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THE TRIAL.
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nuk Leeds .—Pnnted for the Proprietor FEAR GffS O'CONNOR, Esq. of Hammerflnuth, County
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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LANCASTER ASSIZES . ( Continued from our last week ' s pa _ perJ Mr . D'Cossob in continuation said : ~ - lHovr as to the late disturbanceF , what did they find ! Lord Stanhope con ? ^ ratolated the country on the little damage occ \ isioned to property and life . Lord Broughar , n charged the ieagne with heing the cause of tie disturbances Hi . Walter charged the Poor La * * r with being the cause . Mr . Cobden charged the landlords with being tho cause , I ^ rd Francis TSgerton-charged the J ^ earne fr ^ a being thenraatse , and other persons had -r ^ .- ^ -d it npan the" GonBervatrresI Here , then , v Jtz six parties . The flouse of Lords and the House of Commons c&ar £ * \ ire parties with being the originators of the -. ch ^ urhances ; and nobody had
cbxrged it against tbe Chartists but the Attorney-General . Bit there ^ as something extraordinary in -this most extraordinary case . The gentleman who Jsad got tip this prosecution , reminded him of an old « porfin ^ friend . -Be had a very fine hunter , which required a saddle-wide in the gullet , fall in the seat , and comfortable ioiideapon . The horse died ; and lie was so good liat the hunting gentleman went down into the market with the saddle to find another horse ihat It weald fife . So it was with ¦ the gentleman who had got up this prosecution . He went down into the manufacturing districts , with his saddle to find who it would fit \ He tried it upon the League ; but finding that the Chartists had the broadest shoulders , and that they were wide
in the gullet , he plated the saddle upon their backs and girthed it fast about them—( laughter ) . Now , this case had been before the magistrates before the Crown -Gentlemen undertook to bring it before a jury . The magistrates , who were most interested in the preservation of the peaw , brought evidence to substantiate the case before themselves . What was ihe fact now ! Why , the Crown Gentlemen had adopted the sliding scale , and they- had got an entirely new hatch of witnesses , save and except the Siamese youths . The conspirators were charged with having earned & resolution . It spoke of a *» struggle , " What a struggle the Learned Attorney-General and his party must have had against the "Whigs for the last ten years ; and what a struggle
they should hare for the next ten years to come , if he ( Mr . O'Connor ) was blessed with health and strength to direct it . Bat , mark , not by violence . Be was not a conspirator , and never had been ; and , what was most extraordinary , after all the pillaging and ransacking , and breaking ipto houses withont search-warrants , not a line had been found which could , yx the slightest degree affect the " great conspirator . * There was the red hex of patches , picked up here -and there , and -which he would recommend the Crown to send to the Chinese exhibition . ( Laughter . ) " Why had tney not found anything against him ? Because he never was a conspirator , and he never wrote a private political letter to any man in ail his Me .
What did the resolution do , about . which they had heard so much ? It approved of those who were turned out of work remaining bo till they got the wages that they had turned out for . Then they came to speak of as address . The Attorney-General said ifcafc this resolution recognised the Extcnuve address . What if it did ? They might recognise anything . Lord Chatham approved of the defection of America , and of the separation of America from ihe mother country . Was that conspiracy 1 But it was said that they were accessories after the tact , in the lists . He wished that-they had got some better definition of the law . He ( Mr . 0 Connor ) did not understand what an accomplice after a tumult meant ? Did the Attorney-General mean to
say that if a man went to a not or a fight , and that tiro days after the riot he told another that he took part himself , or that he saw oihers do so , did that make him an accessory ? It was no wonder that he should he a conspirator if by that ¦ was meant an approval of what was right . He now came to an important fact—the trades * resolutions . They were passed in the face of the Magistrates . What part had the trades taken in this transaction 1 Why , they were , to come out and join in the struggle lor the Charter . He believed that the Attorney General would not oeny this fact , that every man in this conspiracy , as it was termed , icust have contributed to 'he same extent . The Jury would remember that the
Attorney-General had examined Ganledge at some length—Griffin not at bo great a length . Why ? Because Cartledge was not sworn to one word contained in his depositions . The Attorn = y-Gene- ' ral was afraid of testing -Griffin ' s aemorj too much . Tne very man who appeared before the magistrates to support the weight of the case , had left the witness box without proving anTtnin * at ai except what made for the defendants , w bat did the evidence of ifcese two max amount to 1 li was all in favour of the defendants . The Crown conld not get over it . If they took their evidence against him , they must also take it for him . What aid Cartledge say ? He admitted that he had attended hundreds of Kiee ' viuss at which he ( Mr . O'Connor )
had spoken , and that he never heard him ntttr one word at variance with the duty of a good subject . Griffin declared the same thing . He wooid as * , the Jury could Griffin ' s notes tell against him , when Griffin himself had told them th 3 t concerning him there was nothing against him . Bat it was saia tuas he had been seen in compaty with Dr . M'Douali- A Tery natural consequence . They were delegated for the ^ ame purpose ; and in speaking of delegates , the Jury should bear in mind that Leach was no dele gate at all . He merely formed one of the audience ; and Railton , who was one of those who . composed the trac es'deputation and wbo was refused admi nance in that character , was there as a defendant . He now came to speak of the Executive address , which they
had declared to be a bold and manly address . ' In the year 1843 , was he to be convicted of that 1 » as it an offence at common law 1 Was he to be convicted for saving that this was a bold and manly address 1 If ie wished t © go further , might he not have adopted the address ? But the trnth was , that he had nothing whatever to do with it . He was in do way connected wiih it . Now , Itt them see whai had been done at the "Conference btyond what had teen given in evidence . How were they to learn that ? By conjecture , and that only . Tailing in getting at the truth from Griffin , he was compelled to deihat which the Crown onsjht to have done , and to make patch work of it . Tney found that he Cdx G'Gounorthad done nothingjand , therefore , they had
indicted him for a riot , and put him in all descriptions of counts , as they ealled them , for the purpose ol reaching him under some of them . They could not prove him to be a party to any riot , or tumuli , or eenspixacy . He deiied inem to do it with truth . Sow , the address of the Conference being founded upon the trades' resolutions , the Jury wonld probably a = k why they were not in Court . That was a question ¦ which they must individnally ask themselves . They were not there . Now , they had it from all tne witnesses , and let the Jury bear in mind thai the crown could not get over it j every witness for the fonr first days proved this vital fact , which tae Attorney-GeneraJj or rather he wonld e&v the prosecution , did Dot see the drift ot—namely , tnat when they were asked to "the time when violence ceased , and when
peace was restored , they swore , without distinction , that about the 20 ih of August tranquillity was restored . The Northern Star of the 20 ih of Augu » i , reported the meeting of Conference , and from that -day , peace was restored , and the conspirators had ¦ done their work . That was something that the Attoroev-General could not get orer . What was ¦ conspiracy ? . it implied secrecy . What was toe charge against the defendants ! -Secrecy 1 What was their proof ? Publication . Thi 3 was odd . If the Attorney-General meant to charge them with -conspiracy , he might have put a thousand in the indictment . Suppose a man committed a very bad act , and suppose that ho directed attention to it , and said is was a bold and manly act ! What
tViATir Suppose _ . a man met another on the highway ana knocked ont his brains , should be be called an accessory because he raid it was a bole and manly act 1 But apart from these technicalities , in what position did he etand . He had been held np as a conspirator , but he had achieved the character of a peace maker , and the Attorney- General had given him credit for it . Heiad it so full and bo plump , that for She last day oriwothey could not contradict it . "The Crown auding ^ rha * his motives were , and seeing what he had been driving at , said ; ** Ihis won ' t do . 'V ^ Bie Attorn ^ -General had borne testimony to hk -character . Uut then it was said that fee tumult lasted for four weeks after the » egining xif Aurast . Wfe&t had baen done ? Thev
had brought inew batch ofiiftee . n witnessess . Now let them Bee haw the Attorney-General had proved Mus charge of conspiracy , tfhe witness Hildyard saw him ( Mr- O'Connorjat Mr . Scholefield ' s bouse , at nme o clock is the morning . He was ordered to go there , becanse he wa 3 told there was to be a secret meeting . Secret meeting £ Why , the trades were routed—dispersed , and obSesame day , this policeman wasBent to the spot where ihe conspirators were to have met . * Did he ixeport tjaa to the authorities ! Me was sent to watch Mr- OKonnor . Then he wssable to report to the magiBtsa . tes where he ¦ was . Had they any symptoms of lie fact that he aid report to toe maeiateatea where . the * Man d eon .
roiratorof allwaa , conspiring for the 4 ea $ rnorion of all Hie property of the xountry ! Bestracfton of rproperrj i What said men of all asaxtiesi They said | h&t H made Ihem more j ^ oleed than ever in the name af Tin ^ jg ^ igivt , to see that the people had so much power in their taods , and yet that they used it so mildly ; What said the Lords and . the Commons , repeated , and reechoed through the press 1 Why , that there could have been no conspiracy on the part of the working classes , because they seemed to have had so high a veneration for property- 'and for life . It was on record that > many parties yrho were actually starving went among those whom they thought were likely to commit a breach of the peace , in order-to prevent it . Why they had thiB fact indisputably proved . Thig indictment was laid in coniinuendo , The de-
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fendants had no power -to jusiify—no power to prove an alibi . It was laid -xs never had indictment been laid before . If the defendants had been indicted each for some specific offence , they might hare established an alibi , and justified . But here they were all mixed up all together , in this all-embracing indictment . Be would call their attention for a moment to the manner in which these disturbances commenced in Manchester . The men in Messrs Bailey ' s mill trirhed out . They were told in point of face that " they might go and play for a month . " They were seen at the head of every procession . They turned out others , and \ here was the commencement of all the outbreaks and revolutions which the learned Attorney-General had conjured up before
them . The jury had heard Pilling ' s address . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) wished that he had not heard it . He wished that the Court had not heard it . The pictnre which Pilling had drawn was the case of thousands and tens of thousands , who had themselves become conspirators , for the purpose of keeping up their own labour . They had the defendants before them . They had seen their demeanour . They had heard their defences . Ont of so many speeches , the jury must have discovered what "was ingenuous and what was disingenaous . He had extracted from Bome of the witnesses a good character for them , and yet they were not obliged to him for it . The jury wonld see whether , out of the lump , they could produce the truth . Allusion bad been made to the charge of Lord Chief
Justice Tindal , at Stafford . He had very properly made the distinction between a mountebank and a zealous politician . He had told the country that if a man expressed his opinions zealously , and in language that did not pass the prescribed limits of the law , yet his opinions were to be respected . Chief Justice Tindal did not tell the people that they were to respect what was illegal , but that the opinions of a man , however warm y they might be avowed , if they did not absolutely go beyond the Jaw , were to be honoured as the " conscientious convictions of the man who uttered them . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) had attended more public meetings for the list ten years than any other man living : aad if he was asked which party in the conntry bad
been the most violent , he might be disposed to allude to one whose writings and speeches were prominently before the public : but as his object was not to make out a case of prosecution against any party or any body of men , he should abstain from anv further reference to snch a topic . It was enough that he answered for himself . He had had the honour of sitting for three years in the House of Commons , by the side of the Attorney-General , and , during that period , he was as zealous a politician as ever entered the House . He hud been out of the Honse of Commons for nearly seven years , a&d during that period , he had spent £ 12 , 000 of his own money in advocating this cause . And , now , how consolatory it must be to him—how he must
rrjoice that in a Court of Justice—in the presence of those who knew him best—who knew all the transactions of his life , that he had an opportunity of giving a triumphant refutation of the paltry aspersions of those who had insinuated that he was indnced to pursue this course , and to give an impulse to this cause , from some personal benefit he expected to derive . He as . -erted , without fear of a denial from any quarter whatever , that he had never received a fraction of a farthing for any public services he had rendered from the day he was born . He bad never even travelled at the expence of the Chartist body . He had never defended himself at their expens « . He had never received a farthing of their money . On the
contrary , he had paid hundreds of pounds to their funds . Nay , so delicate had he always been on this point that he had uniformly made a practice of paying for his own ticket ot admission to any public demonstration of the Chartist body . So far from making mon ^ y of tbat extraordinary golden thingthe Northern Mar , he went to it a rich man , and it had left him » poor man . He had spent a fortune in the advocacy of the Charter , and yet he was represented as a political trafficker , and that he had established the Northern Star , as a means by which to excite the people , in order 10 make it a medium of pecuniary profit to himself . He had got witnesses from Ireland , who had known him all his life . Tne Jury Bhould hear those who had known him from
his childhood ; and they would then discover that , years before he established the Northern Star , he did that in theory vrhich he now made his practice-They should not find him guilty of lip service . They should find that he had paid as much as £ 20 a-wetk for the support of the friends of those who were suffering from prosecutions of this kind . If fee had been a person , who , from pliancy of disposition and principle , had coasenied to make merchandize of his political pr inciples , he might have £ 10 , 000 for his purchase , but a » he had scorned to be bought so he declared to God that he woulo never sell his principles to any parly whatever . A trafficking politician 1 Why , such was the pecuniary gain which ks had derived from the
agitation that he had cut down a thousand pounds worth of timber from his own estate to meet the demands which his defence of the Charter had brought upon him . Besides this , he had sold an estate bringing him in £ 350 a year , all paid down . He had been engaged in thirteen contested elections , and be never reccivea a fanning from any committee , or from any other source , to enable him to carry out his principles . Tais was lonj ; before he became connected with the Northern Suir . The jury miftht think this unimportant , but they would see that he wa 3 establkhing his character ; and this to him w as the more important , seeing ihe manner in which he had been held np by those who , having no principle of their own , were tver ready to impute dithonesty
to others . No—it was not from the poor Cbartis ; s that he ever looked for asy remuneration for all the labour and the sacrifices he had made in their cause . He bad never taken pence from the Chartist Defence Fond . In 1839 , they owed him £ 280 on that account . To show that ihia hid invanably been the case , he would state that he advanced £ 1 , 000 , when Mr . Frost was tried , before a singie penny had been subscribed by the Chamst body . He had never allowed a single Chartist to be tried without giving him an opportunity of testing his principles . So much for that . Then they had heard of his popularity . Let them find him guilty of that if they pleased . With all his popniariiy where was his offence I Where was his name mentionea , except
by the crack man , Griffin . Letters had been produced , but not one word in any of them of the " grand conspirator . " No letter had been found from him —no act emanating from him to show a conspiracy . The Attorney-Gtneral was going to prosecute them , as the acqmtal of Wild would show , for advocating the Charter . A new question would arise here as to whether or no they were to take the law , and the legality of principles from so high an anthorjiy as the Attorney-General ; and it would aiso be a question whether or no , the Attorney-General was to declare those principles legal at Monmouth , which be came to Lancaster to make the subject ef a criminal prosecution . Let them see what this high authority was . Here they
would have laid down what the law was , and how far the law justified them in going . This told them whether or not the agitation of their principles were legal . He ( Mr . O'Connor ) thought , after hearing what he wa 3 going to quote , the Jury would say that the Attorney-General was a good Chartist—( laughter . ) In his defence of Mr . Frojt , the Learned Gentleman said'' he became a Chartist , aBd , in common with many others , he adopted the opinions that are supposed to belong to that body of men . Gentlemen , I hardly know what is meant by a Chartist . One of the witnesses on the present occasion , spoke of five arsieles ; bat ¦ what the five articles were did not transpire . Bat the little that one picks np from the
ntunations of the newspapers on the subject , would induce me to suppose thai they carried their views of Keform far far beyond the Reform Bill introduced by Lord Grey ' s administration , and that they ardently desire to establish Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , Annual Parliaments , No Property Qualification , and , according to some statements , tnat they look forward to a better distribution of property . Gentlemen , with respect to the first four of these matters , I , for one , do Dot agree in any respect with the Chartists ; but , I believe , upon these subjectB their opinions are entertained by many Members of Parliament of undoubted respectability and honour , and eon ? iderablo talent . If what I have heard upon the subject be true , many names
have been subscribed to a document , the avowed object of which is to frame what is called the Char ter of the People , by expounding the principles on whieh it is to rest . Gentlemen ,. ! have abstained , 1 hope , from naming any person unconnected with this case . I mean to adhere rigidly to this , and to give no offence to any absent person , and not to use ihe privilege that I have , I ought also , perhapB , to say the dnty I have , of addressing you , so as to create any feeling of pain litany quarter whatever ; and I am sure that I best fulfil my duty to Mr . Frost , and most to Mb entire satisfaction , if I refrain from making any remarks upon any one that can create a moment's pain , m respect of anv past conduct or transaction . These Chartists , however , it must be admitted , stand at present precisely in the relation to the present Constitution as established in the year 1832 , in which the advocates for Reform stood in
relation to the old Constitution that was remodelled by the Reform Bill ; and however differing from those who are called Chartists in opinion , 1 must do them the justice to say , thtt Chartism so far is not Treason , nor the public assertion of it rebellion ; and I must go farther and Bay , that although I trust Jiever to live to see th « day , and I trust no one in whom I take an interest will evar live to see that day ( fatal as I think it would be to the happiness , the prosperity , and the well-being of thiB country ) when the principles shall be established ; yet I must say , that if at any time it should become the confirmed opinion of the large mass of intelligence and of nnmbers—of the strength and sinews of the community— -if the intelligence that controuls that strength should finally determine to adopt the Chartist code , doubtless adopted , it Trill be , as the Reform Bill was , and mere wealth would struggle against it , ia my opinion , in vain . " ftow , what had he shown them , in the first place ,
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here they had tbe recognition of the right to struggle for the Charter . Then they had what constituted a tumultuous meeting , and after that they had a prosecution of the Chartists for advocating tbeir principles . The Learned Gentleman said there had been a relaxation of the laws , by aft organic change which had taken plaoe in the constitution . Now , although the Reform Bill had left many without the pale of the constitution , yet impliedly , as shewn by the Attorney-General , it did grant an increase of political power . No man could doubt that ; bat from the confirmation of the manner in which that measure was forced on a reluctant Government , the Attorney-General placed the Chartists in the same situation in 1839 and 1843 , as the Whigs were : placed in , in 183 ) and 1832 . Welllet tEe
, contrast be made- He would stand it . They were charged as conspirators . A man who would conspire to destroy anything by cruelty must be a cruel man . He had never been a cruel man in his life . He had never inflicted oruelty upon any dumb animal , and he trusted in God that he never should . What was the . character of the late tumults as contrasted with ihe carrying of the Reform Bill . Alas 1 the gaols were full , but not for the same crimes . Let the Jury take the story of these defendants , unsophisticated as it was , struggling for the rights which those who called themselves the natural leaders of the people in 1831 contended they ought to have ; and he would ask , did they look like conspirators 1 Place them in the situation that the
Reformers were placed in in 1832 . Was Bristol in flames ? Had Nottingham been burnt ? Where was the King in petticoats ]—the crown inverted 1—the bloody axe ?—the executioner ? Where was all this ! But then there was another party , and their motto was , u They that die by the sword are better than they that perish through hunger , for their bodies pine away ^ strick en through for want of the fruits of the field . " He ( Mr . O'Connor ) had travelled through every part of England , Ireland , and Scotland , at his own expense . He had spoken to millions of meu , and he had never been prosecuted for a single word he uttered . He had b < jen well watched . The argus eye of the law had never been at rest , when he was at work . Why Fox Maule once sent a speoial spy after him to Scotland , for the purpose of entrapping
him in a prosecution . He felt honoured . He was not now grasping at mere fragments of tacts to show that he had been prosecuted . He had been prosecuted three times before . He had been subjeoted to trial for taking four lines from another newspaper , to fill up a column . The paragraph stated tnat a poor little follow had been confined iu Warminster workhouse , and that bo great were his sufferings , that he actually bit off hit ) fiugera and a portion of his arm . This was not part of the Ubel—it was the whole libel . Now , although he had no more to do with the authorship of the paragraph than any one of tho jury , —although the paper in which it firfjt originated was wall known , —and although he
proved that it was taken out of part of the impression , he was indicted for a libel , aud he was found guilty . Why ! Because they wanted a Chartist . The Government could not charge him with any act of his own . They next filed an ex-officio information against him , and put him to immense expense . For that he got sixteen months solitary confinement in a felon's cell , in York Castle . This was the treatment -he had received , and thus tha Jury would see that great prejudice had been created against him . Perhaps they had not heard many Irish anecdotes . He would aive them one to
illustrate his own position . There was once an old lady in CoTk , who had an old cat , and an old houhekeeper . When the housekeeper became antiquated , all the crockery began to go . Tnero was the china bowl—a great favourite . What had become of the china bowl ? " Sure , " says Molly , "God knows , but the cat must have broken it . " This was all very Wtfll for a bit , but the sugar basin disappeared . " What ' s become of the sugar basin , Aioily ?" " Sure , 1 don ' t know , but the cat must have broku that too . " Well the cat must be given away , for whenever anything was missing it was always the " red cat . " Tne red cat was at last killed . Oh ! but
the salad bowl was missing . " Where s the sulao bowl , Molly ! ' " Sure , 1 dou'tknow , nia / am , but the red cat must bave broken it . " " The red cat , Molly * why she ' B killed loug a « o . " " Wall , now , sure , " says Molly , " I have always heard that these cats have nine lives , but now I ' m &ure of it" — ( great laugliterj . Just so was it wiiu him . He wad the read cat in tiis movement . A riot took place in 1839 , and he waa the red cat then . He knew all about it . This year he waB the author of the placard aboat which they heard so much . Why , he never taw the manuscript , or the placard itsdl , till it had been posted on the walls of Manchester . Ho invariably put his name to his own acts , and he would never flinch from the responsibility of them . Much
had been Slid by somo ot' the defendants as to their indifference to the verdict of the Jury . What had made them Cha 1 lists , but the endurance of what they had suffered , aud what was it that was not to be proved against them ? If there was a diversion to be got up—if some silly fellow could be got to shoo ! at his own hat , it was a Chartist movement to shoot the Quoeu . If there was a financial movement going on , it was a Uhanist plot againbi the State ; or if a number of men rode up from Kent to London , it was a Chartist conspiracy to det > iroy ihe Qui ea ' s life . It wa . e > not by such absurdities as these that greet principles weretobv met and put down . It wad by a calm and dispassionate iim-stigation ot ibis kind , that tho ptoplo of this country would learn
the value of tho law . Let them be taught to respect the law , and keep wiihm its bounds , but let it be so defined , that the simplest man among them might know when he was stepping beyond the pale of the law . Ltt the jury consider all the acts ot the people during the late disturbances—their acts oJ omission and commission , and let them , in conjunction with this , taku into consideration tho condrion of tb / v working classes ; and who should say that no cause could be found for recrimination and angry feeling ! But had this extended to anything ( Jiko tho length that had been represented ] Wnat was the fact 1 Why , in tho midst of the appalling destitution and tho suffering which they had had ^ to undergo , the most honourable testimony had been
borne to the . heroic fortitude and the exemplary patience with which they had borne their privations . The jury had heard the story of Filling . Tnis was the case of thousands , and he would as > k whether the people had not just cause for discontent and dissatisfaction . During the last three years , they had had a royal marriage , two royal birvhs , a jubilee for tho termination of two expensive wars , and congratulations at the termination of a peaceful winter . They had had the hulks searched > tor objects of Royal clemency and debtors' prisons had been delivered of their cheats , as a fit set of pcraonB to celebrate this jubilee . Mark the coutrast . . Not one single political offender had been liberated , akhoueh some of them were m the fourth
or fifth year of their confinement , while , on the other hand , thieves , pickpockets , rascals , and vagabonds , of every kind , had been thought tit objects of '< the royal clemency . Was not this to fix the laws more stringently on political offenders , and to make ihe case harder against them 1 If the verdict of the Jury should be one of guilty , it would oonvey no idea of moral offence . Ho was not the man to recommend any , the slightest infraction of the la ' ws , and the only effectual way to secure the veneration of the people for them , was to take care that they ensurtd justice for all . He had practised for a lengtu of time as a barrister in his own country , and never in the course of that practice had ho seen any proceeding more calculated to inspire veneration and 1
respect for the law than this 1 formed a perv gratifying contrast to somo trials which had taken place n tnis country , where persecution rather . than justice was the object sought to be attained . He would now come to analyze briefly the evidence in this caso , and the manner in which the charge against tho defendants was attempted to be supported . He bad already shown them that Hildyard , the policeman , had it in his power to tell the authorities that there was a secret meeting about to be held , ' at which he ( Mr . O'Connor ) was to be present . There was no difficulty in ferreting that out , It was known to the policeman , and it was the fault of the policeman if he did not communicate it . Then he came to the evidence of Little , high constable of Hyde , and
he setmed to have had a strong desire to entrap Leach , one of the defendants , and to make him the " red cat" of Hyde . His statement was that Leach left Hyde about the 2 ( Hh of August , and . then the town became perfectly tranquil . That evidence was for the purpose of showing that Leach was tho red cat there . Then came Hibbert , clerk to the magistrates of Hyde , and he Baid that the strike lasted sis weeks—from the 15 th of August , to the 21 st of September , which was a month later than the period when Little eald that the ' people began to tranquillize down . This was most important . Now , there was another feature of this evidence , as showing the conduct of the people engaged in the strike , to which lie would beg to direct their particular
attention . They heard from Mr . Robinson , the son-inlaw of Mr . Shipley , that on the 10 th of August , a not consisting of from 160 to 200 persons , came to the mill , and iurned out the hands—that no resistance was offered . They returned to work on the 26 th , when another mob of from 600 to 1000 , again wished them to come out . They were not willing to do bo , and the mob was dispersed . Let the Jury remark this extraordinary fact . When it was not the interest of Mr . Shipley and his son-in-law to keep their men at work , one hundred men « ould tarn out two hundred , but when it was their interest that they should
remain at work , two hundred men could drive away a mob of a thousand . He would ask the Jury whether , with the prejudices which had been created against the Chartists , they were not astonished- to hear that so little bad been proved . They would be called upon very shortly to pronounce a verdict which he believed had never beea anticipated before with the same anxiety . There was now in office the strongest Government that had existed in this country for many , many years . What would their verdict of acquittal shew but that a Government so powerful ought not to fear assaults of this nature ! They had a Government which had refused to hear
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the application of 3 , 500 , 000 men . Was the object of their application illegal f Why , it would be found that year after year , petitions on the subject of-this very Charter had been presented to the House of Commons , and their prayer refused . If those petitions had been illegal , unconstitutional , or informal , they would not have been allowed to be upon the table . The last petition of the people was so large that it could not lie in the House at all ( A laugh . ) There had been divisions of sixty-five and sixty-six on this very Charter . What had been done besides . The proposition of a saered holiday was brought forward in the House of CommonB , by Mr . Attwood , for the purpose of carrying out the Charter , and debated for two
mouths by the National Convention , sitting in London . This was an illustration of that relaxation it the law of which the Attorney-General spoke of when he so nobly defended his client , at Monmouth , and when he was enabled , by the ingenuity he brought to bear upon the case , to spare the life of that gentleman . Where , then , were they to look for the conspirators ! Why , in the House of Commons ! If it was illegal to agitate for the charter , it was illegal to present a petition to the House of Commons for its enactment . But the fact was that they had the authority of a large number of Members of the Houso of Commons , that it was not only legal , but constitutional , that the people ought not to abandon ic but to stand by it . He now came to the witness
Buckley . What did he admit 3 That no damage was done to person or property in his district , and he attributed tbat to the pacific character of the speeches delivered . The speeches had prevented it . Mr . Wilcox , another witness , had heard him ( Mr . O'Connor ) address the people , and he had told the Jury , that the tendency of his speeches was to peace and the preservation of property . He bogged again to call their attention to the evidence of Buckley . It might have been supposed that tho witness was 8 ubpo 3 iied tor the defendants . He said that the hands turned out on their own accord , and that the district was tranquil . But thoro wis something more important than this . They had the important admission from Buckley , that he bad
instructions from the Magistrates , to report to them everything he heard tending to a breach of the peace . Had he reported one ward of anything of the kind ? No . Now , just before the outbreaks , he ( Mr . O'Connor ) was m North Lancashire . But before he alluded to that let them see what was stated by the policeman M'Cabe . He , too , had give instructions to attend meetings of the people , for the purpose of hearing what passed . He did receive reports from all other meetings , but when the " grand conspirator" made a speech at Burnley , although M'Cabe was within ten yards of the tent erected ov the middle classes , he did not go to hear one word of what was said ! Why did he ( Mr . O'Connoi ) go to North Lancashire I Just prior to the transactions referred to in the indictment , ho was
accused of being a coward , iu not goiug down . He received letters both from the middle and working classes , atating that there were spies among them , and requesting bim to go down . Me did bo , and after he loft the place , there was no disturbance of the peace . He appealed to the magistrates , one and all , whether it was not his presence for a wetk , in North Lancashire , which had prevented an outbreak ? He told the people to fold their arms and do nothing , for that as sure as they followed the advice of those who wished to urge them to a contrary course , would the betrayers stand in the jury box , while they ( the people ) would bo placed in the dock . What was the consequence ? Ho was publicly charged with being a Tory spy , and
with receiving the money from the Carlton Club . He had travelled through the counties of Yorkshire , Lancashire , Warwickshire , and Nottinghamshire , to caution tiie people against being led to the commission of any aot of violence to person or property . He was uot there contending that no disturbances bad tnkeii plaoe . It was natural to suppose that if tho handa were to bo turned out , they would become exceedingly unruly . But was it the Chartists who turned them out . Certainly not . If he was asked whether they recommended those who were out to join in tho agitation for the Charter , then he pleaded guilty . They had done that . Let them see what it required to convict a man of conspiracy . He left Loudon on the 15 th of August , for Manchester . He was known to have been at the anniversary held at that place , on the lGth , for several years past . No act of liis , calculated to carry tho conspiracy into effect had been resorted to . There did not exist that
which was necessary to constitute a conspiracy . If he had been a conspirator , Bhould ho have borne the character which had been so generously accorded to him by the Attorney ,-General ? It' he had intended a conspiracy , would he have destroyed the force by which he hoped to accomplish his design 1 No . From the beginning to the end , ho had deprecated violence , and every thin ;; calculated to lead to it . But he would not re =, t sat is-tied with the case made out for him by the Crown . He should produce evidence to show that from time to timo when he left London , till his niurn , he gave instructions that all letters addressed to him during his absence , whether public or private , should bo opened . So anxious was ho tor the maiutenance of order , that he loft instructions to the publisher of the Evening-Star , of which he was tho Editor , that if any articles of an improper character were sent for insertion during his absence , they were to be returned to the writers . Nor would he be
content with this . He should produce before them miJl-owners , men of property , men of wealth , nun of character—those who had known him lor seven or eight yearn , and they Wuuld speak to the effect which his speeches had had at various meetingb in the country . Ah ! conspiracy ! Tne Crown knew well that there was no such charge against him . But saia they , —have something that will catch the red cat—take care you don't let the big fish escape . He looked upon this as a godsend . Nothing so much proved the weakness of a Government , strong though it might be in a majority in the House of Commons , as a desire to put down public di .-cussion . A majority in the Houso of Commons was one thing , and the
majority of the public mind was another thing : and the present Government well knew that powerful though their majority might be , it could not stand for a month agaiubt the well-direited opinion of the public What ought to be the constitution of the country 1 It ought to bo the best digest of the living genius of the day . There was not one point of tho Charter which was not recognized , even by the strong Government . They had the ballot . A . 3 to the no-property qualifiation , it already existed , for the Scotch members had no property qualification . They had Universal Suffrage recoginzou by the strong Government . He coulQ imagine how delighted the Learned Attorney-General would be whon addressing the pot-boys of Huntingdon , at a general election , to to
hear the rat-tat-too of theChanis ^ s coming help him lalaugh ) . But , the Learned Gentleman and hisfnends on getting possession , like wily tenants , would now dispute the right of the lessee . Having succeeded in obtaining powor , by the people ' s hatred of those who opposed them , they thought they were secure . It was because the Whigs disregarded public opinion , that they were sent to the bleak side of tho treasury , aud the same disregard now evinced , in thd disrespect manifested of the highest authority of tho Lords and the Commons , would drive the strong Government from the strong position which they now held . It had been his intention to have carried the war into the enemy ' s camp , and to have asked them trom whom had the language most calculated
to lead to the offences charged in this indictment had proceeded ? But lie had abandoned that intention . Why ? Not because he did uot think that much stronger language had been used by Che party to whom he alluded , than had ever emanated from the Chartist body , but because he would not make out a case of prosecution against other parties in another place . Before hie concluded , he must make an appeal to the jury—not in the words of the Attorney-General , for he was not gifted as the Learned Gentleman , but in the same spirit as when he , addressing a jury at Monmouth , on behalf of Mr . Frost , made au appeal to them as to the effect which a verdict of acquittal in Ihe case would have upon the public mind . But before he quoted the words
of the Learned Gentleman , he would allude- for a moment to the attempt which was made , alter the prorogation of Parliament , to suppress public meetings . He thanked . God that he lived in a free conntry , aad he said it with'pleasure and with pride , that—administer the laws as they ought , and there was not such a country under flea von—strain the law , aud there wasnot such a country for persecution . The most suicidal policy that any Government could adopt was to attempt to put down public meetings . They had been described by Junius as announcing the approach of the thief , and preparing the people for his coming . Why had they been able to keep the irritated mind , writhing under the infliction of accumulated wrongs , in comparative
subjection 1 How was it that they had been able to keep down the turbulence of the people ? It was in the hope of having the Charter , and the hope of having it by a peacelul Btruggle . He had no idea of any other principle superseding or out-topping the Charter . But the people would not fight for it . They knew that they could carry their principles by moral force , and by that alone . Something must be done . If nothing was done for the people , some reason must be assigned for it . The Government might attempt to put down the Chartists , but did they think they would succeed ? Some persona asked —why don't you indict the League 1 Perhaps the Government intended to put down the Chartists
first , and having routed the grand army , they might deal with the stragglers in detail . The Attorney - General , in opening the case , had observed as muoh prudence and moderation as he was well able to do . If they were fishermen they had seen tbe golden fly attempting to eeduee the unconscious fish , but the fish little knew that there was a hook , when he began to nibble . So it was with this Government prosecution . They had but seen the golden fly on the surface ; there was the hook which yet remained to be plied . He called upon the Jury , therefore , to be cautious in giving their verdict . On that point let them see what were the reasons which the Learned Attorney-General urged ia favour of an
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acquittal W his client at Newport , and whether the same ; r o ^ ns which applied there did not apply ; here . The Learned Gentleman said , Gentlemen , under W e circumstances , I again say that I know of no publu , TOea 8 ure tnat would tend so much to the honour of the Cu lntry , tothe peace of the community , to the quieting ou alarm which this lamentable transaction has create , than a verdict of Not Guilty , if that verdict can be enounced with truth . It j is no question whether y ^ , oan safely pronounce that verdict ; the single quesv : ^ j can Sou pronounce it with truth ? It' you can , > . would e the largest measure of safety to the country if you can assure Her Majesty ' s subjects in all part&tf her dominions here , that these thousands upon
thousands did not meditate rebellion ; that their object was to enforce some claims on behalf of a suffering brother Chartist ; that the accidental circumstance of their finding persons whom they were determined to rescue at the spot where they had meant to make only a demonstration of strength , led to violence , and-that the instant they found that lead to bloody resistance , they fled with terror and dismay from a field that they never had intended to enter . Such an assurance will be attended by the best results . I say , gentlemen , that nothing could occur bo much to re-assure this county and the kingdom at large as the verdict ; of Not Guilty , if you can truly pronounce it ; and I believe there would be more safety in that verdict , if true , than if 10 , 000 troops were parading the different parts of this county to enforce
obedience to the law at the point of the sword . " Now , the I Attorney-General might meet this by saying— 111 say so still , providing you can do so with trutbi" The Jury would judge of that , and of the moral effect which an acquittal at their hands would produce upon the country . This was , perhaps , one of the most important trials that ever took place in the country . There had been a new precedent established ia this case . Here they had fifty ' nine persons mixed up hodge-podge in this monster indictment ; which almost required every defendant to be a lawyer before he could understand it . For himself , feeling a deep interest in the fate of every man involved ia this inquiry , he felt confident that the utmost vigilance and ability had been exerted on the part of the Learned Counsel who had appeared for some of the defendants . He scood alone . If his
case was a good one , he relied upon their love of justice—if jit was a bad one , he did not expect a verdict of acquittal at the hands of any Jury . Ho left his case most confidently in their hands . He had possessed the confidence of the working classes of this country for a series of years , and although it was no easy thing for a gentleman connected with the aristocracy , to secure the esteem of those who thought that the aristocracy were their common enemies , he rejoiced to say that he had preserved his character unstained without . a single misriilo being aimed at it by any man living , except that he was a Chartist demagogue . He was a Chartist , but he was not a trafficking politician . The Chartists sought no bloody revolution . They
wanted the Charter , but they meant to obtain itnot by the clang of arms—not by the discharge of musketry—inot by the roar of artillery—but by the peacef ul struggle of right against wrong , of justice againat injustice , of knowledge against bigotry and intolerance : He left the case in their hand- * , and trusted that they would pronounce by their verdict that the day is not yet come when free discussion was to be | put down ; but that by an honourable acquittal , which the evidence would amply justify them in pronouncing , they would add another link to the triumph which the cause of truth ' and justice had achieved in this country , and which he conscientiously believed was hastening on to its final accomplishment .
The Attorney-General commenced bis reply . The Learned Gentleman said that he most sincerely congratulated them on tbe probability of a termination of their proceedings that evening , and be said he should endeavour , notwithstanding the quantity of matter before him , to ] compress into as abort a space as possible the observations he had to make on the defence to which their attention had been drawn during the progress of this protracted investigation . He could wish , not merely that they were assembled in this great county of Lancaster but that the ! eyes of- the whole nation , and that the ears of the entire people should be open to hear everything that passed on this occasion . He entirely agreed with the observation that this was one of the most important trials that ever occurred in this country ; ana if he reft
considerable responsibility when he bad the honour to address them several daya ago , be did not feel that that responsibility had been diminished by the evidence which had been given on the part of the prosecution , and the statements tbat bad been made by the several defendants . ' It was impossible not to feel the deepest sjmpathy with the distress which no one could possibly doubt bud extensively existed ia the neighbourhood of Manchester , and throughout a considerable tract of country surrounding that large manufacturing place . He had no doubt that if they could quit the large public meetings assembled in this part of 0 e country , ana could go to the dwellings of those who did not join in those exciting communions , they would find many a tale of heart-rending distress .
such as the j defendant , Pilling , told on the previous day , —distress which it was impossible to hear without the moot enlarged compassion , and the deepest sympathy , which Ihe believed produced in many persons around him , emoUons in which he shared , and be was not ajshamed to say hts shared to an extent which in common with many who heard him , almost unmanned th& demeanour that one . ought to preserve in a court of justice . If anything could be learnt as to the extent and character of that distress , the patience with which in many instances , it had been borne , when it had not been made the theme of public meetings , nor the theme of public discussions , but mourned over in private , and parties Lad sunk under it ; be had no doubt tCej niig'&t find
many , who , from a sense of duty and of virtue , did not think that distress , poignant as he believed it to bave been , a sufficient justification for violating the law . It might be well if all that had been stated on this occasion [ were known through , the whole length and breadth of the land , in order that if . anything could be done , it should be done to arrest the progress of that distress , and to bring comfort and j consolation to those who were suffering under it . But having with , perfect sincerity offered that tribute of sympathy which it was impossible to withhold , —having given to those who suffered that distress , and to the fortitude with which they bore it , tbe tribute of his highest admiration , he must pass from that topic to the state of tho country , at tbe period
when those outbreaks occurred , and he must call their attention , fora moment or two , to the alarming danger that threatened the peace , and well-being , and , he might say , the existence of society in this country . He would ' call their attention to the . condition of this part of the empire at the time when troops were ! poured in by thousands to atop tbe tumults , when special constables were sworn iu by thousands , and when , under the protecting Providence of Heaven , the energies of the executive Govemment and of tbe local magistrates , succeeded in restoring peace and order—happiness and plenty ; work and wages it was beyond their power to give . He would ask were they , at the period to which he referred , other than upon the brink ot a civil war . He did aot
wish by any exaggeration of the facts , or the use of one expression that was calculated to raise any of tneir feelings—but he would ask them to look back , and see whether he would not be a bold man who j could coolly look at the dangers with which the country was threatened during the mouth of August last . But one week more of apathy , —^ but one week more of the spirit which induced the Magistrates ef Manchester to say that they could not tell why it was better not to resist—another week of thiB , and they would have had the country divided into large classes , contending against each other for the' power and the existence of society . AM had the defendant , Pilling , or any man who had mourned over a son dying prematurely , by ihe visitation
of God , through disease , —bM any such man considered , while he mourned over his own and his family ' s discomfort , j and even misery , —had be considered what would be the horrors , what would be the misery spread through the land , if that advice had been taken , —if the masses bad . acted upon that which be was satisfied it was the intention of tne Executive address to induce them to do . He charged on all those who had published that address , who gave it any encouragement or BUpport , and above aU , those who gave to tbe public what they called a manly , bold , and spirited address , which called upon the people to repudiate tne consideration of all other questions , and practically to adopt tbese schemes which would carry out the views of those who prepared
that address , —he charged upon those parties , many of tbe disastrous consequences which had been made the subject of investigation during tne last eight days . It had been said that this waa a political prosecution , and that it was levied at the Charter and the Chartists . He utterly denied the troth of any such statement . He knew it was expected—that he was quite aware of , but from the time that his Learned Friend ( Mr . Dnndas ) two days ago ; took upon himself to defend the principles of the Chatter , down to the last man who had addressed thorn , imputing to him personal hostility to the Chartists , ! he begged to Bay that there was not one tittle of truth or foundation in any of those remarks . It ] seemed to him as if the speeches of the defendants muBt have been prepared In anticipation that ha waa going to make some such attack , and then the speec&es having been ore red did not think fit
pa , they to repress their observa tions , although they were not justifiable on any grounds whatever . Solar from entertaining , t&e slightest question about the Charter , he had expressly disclaimed any intention of entering into any political discussion at all . He stated at the outset that he had nothing to do with the consideration of whether any change that was proposed would be for the better or for the worse , —all that I he bad to call their attention to was toe charge againat the defendants ; and the manner in which he proposed to bring that charge home . | It ceitaiaJy was at all times desirable that an advocate should make troth his object . Mr . O'Connor seemed to have tUonght that he bad an advantage in quoting passages of anaddress which he ( the Attorney-General l delivered to the Juiy when Ftost and his associates were under trial for High Treason He knew not whether it would do either himself
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or Mr . O'Connor any honour much to attend to a speech supposed to have been delivered on a former occasion . He ( the Attorney-General ) ' might as an advocate take some refuge in altered circumstances and being placed in a different position but he had never as a member of the profession to wbich he had tbe honour to belong , resorted to , or had any occasion to resort , to any such excuse .- What he stated then , he was ready , syllable by syllable , to re peat tbat day , aye , even to the verdict ; and how dealt , able it would be if a verdict of acquittal could be pro . nounced as a verdict of truth . There was another subject on which observations bad been made and made very freely—he meant tha inclicfo ment . Hxb Learned Friend ( M * . Baines ) had
^ ed , bad they ever seen or heard of such an indiu ment before ? This language had been repeated by sevfc ^ i of the defendants , who have spoken of what they c \ tlec 4 «? mon 8 ter indictment . ^ He begged to sas that it mightv ave been known that in the State Triaia of William anu Mary > after the revolution , onehnn . dred persons were placed in one indictment . Why ? Because all the persuxa were g ^ uty ot ^ q CQVi ll charged , or supposed to be so . At the late special commission at Chester , fifty aeTen perSona were placed in eno indictment It was pro M 8 ed to divide tne ^ r * portions , but the Learned Judges . residing , condemned that , and said that considering the c * y > amstances attend ing the change , they ought to have bb ^ i ia ( l 8 d to " gether . He coald excuse the defendants - ^ Waafc « j v " had said on this subject , but if his Lean ^ fh _?
( Mr . Baines ) had been acquainted with matu acoi r nected with the profession , and with the forms ov " dictment , from him , at least , he ( the Attorriey-Grenefti bad no right to expect that any such observation } would havejbeen made . When he was told that ha bad selected a large number of defendants , . what could he do ? He had , in this indictment , no fever than thirty persons who were members of the Conference of delegates , and , to act with justice , and with that fairness and impartiality which became a public officer of the Crown , how could he have presented to the consideration of th& Jury soine and leave out others , unless he was satisfied of theii innocence . Talk of a monster indictment J Why , in . dictmenta must be adapted to crimes which they were intended to suppress , and to the nature ef the uucasion .
They were told that the gaols were fall . What were they full of ? Unhappily , at all tiniiW . = > crime was too abundant , but there could be co -flbubt that there were persons in the gaol , at Kirkdale , and at Chester , confined for offences of this description , Where would have been the manlinesss of sending the poor persons to pine in prison , who , at the bidding of those lecturers and agitators , went out to do the works of thbir bidding , —where , he repeated , weald have been the manliness of leaving them to pine in « dungeon , and allow the enlightened members of the Conference to go perfectly free . He maintained that it would bave been unmanly and uojuatl to 868 the unhappy peraons , who were goaded by speeches to do acts for which they were now suffering in prison , and
at the same time to allow those to go unpunished , who were secretly rejoicing in the success of thea schemes , and in the impunity with which they had been enabled to carry themselves through . The Learned Gentleman then entered into a lumino&s exposition of the law as relating to conspiracy , and afterwards entered into a review of the history ofth « transactions in Aogust last , describing the share which each of the defendants had severally had in them , and pointing out the evidence as it applied with more or lea of collusiveness . The Learned Gentleman then appealed to the Jury , and asked whether the people were to live under the law , protected in the exercise of their labour ? WaB property to be protected , or was it to be at the mercy of that moving power which
arrogated to itself the right of dictating to others how end in what manner he should regulate his own pet-Bonai liberty ? He ( the Attorney-General ) had little to do with tho speculations of political economy . No man respected the right of the poor man to his labour more than he did . It was his property , and it was tbat wbich they had a right to proteefc . They would enable the poor man to labour , if he thought fit , and not t » be told by his fellow man , that for some political object about which he cared nothing , he was forthwith to desist from his peaceful occupation , and rush into s > me visionary and lawless enterprise . Labour was as much property , and was as much entitled to protection , as the estates of the loftiest and wealthiest peer of the realm . Why , what , after
all , was the difference between what was commonly called properfy and labour ? Labour was the property of to-Oay . That which a man might leave to his children afterwards was the property of yesterday . * The labour of te-day , if it produced anything which could be laid by , created capital , and that became property . There was a common sympathy and interest between labour and property , for property was the representative of labour , and labenr was the only property which the poor man coald command . These great elements of society were not to be set in hostile array against each other . It was perfectly trod that without labour , what was called capital would be worthless . It was equally true that in tbe highly advanced state of civilizition , such as thay enjoyed ,
labour would , in a great many parts of the country , be valueless-, if there was not capital to give it employment . These two great elements of the high state of cultivation in yhkk the country was at present placed , weie not to be set in hostile array against each other . The one was necessary to the support of the other . Neither coald do without tbe other , and be trusted to God , that the lessen of to-day , as far as it was capable of affording one , would go forth to the world , and let it be understood that labour and property ought to have one cornmen protection , and ought to be directed to tbe common end of all society—the happiness of the community and the glory of God . They frequently beard comparisons made between the poor and the
rich , and of the advantages which the rich possessed over them . He knew not what might ^ might have been the feelings of the Jury , but when he heard the intelligence , when he hesrd the eloquence , for frequently it was very eloquent , when he heard the speeches that been made , he conld not but feel disposed to be proud of the talent and of the efficacy of the education o ! the working classes of this country . There was in those speeches much that they might admire and approve in point of talent , and tone , and spirit He should not stop to quarrel with some expressions which he wished had been spared , carrying too much of a tone of defiance . He had watched those speeches one after another , and he would now frankly say that the language imputed to him , and which he uttered at
Menmeuth , when he appeared for Frost , was equally applicable to the present case . There was no price at which it would not be -worth while to purchase the innocence of all the defendants , inixtd up , as their guilt was , with much of the misery that probably contributed to it . If they could with truth pronounce a venHct ; of not guilty , let let it be so . He would leave tbfrcase in their hands , fully satisfied tbat they had given the utmost attention to every part of the evidence during the whole course of the inquiry . With respect to the impartiality of the bench , every person in the Court must think it worthy of all imitation—pethapB be might be allowed to say , he thought tbe conduct of his Lordship had been beyond all praise . For any part he
had taken which had drawn forth expressions of approbation , —if his wish to observe strict and in ^ ar * tial justice , without mixing up any angry feeling , in the course of this inquiry , had met witn . the approbation of the humble 3 t individual in that assembly , he should think that the task which he had imposed upon himself , of abstaining , directly or indirectlyf from saying anything calculated to give the slightest offence to any person , absent or present , recompensed to the full . In conclusion , he called upon them as men , bound by their oaths , to do tbeir duty to the defendants , and to the public , and to deliver that verdict which they could reconcile to tbeir consciences , upon tbe evidence they bad heard .
His Lordship inquired of the Jury , whether it was their wish that he should then proceed to sumupt&fl evidence , or adjourn to the following morning ? A short discussion took place , which ended in tn& adjournment of the proceedings to the usual fiooron tbe following day .
THURSDAY , —EIGHTH DAY . At the opening of tbe Court this morning , Tee Learned Judge proceeded to the discharge of his most laborious task of summing up the evidence , which occupied no less than seven hours . It is sot paying too high a compliment to this amiable an < * excellent man , and upright Judge , to say that a moie impartial , clear , and explicit analysis oJ the evidence against any number of persons charged , waa never lieara is any court of justice . His Lordship , in the outset euumerated the counts in the indictment , and defined the law as applicable to each . Having quoted the various
statutes , treating on the crime of conspiracy , and pointed out what , in hia opinion , did , and what did not , constitute tbe essence of that offence , the Learned B 3 X <> went through the herculean task of repeating f&s whole of the evidence given during the previous seven days , a task which he discharged with admirable clearness and fidelity . He left no point untouched , whether it told for or against the defendants , and where it had toe former te ndenoy , the facts were explained with * scrupulous desire to avoid anything approaching to tnB slightest exaggeration ; while at the same time there tfsj ? a calm and manly expression of opinion as to the goU * ( Continued in our fifth page .
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Middlesex , by JOSHUA HOBSON , ait nil - ing Offices , Nos . 12 and 13 , MarkeMtreet , Briggate / and Pablished by toe said Joshva Hoastf * ( for tbe said Feab « 0 s O'Cojmoa , ) atiiia D ** ling-house , No . S , Market-street , Briggato ; •* Internal Communication existing between the « w No . 5 , Markefrstreet , and the said Nos . 12 » M IS , Market-street , Briggate , thus constituting ti » whole of the said Printing and Publishing Office one Premises . AU Communications must be addressed , Poat-paiJ / * ° Mr . Hobson , Northern Star Office , Leed « . { Saturday , March 18 , 18 « . )
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8 THE NORTHERN STAR ,
The Trial.
THE TRIAL .
Nuk Leeds .—Pnnted For The Proprietor Fear Gffs O'Connor, Esq. Of Hammerflnuth, County
nuk Leeds . —Pnnted for the Proprietor FEAR GffS O'CONNOR , Esq . of Hammerflnuth , County
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 18, 1843, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct926/page/8/
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