in the coiarseof these proceedings , the Jury bad been compelled to confess that they were somewhat pazzled with : ib » meaning of the indictment ! What was the reason that Ma Lordship had found it necessary to relieve , if possible , the mist whioh surrounded it , and to place it iu a clearer and more simple manner before the defendants ? Why , it wa 3 because the Attorney-General had heaped together bo many different charges as to make it impossible for any defendant to understand to what specific charge he was to apply Mmself . If this indictment had been
brought before them in a legitimate form—if rioters had been indicted for a riot , if those who had caused tumultuous and illegal meetings had been indicted for that , if those who had been guilty of a conspiracy had been indicted for that , then , his trouble would have been comparatively light , and the labour both of his Lordship and the Jury would have been much contracted . This , however , the Attorney-General had not done ; having ferretted thronghoat the country for evidence—having produced that evidence before the magistrates—and having so far substantiated their case as ; to obtain & committal , and not a single witness by whom it was substantiated having appeared in that Court to reiterate his testimony , another perambulating tour was
was made to rake up fresh evidenoe in order to substantiate these several charges . What did they want ! Conspiracy was a definable thing . The moment that an agreement took place to do an illegal act by legal means , or to do a legal act by illegal means , tkat moment the crime was perfect ; it did not require two months to complete the crime , nor was it necessary to prove < overt acts to substantiate the obarge . In order to prove the charge of conspiracy , not only must there b «» a common design , bnt there must be a privity of knowledgeand that common design , and all the acts arising out of it , must go in furtherance of it , and one conspirator must go to the extent that the others did . These were facts which wonld shortly be laid before them by his Lordship , and therefore it was the less necessary for him to trouble them at any considerable
length . Bnt let them see by whom in the first anstancs , this case was proved . The Attorney-General , in the opening of his case , Btated that the charge against the defendants was that they had conspired together to force a change in the law , by tumult and riot . There might have been some donbt as to the complexion whioh this prosecution bore up to the acquittal of Wild . There was a desire on the part of the crown to avoid evidenoe relative to the strike for labour . He had not for the life of him been able to discover why and wherefore it was that the Attorney-General sought to gloss over the case , and to put a new face upon it . But when he found the Attorney General consenting to a verdict of acquittal in favour of Wilde , because
he did not stand to the Charter , then he discovered for the first time that tMs was a political prosecution . Then he came to the conclusion that the Attorney-General had determined , whatever the evidence might be , —nay not the Attorney-General , for let it not be supposed that he laid this at Ms door , —but those who had been engaged in gettiBg ap the evidence which was presented before the magistrates , in the first instance , seemed determined to obtain a conviction , and they now proposed to do this by calling an entirel y different class of witnesses , to prove a totally different case of conspiracy . That was an important fact , and one which he hoped the jury would bear in mind . The defendants were charged with a conspiracy on
the 1 / th of August . On this branch of the case , as he was more immediately connected with it than any other , he thought he might very briefly deal with it . He was charged individually with having excited the eontinnance of a strike then in existence . Facts were stubborn things , and thanks to the Attorney-Generil , —thanks to that ingenuousness whioh had ever marked his character through life , he had acquitted him ( Mr . O'Connor ) of every charge in the indictment . Up to the time of the strike , not only bad the Attorney-General acquitted Mm of any cognizance of , or participation in it , but he had gone further , and he had borne honourable testimony to the fact , that he had resisted it . But let them see what this conspiracy was ; let them see
how it had been carried on , let them see what ihe documents referred to by the Attorney-General in Ms opening speech , were ; let them see what the nature of them was ; whether they were justifiable or not , and whether they were legal or not . The y had the evidence of the two principal witnesses for the Crown—men from whom the poor defendan s would not consent to receive a character , because they would have felt themselves degraded and lowered in their own estimation , if they had done so , —it was upon the evidence of these Siamese youths that this charge mainly depended . What had they got out of them ! Finding the state in which the country was , who ought to have been there to prove it ! Ought it to have been left to
policemen , —to the garbled reports of men who were sent out » 3 spies , to take notes ot all that was connected with these transactions ! or shenld it be the men who were interested in the preservation of the peace ! Above all , where were the authorities ! Where was the Mayor of Manchester ? Where was Sir Thomas Potter I Where was Mr . Maude ! Whsre was Colonel Weymsa ! Where was Sir Charles Shaw ! Where were all those who saw these transactions , and coald have spoken to them ! Why , they were nowhere ! The crown oould have produced them . They had failed to do so . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) had done so . The evidence wMch ought to have been brought to substantiate the case , he had brought to answer : the case . Now what
was the charge ? The defendants were charged with a crime , which , if it were true , he Bhould blush to stand up and defend himself against . There was something so appalling to the feelings of every honourable man , in a charge of conspiracy , that the mind recoiled from it with horror . Conspiracy ! what was it ! It was the secret machinations of a bad man to destroy something belonging to a good man . It was the most abominable of all crimes . He never had been a conspirator , and he hoped to God he never should . But what had they proved by these Siamese youths ! They had proved that the meeting of delegates was called two months before the strike took place . They had proved from the witness Cartledee that it was an open meeting . They had
proved that reporters were admitted : not reporting for the Northern Star alone , but for other papers ; and they had proved that no interruption had been offered to the admission of any one . What did Cartledge say 1 He admitted that the meeting of delegates was projected before the strike took place . Both he and Griffin admitted that the meeting was called to consider the reorganisation of the Chartist constitution . And they had a right to their constitution , if it was legal . He wonld not support it if it was illegal . Here , then , they had the character of the conspiracy . Here they had men who were known to differ , met to conspire . Here they had men differing among themselves met to conspire . Bat , then , they bad combined . Yes , and
H When bad men conspire , good men combine . " It was trne that the great political party with which he was eonnected , bad combined . Combined 1 For What ! For the furtherance of their own principles . —Not to conspire . It had been truly said by a very high authority , that never did good men meet for a good purpose , without being thoroughly well acquainted "with each other ; and never was an instance known of bad men conspiring together for a pad purposp , without being well known to each other , and having entire confidence in each other . Here were men met for the purpose of healing their dissensions , and he had proved that a reporter who was dimissed from Mb service , and who had , in consequence , some pique against him , was allowed to be Did
present at the meeting , at his especial request . this show conspiracy i After the character of some of the evidence that had besn adduced 1— after the fact of the noteB of policemen being preferred to their own recollections ; after the fact that those notes had been taken in running hand in a crowded meeting , —their elbows jogged ; - ^ after all this be did hope that something more substantial would have been offered on the part of theiprosecution . He had hoped that if the notes of a policeman were better than the recollection of a policeman , that the notes of a reporter , taken before he had consented to give evidence , if they had been produced , might have been purged of much that was waged against the defendants . But the reporter had not been asked for those noteB . Where were they } In his
depoationB they were—here they ; were not . If the Attorney-General had been anxious to obtain the best evidence that the case would admit of , why were not these notes read ! If there was anything in them proving the crime of conspiracy , —if there was anything proving a charge against the conspirators , why had they not beenproduced ! It was said that the speeches made at the meeting were to be suppressed . But the notes were not suppressed , and therefore , not having been produced , he was justified in concluding that there was nothing in them whioh could make against the defendants . Why what was the fact ! A deputation , from tha trades had requested admittance to the Conference , in that character ; but in consequence of his opposition , their application was refused , though at the same -time tfcey were told thai either they or Jany other parties
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might enter the room and form part of the audience . What had they heard femiGriffitt f He said that he obtained two copies of theAddress ad opted by the delegates , one of which he sent to th 0 British Statesman . Why did he not Bend his note » "J to the Statesman ? Here they had the cons iracy developed , so faras he was concerned . The At tarney General hadvsaidf that he ( Mr / O'ConhorP was opposed to the Strike . The Jury had only to deal with him from the 13 th . . to . the 17 th ; of An , gust . Eh . . ¦ osH > e made perfectly aware of the manm v in which a . charge of conspiracy could be got at . It w ? -u « ** & ^ * t 0 lo ° * » H the magic wj th which Iega , l ingenuity had surrounded this charge of conspiracy . Why . he had thouebt from th e
pjoture which had been drawn by the Attorney-General that he wag one of an audience listening to some melo-drainatid performance . He looked for the properties , —he ibbked for the masks , —he looked for the daggers , —he looked for the blue fire , —he looked for the torches , the bayonets , and the pistolSi by which this conspiracy to upset the Government was to be carried out . Horrible conspirators I Why , it was absolutely true that lie had travelled by night * in a train , with three hundred other persons . Hethen went in a cab by , himself , because nobody happened to be going Ma way —( laughter . ) He left at half-past five o ' clock in the morning , because that was the time . theltrain startedUaughter . ) He left his own house—he got to the
Euston-square station , and as he passed under the tunnels , he thought he heard amidst the rumbling of the whee / sythe echo of the conspirators voice ringing m his ears—( A laugh . ) He arrived at the scene where the conspiracy was first to be hatched . He went to bed at six o ' clock in the morning , and he never awoke till three o ' clock ia the afternoon . Ongoing to Noblett ' s house , he so concealed himself in a cab that all the people came to see and flock ronnd him—( Laughter . ) They knew from the appearance of the cab , and the smell of brimstone , that there was a very conspirator within it . The wheels knocked blue fire out of the stones , and in the midst of the glare might be seen— " Peterloo—Hunt ' s
Monumentstrike for wages—tumultuous meetings—riots—turnout the hands , and carry the Charter by tumult and violence !"—( laughter ) . He passed down to the Sherwood Inn because he was sent for . Why ! to ascertain whether hewould go to a tea-party , whioh was to be held in one of the most public parts of Manchester . A crowd gathered round . He requested them to disperse in order that it might not be said that he had done anything calculated to lead to a breach of the peace .,. Thus they would see that his first ap-C ' anoe produced a crowd . What did he do ? drove to the house of Mr . Scholefield , one of the defendants , whom he had known for eight , years . Why did he go there Because he had not heard that the meeting which
was announced to be holden that very day , had been put off , and when he reached the house , he found that Mr . Scholefield had completed the good work before him . He had not remained long , before Mr . Scholefield came from the printer ' s with a bill . He was now stripping this indictment of its technicalities . He was now / showing them in what manner they were going to parry on a conspiracy . Mr . Soholefield showed him ! the bill . He grasped his hand and said , "thank God . " He told Mr . Soholefield that if he had known this , he need not have come at all . But after having been elected two months before for a specifio purpose , he thought that if he had refused to attend , [ his motives might have been misconstrued , and , therefore , he was
determined to appear , and throw his weight , such as it was , into the scale , and to use the best means he was capable of employing , to turn this from a disastrous strike into a peaceful strike for the Charter . Well ; then he was seen no more till the 17 th of August . In tbe meantime circumstances had arisen whioh called for their interference as a political party , but they were not to be found guilty of that . if he had too much popularity , let them find him guilty of that . If the party to which he belonged , had no right to interfere , let them say so ; but let it be general , — that no other political party ia the state should interfere . The conspirators met , and they remained in conclave for four hours , conspiring against the
peace of the country . What did they do ! They passed an address , and they passed a resolution . What was the character of that resolution ! Why , it pledged the delegates that they should continue the struggle until the Charter became the law of the land . Struggle ! B&id the Attorney-General . What did that mean ! Why , what did an election struggle mean ! What did any political struggle mean ! What did they mean by a struggle on any question in the House of Commons ! Did it mean that parties should catch each other by the throat and strangle each other ! No . It meant that they were to unite and stand together . This all-important resolution , —this damning resolution , —this dark-lantern resolution , — what did it refer to ! To have the Charter then !
Not a word about : it . What they meant was to continue the struggle for the Charter—not for the strike—until it became the kw of the land . Bat then , said the : Attornet-Geueral— " Tumults and riot are not legal . You have a right to contend , if you contend peaceably , but not by tumultuous meetings . " There was no one in that Court more anxious to have a proper definition of the law on all matters connected with agitation , and with meetings , and with politics of every description , than be was himself . Nor did he think he oould produce to the Jury a higher authority than the Learned Attorney-General himself as to what constituted a tumultuous meeting . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) did not ask them to take the law from him . He had attended more public meetings than
any man living , or than any man that ever lived before Mm , and he was never yet charged with committing a single breaoh of the peace . On the contrary , he had often prevented it . The Jury should hear what was the opinion of the Attorney-General as to what constituted a tumultuous meeting . In addressing the court at Newport , in an important case , this was the opinion of the Attorney-General on that branoh of the law . The Learned Gentleman Baid " Gentlemen , the law cannot be altered by the conduct of those who are called upon to obey it ; and I make that admission to my Lords upon the bench , because , in the few remarks that I am about to make npon this part of the case , 1 do not mean to say that any change of the Jaw has occurred by
reason of the relaxed discipline of society that has prevailed tor same time past . But 1 do mean to say this distinctly , that from what has actually taken place , from % btA which has been permitted , perhaps , Gentlemen , in some instances even sanctioned ) a very different estimation is to beheld of public meetings , ay , gentlemen , and even of armed meetings , from that which might have been formed some twenty or thirty years ago , and that ihe object and themteution of the parties may justly receive at the close of the year 1839 , a construction far more favourable than , perhaps , oould fairly have been conceded in earlier periods of tbe history of this country , that you and 1 are familiar with : for 1 do not go back to- very remote periods . "
This was the opinion of the Attorney General , explicitly laid down as to what constituted a tumultuous meeting . Npw , the Learned Attorney General was at that time engaged in a proceeding which he might well suppose would go through the length and breadth of the land , and as if to give time to public meetings and strengthen their character , the Learned Gentleman went through the details of a large public meeting of no fewer than 200 , 000 persons , in London , and then addressing the Jury ia the case to which he ( Mr . O'Connor ) had referred , he said , " Gentlemen , under tbe name of agitation , what has not been done almost'in every town and in every corner of this kingdom I And if we pass—and ,
gentlemen , 1 shall do this lightly , because 1 do it relttctantly—if we pass for one moment , and take a glance at the sister kingdom , there familiarly we hear talk of a petition from 500 , 000 fighting men . Gentlemen , 1 say no more upon this point , but 1 call upon yon to temember these transactions when you come to deliver your veidict on the guilt or the innocence of the prisoner . And let it be understood that bo far as permission , if not actual encouragement has been afforded to such proceedings , that it would be most unjust to use the same measure that was formerly in use as to the motives of parties . It would not be justice to weigh in the same scales as were formerly used the trans actions about which you are making inquiry to-day . "
The Attorney-General told the Jury , at Monmouth , that the Reform Bill had altered the character of the constitution . They had heard of a petition from 500 , 000 men in the Sister Kingdom ; but they were not to look upon that as a tumultuous meeting . True , ifc was , that the penal code had been rejaxed , oat the political code had been contemporaneously made more stringent . The Attorney-General charged the defendants with attempting to upset the constitution and to change the law , by tumultuous meetings . Let them see whether this did not come late and with a bad grace . Letthem see if , independently of what they learnt f rom ? the acquittal of Wild , there was any thing more lurking at the bottom of this trial . The Jury had received evidence there , but there werd other sources from which they had received it i an well . They took ^ he law from the legislature . Were they not bound in
a transaction of this kind to defer with respect to Bttobhigh authority as the Lords and Commons ! Let them see what was the opinion entertained thereastotheorigitt of the late occurrences . He would give them some of the best names , and the highest authority of this or any other country . He would give them the name of the moat finished man , taking him all in all , of which England could now boast . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) differed with ) him in politics , but a man with snoh a mechanical head , with such combination and power of mind , as Lord Brougham , there was not another . fMr . O Connor here alluded to a recent speech of the Noble and Learned Lord , in wMoh his Lordship expressed an earnest hope that the proceedings of the anti-Corn League might be elicited at the now pending trials . ] Some persons had sought to make Lord Brougham appear a madman . Would that he ( Mr . O'Connor ) were euch an onr . Now , let them see whether the
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House of Lords and the House of Commons agreed in one thing . But before he did that , and to show what misrepresentations issued ] from the press , he would just say that he had the ! unqualified contradiotion of the Attorney-General to a statement which had appeared irithe newspapers ^ that he was coming down to Lancaster to prosecute the leading offender . The Learned Gentleman assured him that he had never us 6 d ihose words at all , and that he had been grossly misrepresented . i { The Reporter was obliged to send off his packet before the whole of his notes ] of Mr . O'Connor ' s address wers transcribed . The remainder will appear in our next Edition ; and will be inserted m our early Bdidonslnext week : so that each reader will have a full report of these important proceedings } i ¦
/ EVIDENCE FOB DEFENCE . Mr , William Sobolefield , examined b * f Mr . Cob jett . —Jam son of tbe defendant 1 reside with my father . Oa the l&h of August last , Mr . O'Connor oame to my father ' s house . He ! slept at < mx house that night . He was called up at half-past two in the afternoon . We did not expert him . My father went out of tbe house very early in the morning of that day . Ho-went to get some placards printed . It was very neau sis o ' efacfe , when lie returned . The placard now produced is one announcing the postponement ot a meeting . Mr . Kearnan was the printer , i was sent fey my father to get the bHls . 1 placed some on . the walls . j By Mr . O'Connor— li remember your tellin * my
ather to go down to the tea party , at the Carpenter ' s Hall , and make an ap » logy for jour not attending , m consequence of the esoited state of tbe town- - 1 recollect there was a long , conversation in the familv as to whether it would be prudent for you to attend . It was ultimately agreed- that my father should go and make an apology . - By the Attorney-General—I don't know how many persons were in my father ' s ohapel on the night of the 16 fch of Angast . Ijjdid not go in . r know there were some there , because I heard them passing the surgery window . I went to bed at ten o ' clock . There was a light in the ohapel . I don ' t know any person who was ia the ohapel , except Mr . O'Connor . 1 don ' t know who furbished the candles ,
except it was my brother . He is not here . Mr . O'Connor went into the chapel ^ when my father went to the Carpenters' Hall , which would be a little after seven o olook . 1 can't say how manv personspassed the surgery window . There might be a doaen . When my father returned from Carpenters' Hall , he came into the surgery to me . He was not in the ohapel during that night . 1 did not see the address of the Executive Committee before Thursday , the 18 th of August . 1 do not remember any person coming to tell my father that Turner , the printer ,, had been arrested . 1 John Northcott—I am servant ( to Mr . Kearnan , printer , of No . $ , Georgleigh- treet , Manchester . Ijl tbe month ot August lost , 1 remember my master
printing some bills for Mr . Sobolefield , the defendant . I took some of them to his house on the morning of the 16 th . He did not at that time give orders for them to be posted , but he appeared extremely anxious to have them out as early as possible , 500 of the bills were printed , which were sufficed to post the whole town . j By the Attorney-General—My master printed the placard now produced— " Run tor Gold . " It was printed before that for Mr . Soholefield , 1 think on the Monday . 1 can't say who ordered them . By Mr . Cobbett—My master prints all sorts of p lacards . There may be half a dozen sorts printed in one week . !
John Brook—I am brother-in-law to Mr . Soholefield . I am a joiner . On the 16 th or 17 th of August I was at work at his premises . ' On the 17 th I frequently went into the surgery to receive instructions concerning the work . I wasjengaged in painting some gates . The ohapel is situate between the gates and the house . Mr . Soholefield oame down to me several times during the time . jHe came through the ohapel , not out of the surgery . | By Mr . O'Connor—I remember your coming to
Mr . Scholefield , at half-past five in the morning of the 16 th . You waited till Mr . j Soholefield came from the printers . I know a man named Griffin . I remember that Mr . Scholefield once gave him a job out of charity . Griffin and I had repeated conversations about you . He said he had lost bis situation as reporter , and that he would " walk into you . " He said he would be revenged upon you . I told him he oould not . He replied that he could , and that I should be astonished when t knew how it was done . This was before you came to the house .
John Cockshott—I am a butcher iu Manchester . I was in Mr . Scholefield ' s house on the 17 th August , between ten and eleven in the morning . I went to get a bottle of medicine . I saw Mr . Soholefield . He was in the surgery . He had a few patients that he was giving bottles to . There were a number of poor people there who were begging tickets for soup . He gave them some . i Henry Holland , examined by Mr . O'Conuor—I reside at Burnley . I /' am a block-cutter to calicoprinters . I keep a temperance coffee house . lam a teetotaller . Previous to the beginning of August last , the factories were working wort time . There was great distress and excitement among all classes . la consequence of that there was strong apprehen-Bion of danger . 1 remember many meetings being held about that time of an exciting character . 1 communicated with you ' about the latter
end of July , as to the state of the district . 1 requested you to come down , and to allay the angry feeling which existed . You Came down . I attended the meetings you addressed on that occasion at Burnley and Coins . They were very numerously attended . That at Burnley was numerously attended by all classes in the town . The general tendency of your address at both meetings , lnjmy hearing was calculated to allay the excitement , and 1 am happy to say that it did allay it . A milljwas burnt before you oame , and 1 believe a reward was offered for the perpetrator of the crime . You referred most emphatically to the transaction , and ) told the people that the surest way to impede the | Charter , was to resort to acts of violence . 1 remember a meeting of Shopkeepers being held at Blackburn , at which all the points of the Charter were adopted . I attended a meeting , at Burnley , and your temperate exposition of the Charter reconciled all classes .
By the Attorney-General—The meeting at Burnley , was held in a tent erected | for the purpose . There were from 15 , 000 to 20 , 000 persons present . To the best of my recollection it was held about the latter end of June . 1 waa at a meeting held in the Town Hall , in Colne . It was densely crowded . 1 went there in consequence of my anxiety to allay the excitement which prevailed , and to hear Mr . O'Connor . Notice was given of the meeting . 1 was not a delegate . | Sir Thomas Potter , examined by Mr . O'Connor—1 am a magistrate residing at Bewley-hill , near Manchester . 1 remember the excitement which prevailed in Manchester , in August last . 1 conceive the general character of the strike , in the first instance , was for wages . I heard that a procession was to have taken place on the I 61 U of August last . 1 believe the reason why it was abandoned was , that the magistrates informed Mr . Soholefield , that it
would not be allowed , and he said he would do everything in his power to prevent it . 1 consider that the deportment of the people , at the time , was peaceable . 1 heard oi the procession on the previous 16 th of August . 1 neveT remember a more quiet 16 th of August in Manchester than the last . About the time of tbe strike , two men came to me , and said that several manufacturers were paying lower wages than others , and they wished for an equalisation . They wished ma to try to procure a meeting between the men and their masters . A man named Bell made a report to the magistrates , at the Town Hall , that Mr . O'Connor had ] arrived , but we did not think it necessary to take any precaution in consequence . The impression upon my mind as to the disposition of the people was , that it was peaceable . From my knowledge of Manchester , 1 think the condition of the people wa 9 most deplorable , in consequence of the high price of provisions , and the low rate of wages . ¦
By the Attorney-General—I don't remember what number of special constables ! were sworn in in August , but I should think 400 or 500 . The first week we had BOO troops , and after that we had a considerable re-inforcement . We probably got 1 , 500 more . I attended at the Town Ha } l . The Magistrates attended there day and night , for full four weeks . The commander of tbe district was at the York Hotel , which is close by . The special constables attended there , too , day and night , for at least a month . On Tuesday the 29 th of August I saw nothing partwaJar . On Wednesday , there appeared |{ to be a great deal of excitement . I once headed the troops to the railway , aa we had heard there was an intention to destroy the line . I can't
give the date , but I thiuk it was sometime the following week . I think there } was a ] general advice given to the millowners b y the Magistrates not to resist the mob . Individually I was not afraid . Tbe hands in the mills appeared to be [ quite ready to turn out . There was no . force required . I can't say why this advice was given . One young man came and asked if he could fire upon the mob , as he had a cannon , and oould destroy a great many of them . We told him to do no such thing . Mr . George Royle Chappell examined by Mr . O'Connor . 1 am an alderman of Manchester , and have lived there more than fifty years . 1 remember
my mill being stopped . There was { not a vestige of damage done , nor a square of glass broken . Tbe mob said they did not wish to damage property , and the hands appeared to be quite willing to turn-out as those who went to the mill , were desirous they should turn out . I conceive myself , from what 1 saw in the course of the proceedings in which 1 was personally engaged that the people had struck for wages , and 1 must say that having been in every mob in Manchester , for tbe last fifty years , 1 never saw any mob behave themselves better , or more respectably than they di < h There has been a reduction from the year 1836 , up to the present time of jfifteen per cent , on the raw material ; but the reduction in the price of manufactured goods in that time has been 50 percent .
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The depression of trade and thefalling offin . profits does not enable the manufacturers to give the fcame rate of . wages ? hut still 1 ^ think the ;^ destitution which prevailed arose more from th ^ se who were unemployed being thrown upon those who were in employment , than from any absolute , insufficiency , in the rate of wages paid , supposing the means of employment to have been general , instead of , as was the faefc , very partial , I am no _ memberof the Anti-Corn Law League , nor have _ 1
suo-Bcribed a single sixpence to any political _ party whatever . 1 went as a delegate to Sir Robert Peal , at the request of a number of my teliowtownsmen , for the purpose of laying a statement of facts before him , and expressing onr opinion . The Attorney General—1 must really object to this evidence . We are not here so discuss the existing distress , or the remedy which is to be found for it * The Judge—I thiak we can * hear statements of this kind ; they are not evidence ;
Mr . O'Connor—Then I ask no-farther questions . Jamea Rsrshaw , Esq . —I ant Mayor of Manchester . I was a magistrate in August last . I bave resided in Manchester all my life . I have a great interest is the preservation of the-peace . There has * usually been a procession in Manchester ore the 16 th * of AugTKt . I remember the time about which the magistrates issued a proclamation last year . I understood it was- intended to have had a procession on the-last 16 th of August . The magistrates said it should , not take place , and these engaged is getting , it up complied with this wisbv I am a calico printer . My works were Btopped on Thursday , th&
1 lth of August . There was no damage done to the < works . 1 < believe- the hands went oat willingly . The last 16 th > of Augpet passed off much more peaceably than we had anticipated , and , as compared with the previous days , much more peaceably . I think the greatest excitement prevailed on the & $ ; 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th . The working classes were suf&ring great distress . Speaking , of them generally , I * think their conduct was / good . There were some ezseptions . Mr . O'Connor here stated that Sir Ralph Pendlebury had been subpaened as a witness , but that be had sent a certificate to say that in eonoequence of labouring under indisposition , he coaTi not attend .
Mr . Isaae-Cleak Pray , examined by Mr . O'Connor —Ia August last , I was tbe registered proprietor of the Evening Stur newspaper , published in London . I remember tbe suppression of public meetings in London , m the month of August last , about the 23 rd . Yon were Editor of tbe Evening Star . Yea would not receive any remuneration for your services—not a penny . You gave notice that all letters , whether private or not , addressed-to you in London , should be opened in your absence . 1-have opened hnndf eds of letters marked " private /^ Your instructions aa-to what was to appear in the Evening Star , were that we should not admit anything in favour of the strike , or of an exciting character . I always thought it was your desire to make tha
country aa peaceable as possible , and I thought yoa sincere . 1 know Griffin , the correspondent , t . gava orders for the payment of his salary . 1 considered Griffin ' s mattes so inflammatory , that sometimes 1 cut tbe whole , of it out , and sometimes a part . In fact 1 thought he was aiming . to entrap me as proprietor of . the paper . 1 remember reading a letter from Griffin , in which he asked you for money to take him to America . l By the Attorney-General—The Evening , Star commenced at . the fatter end of July last year . L presume Mr . O'Connor lived in London or the neighbourhood . Mi . O'Coanor—1 wish your Lordship to ask . the witness whether the Evening Star was not principally supported by the operatives , and circulated
throughout Lancashire . Judge—Was that so I Witness—It was . Mr . James Holliday , examined by Mr . O'Connor —1 am a manufacturer residing at Oldham . l'have known you since 1835 . 1 have attended various meetings _ at whioh you have addressed the people . The general tendency of those addresses was not calculated to lead to a breach of the peace . 1 : have heard you complain that you had been much misrepresented , and that consequently much prejudice had been created , in consequence . In the speeches whieh 1 have heard you make , 1 bave thought that they were distinguished by great zeal and energy , and considerable physical strength . Br the Attorney-General—1 have been accustomed
to make speeches myself , on various topics . Mr . Titus Brooke , of Dewsbury , examined by Mr . O'Connor . —I have known you as a publia man . for ten years , and personally , for six or seven years . The neighbourhood of Dewsbury has frequently been ia an unsettled state- Hiave heard , you address public meeting * , and make exhortations to peace , when there waa a disposition to be turbulent . That has been the fact on all occasions .. I never heard you say one word which was calculated to lead to a breaoh of the peace . Among the working classes your © haracter is generally admired aa a , lover of peace . Among the middle classes you ^ are not so much admired ; but 1 think they are prejudiced . I think , taking the whole of thepopulation , thai they would accord to you the character I have
given-John Far , examained by Mr . O'Connor—I am your steward in the county of Cork . 1 have lived in your family upwards of thirty years . 1 have lived with your brother . He left me ten pound a-year , in consideration of my character . 1 have frequently seen you stand in the fields for a whole day with your labourers ,. 130 in number , conversing with tnem . From all that 1 have known and seen of you , 1 can conscientiously state thai you were always for peace . 1 remember the disturbances in the County of Cork , and the violence offered to the Magistrates aud the military . You induced the people to give up their arms , and deposited them m the servants' hall . With respect to your tenantry , you have built stone houses , where formerly mud cabins existed , and you have given the ground rent free . You paid a higher rate of wages than any other landlord .
Mr . O'CoKnob—My Lord . 1 am merely eliciting this to remove an insinuation whioh I thought the Attorney-General had thrown out , that I had employed the NorthernStar as a medium of agitation , for the purpose of pecuniary gain . The Attorney-General—1 beg to assure * Mr . O'Connor that I imputed no such motive . I was far from insinuating any suoh thing . I would not have the Jury to imagine me capable of doing eo . For if the testimony just now given had not been elicited , the Jury could not fail to witness the creditable deportment of Mr . O'Connor in their presence . He had met Mr . O'Connor before . He had met him at Monmouth on a very important occasion ; ' and what he there saw would alone have prevented him from even entertaining any disposition
to disparage Mr , O'Connor . Mr . John Ardill examined by Mr . O'Connor—1 have been your clerk ever since the commencement ot the Northern Star . 1 know that large sums have been paid by you to parties who were incarcerated for political offences and to their friends . 1 have frequently written to you to say that 1 could apt lonour your drafts they have been so numerous in . this way . During the time that you were in York Castle , you paid money to the Northern Star office . 1 believe that scarcely ever any party applied to yoa for money , when you did not give them some , or authorise me to do so . 1 have attended some
meetings at which you have been present . 1 should say that your character iB far from being an agitator for aujthiug but peace . 1 have heard you denounced many times by working men , for stopping the physical force movement , and 1 have seen letters to that effect . I know ' you have paid a higher amount of wages than any other newspaper proprietor in Leeds . 1 have known men be absent from the office for a considerable time , in consequence of indisposition , and their wages were paid , jasfc the same as if they had been at work . Mr . O'Connor—This , my Lord , 1 urge from no motive of vanity . The evidence iB important to me in . point of character .
A person named Chamberlain , living at Manchester , was called to prove that he had placed a copy of the Address of the Executive Committee on a board , at the shop door of Mr . Leach , one of tae defendants , without his permission . The defendant received an excellent character from a party who had known him for many years . Mr . O'CoNNoa here announced that this was the whole of the evidence which it was intended to offer on the part of the defendants .
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- - - THE NORTHERN STAR 5
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 11, 1843, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct925/page/5/
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