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TO MR . O'BRIEN . Yerily , Sir , you have most ingeniously attempted to lifcht many small fires around your uld Chartist " pile , in order that you may escape in the smoke ; but you will please to remember that it was 1 , not you , ¦ whom you and the "Old Chartist" would tie to the stake , while you , the offender , would now turn upon your intended Tiotim , and cry ous " Murder , murder i save me , save me ! " That I have not been prompted by as over-anxious desire to recriminate , even you most admit : at least , the country will . In my oth justification I did not display that irrascibil . ty winch yoa , as my accuser , have manifas ' . ed . I merely confined myself to facts , while my tb'al disregard of your in&olent leader of the following week and my determination not to notice it , evinces no great desire to continue & dispute in which you were the offender and I the offended . However , in the iast number of the Statesman you not only iuvite but liire me to the contest .
K .-k , Sir , bear in miad , that I sought you not . Yoi jjrsppled with Ey honour ; if , in the conflict , your own should suffer damage , blame your rashness , not my t msrity . The prospectus of your anticipated labours in th 8 Charlut cause 1 pass over ; they coyer the two first paragraphs . I sincerely wish you had onr ed the third , and allowed poor Cooper , in h s dnr : ; ion , the benefit of whatever little jary-class syiup&ihy the Mornlny Chronicle has left him . But ho ; Sir , he appears w ba your personal enemy , and Te r ^' -ince has triumphed over justice . Having thus brit fly noticed these three paragraphs I shad now select your sixth , which runs thus , as my
" And now that I have confessed the dabt , and thereby verified Mr . Hill ' s statsineat in the Star , will that rtvtrtTid personage , or his great master , act an fconourtbl ? part * for once in th&ir lives , by acknowledging en fcheir part that , though I » we O'Connor the debt , I owe hb . i no gratitude for it ; but , on the contrary , hatred anr . contempt . Will tliey state to the pnbllc all the cixcaHistinces which preceded and followed the incurring of the obligation ! Not a bit of it ! It is not in thfcir nature to do justice to auy man , unless tha doing bo shoald happen to suit their own private views . Thtv will make & gre . it noisa about the-pound a-we < Jt , but they will cat inform the Chartist public' ¦ 1 st . That the poand a week from O Connor pr « - Ten .-i , and was intended to prevent , my family from get . u ^ twica that am ount , or more , from the pnblic .
2 . That it was purposely remitted in snch a way as to produce that effact , the party selected fox paying it beir . i' a parson whom O'Connor well knew to be no frien . 1 of mine—a person with whom I was not even on apt-king terms for JoDg before- A real benefactor " -k ' M do good by stealth , and blush to'flcd it fame -, " but ; T far vras this from being the style of O . 'C ^ mor ' s bettvolence , that almost every body acqaoicted with the parties knew of the pound a week before it came to my ix . owlsdge . A 3 ray letters were subject to examination by the Governor and Chaplain of the GaoI before tii * y were handed to me , my wife was naturally very slow and delicate in communicating the circumstance I w& * almost the las : person to heat of it ; so mnch so , Jnderd , that some cf my * -i ] ow-prisoners actnaUy knsw of O'Connor's bounty before I fcnew of it , myself . 3 i . There was no ocasion whatever for 0 "Coanor " s
Denary on the occcaaon . He could have got . twice or thrdc times the amount raised foi me , without putting his hand iato his own pocket A single paragraph in the Star , with kis name attached to it , and stating how my family were sifcaated , would hare "done tha business , or , witkoui a paragraph at all , he had but to call a few frler . ds together to form a committee for the purpnse . Inc red , at the time he mide the arrangement with Airs . O'Btjen , there was a committee being formed in London , the iirinci&al members of which kindly undertook so raite j pound a week . Bat as soon as they learned what O'C-eanur hid doEe , they ceased to act , as did also many othir active friends in tte country . In short , it sooa beecae a generally enderstood thing , both in towa and
country , that " O'Brien needed no subscription , as his frit , A 0 Connor had literally provided forhim ; ' and it » &s . i common phrase st ih * tim « . when speaking of the vieiras— " Don ' t uiind 0 Brien , O'ConriOr lets him uxznl for voihing . He sends him money regvXarly through his agettis . J know quo through whom he sends him a pound a iDcfk r&ju ' arty , ' &c ., itc Ttiere are scores of persons in to ^ n and country to bear witness to the truth of this statement . In fact , had O'Connor l&ft me to my owe frisnds , » o far from neeeaing his assistance , my family would hava far * d much better than they did , and I should have escaped Eom 9 sixteen months of snch mental torture and misery , as I would not again endure for ail the money in England . "
AnxioQB as I was to steer clear of all private maters , and grieved and annoyed as I was to see « uy reference made to them in the Star , your challenge in the above paragraph compels me to " state all the circnmstan * ce 3 which PRECEDED A . ND FOLLOWED the incurring of the obligation . " You charge me with rendering you & service for the purpose of subsequently turning it to your disadvantage . That charge I must meet by pleading preceding circumstances of a like charaetrr , to which
such a motive could not De assigned . Had I served yoa but in o ^ e instance , and that had been used even casually to your disadvantage , ( yourself making it cunningly the pretext ) a good chain of well-fabricated circumstantial events might have made a ease profitable and plausible out of ic . If 1 can show , however , that from my first acquaintance mth you down to the clcse of the Birmingham Conference , I had been laying the SAME SNARES FOR YOU , waa * . must the world think of the construction you would put upon my kindness ?
In 1837 I established the ** Northern Star , " and very shortly after its appearance I engaged you as a contributor , by which you earned from two gQineas to three guinea ? per week ; or rather you got it , for very slovenly and ha 3 ti ] y-wntten lbttcrs of very little interest ; however , you got it . Yon were poor , as many a good man is ; a * d your pay was nearly always in advance . Your leit . rs were low-spirited and pointless . Every one saw the falling off in your " homilies . ' At the same time yon were engaged to write & lifiof Robespiere , for Mr . Watson ; with this I have no more to do than merely to nse it as introductory to an act of kindness , which was of coarse ' intended to damn you . " Mr . Watson wrote to me to say that the state o . " yonr mi ^ d had co mpletely subdued your energy ; and ibat if I would lend you £ 49 , no
doabt it would restore yon to hope . I immediately went to London : aad though I did not lend you £ 40 , I tell you what I did do . I took you to a friend ' s house and borrowed £ 30 , ( which I would not have done for myself , ) aad / made you a prrsent of it ; althongh a ; the time you was in arrear £ 16 ; thus presenting you with £ 30 as a gift , and leaving £ 16 to be worked out . I thought you would have gone mad with gratitude !! And how did you repay this act of kindness ! Wjiy , by immediately ceasing ail correspondence with the Star , without any other notice than the non-arrival of your weekly letter ! ! and by accepting the editorship of the Operative without » ny word of notice . You thus got £ 46 of my money ; and this was the return you made me for it ! Tnis wa 3 in 1837 .
Now how did I turn that act of kindness to ybur destruction J Hear , Sir . In March , 1839 , you had pretty nearly written ihe Operative down ; when a deputation , consisting of Dr . Taylor and others , waited upon me , for the purposa of inducing me to take ten £ 1 shares , to keep " poor O'Brien ' s paper on its legs . " I refused to take ten shares , bat presented the committee with £ 10 as a gift . Doubtless this also was " done to damn you . " Next : in May , 1839 , the Rev . Mr . Hill began to find the labours of Editorship and the duties which hi 3 flock required at hi 3 hands more than his health could well bear , especially as at that time , the journey to Hull by coach was tedious , tiresome , and expensive . His flock desired to have more
of his t ' . me ,- and , with mere gratitude and honour than you have evinced , he gave me notice that circumstancss might compel him reluotantly to abandon ihe editorship of the Star , bat that , whatever the result might be , he would not desert his post until I was supplied with a substitute : and HE KAMED YOU . He did not know youthen . He also tDld me that ho thought he might be equally serviceable to the cause at Hull , as he should probably get connected with a paper in which he would advocate the princ'ples he had isaiatained in the Star Kooning would hive grieved me more than parting with Mr . Hill ; I mentioned the whole circumstance to you , and told you that , cohii > 'GEKTL" ? epos Mr . Hill bbujg compelled to lkavs the Star , ycu
Bhould have the offer ; upon which you replied that Mrs . O'Brien would not live at Leeds if I gave you the Star , but that yon would kdite it is Loxdon . I told you that there were other dnies besides writing from . London ; and that I had tsied xhat before . This was no proof o : a desire to injure yon ; and I merely mention it here for the purpose of exposing % d&ep conspiracy of which Mr . Hill was to have been the victim , and which was hatched by- your friends at Huddersfield for bis destruction , and of which this is the first intimation he has had from me , and of which , your charges while in Lancaster Castle were to form , acd did form , the groundwork . Well , Sir , in spite even of all the propping up of the Star you very quickly despatched the Operative , and
in Janntoyi 1840 , you started the Southern Star . Its appearance wad announced for many successive weeks , and puffed oS by the "blackguard Parson . ' Bat lo ! yoa had ro friend to give the necessary security to the Siajop Office , and were compelled to apply to tbe * ca * arS , the "traitor , ? " and the mend who bat serves to damn P You applied to me . I tendered my ^ eif and was refdsed . That refusal would have satisfied jon as far as I was concerned , bat it did not satisfy me . I wished to tsui tou ; aad in good truth the way to trap you is to give you a newspaper . However , I was not satisfied ; and I made my solicitors threaten the Comsiissionert with an action { f they -persisted in refusing nt ; and after a hard battle I compelled Mem to accept me .
Now , Sir , bow the Northern Star puffed off , and copied from the Southern Star , all must recollect wliile few will have forgotten the hot water in which that paper embroiled all connected with it , and its gubsequent death . But of course that was no fault Of j » urs ! Oh do ; every misfortuE * that befals yoa
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csnrpiracyJ no indiscretion of your own has ' erer had any bhare in the departure of the many : papers of which you have been " in at the death !" ! My next act of kindness done with a view to ! entrap you , was that "UNSOLICITED ONE , " { which bo nnnerved yoa , and added to the horror of : your confinement , well knowing that it would be used for vour destruction ! Thai act of which you Itnew ¦ nolhinq till long after it was performed . But let ¦ us have your own words : — ; " Let me at once and for ever confess ' the report is j true' that O'Connor did , unsolicited by me , advance ! a pound a week to my family during sixteen or sevenj teen months of my imprisonment in Lancaster Castle ; | and a bitter day it was for me—the day the arrangement was made ! I was not a consenting party to it : I knew nothing abeai it when it was made . I was locked up at the time , and the moment I heard of it I
. felt as if I were paralizdd . I knew full well the use that would be made of it I foresaw all that has since happened ; and I apprised several friends of the same . I Tnere are at least a score of persons now in the country ! who can bear witness that I communicated the eircumj stance ta them as tbe greatest calamity in my life . I j saw at once that his object was to make a slave of me , and that , hiving previously failed , with all his cunning , to destroy iny credit with the radical public , he would no ^\ sooner or later , succeed in overwhelming me with the ontrast between his own ' generosity' and my 'in-; gratitude ; In snort , I told my friends that it was a j fcutma of 0 Connor ' s to pat a gag in my moEth ; fer , that the moment I refused to be a party to his ulterior i projects , that moment he would get me denounced as an * ungrateful wretch , ' &c , having previously taken go d care to get his generosity whispered afceut all over the country . "
Now , Sir , read that ! and confess yourself the vciest hypocrite and greatest liar that ever stood before tha conntry ! The first announcement that I bad of your condition in Lancaster WAS FROM YOURSELF , in a letter which made me shed tears ; and in THaT LET iER you assured me that your sufferings would be much alleviated if I would see Mrs . O'Brien and make such arran ^ emeata aswould render her comfortable !!! You said that you had some friends in London who would probably form a committee for the purpose ; and " O how you would repay me . " I did not know where Mrs . O'Brien lived till I got your letter . I received it at Hammersmith at four o ' clock , and I was at the far end of the Borough at her house before six . She was
no : at home when I called ; and as her apartments were locked , 1 walked up and down the street till she returned . I handed her your letter , and learning from her that she had little to expect from Committees , I left her an order for £ 2 upon Mr . Cleave , and told her that I would allow her £ 2 per week during your incarceration . I called upon Mr . Cleave upon my return , mentioned the arrangement to him , and requested that he would not allow it to escape his lips to mortal man . I read your letter to Cleave to show what a weight it would take off your mind , and we parted . In a fuw days I understood
that a commi ; tee was about being arranged to supply £ 1 a week , and I wrote to Cleave to that effect ; and in a day or two afterwards I received a note from Mrs . O'Brien , in which she requested me to make arrangements fer her to recaive her money weekly at Lancaster , and in which were these word 3 : — " You are a kind good creature not to have forgotten me in the midst of your own trouble . " Shortly after I was consigned to the Queen ' s Bench , when N ^ esom , with some others , called upon me for the purpose of arranging a subscription fund for your family , and asked my aid . I had no course left but to state what I had already done .
Now , Sir , that" blood money you received during your whole period of incarceration , and neither my clerk , publisher , nor editor knew anything whatever of the matter till Mr . Cleave sent in the charge at the end of a quarter or half year ; and when 1 was questioned as to its correctness , I requested that no mention should b « made of n lest it should make the country indifferem as to your circumstances . Besides , Sir , at that time I wa 3 paying to more worthy individuals than yourself £ 6 per week ;
while I was borrowing myney myself every week from Mr . A . Heywood to keep the Star on its legs ; every soul to whom it owed a penny pouncing upon me at once , in coasequence of the determination of Government to pat it down by persecution ; and I defy you to produce one man in England who ever heard thefactfrom me that you had that "biood-money ' other than those I have named , until you showed your ingratitude ; and not even then except in reply tt » the question , " Is it possible that you supported O'Brien & family wnile he was in Lancaster V
You complain also of the mode of receiving the pound a week . Mr . Cleave was the ooly agent I had in London through whom it could be paid !!! You say I knew yoa were not on speaking terms with him , and that he was no friend of yours . I did not know that you were not on speaking terms ; but I soon foacd out that you had not one friend in London , although I bad no reason to suppose that Mr . Cleave was your enemy . But , after all , my grtot crime appears to consist in oin < . r peopl » not keeping the thine secret ; so that your letlings were not hur ; by my act of kiudness , bat by the knowledge that others had . of it : while the fact is , I don't think a dozen men in England knew anything of the matter , while all would have rejeioed at it , had you proved deserving .
Now , Sir , what have you to say to my " un-olicitkd act op kindness" ! Wn&t was the next I When the Convention of 1841 was sitting , I read among o . her cf their proceeding ? , that you were in a dangerous state of health ; and what did I doi I instantly sat down and wrote to Mrs . O'B . desiring her to procure what advice she pleased , to furnish you with anything that yon would possibly want or desire , apa to send the bill to me—of oubse to huin tou !! What was the next ? You knew that my expencee
were tremendous and my calls many , and you wrote to me to York asking ma if I would contikub my allowance of £ 1 a week , and that you would write for the Star . What was my answer ! Write as much as yon please , but without reference to the £ 1 ; you Bhall have a guinea a column for all you send ; that is , I observed , if you send ooe column , you shall have £ 2 . If . and if two columns £ 3 2 a . always adding the £ 1 to your allowance . And yet you were stung to the soul by this blow aimed tor your destruction !!
You have a bad memory . You ought to have a good ote . You have altogether misquoted my letter wriiten to you from York CaBtle , and published in the Northern Star . The letter appeared in the Star , has been before the publio , and yonr sensitiveness upon it has been universally condemned , as there was not one single syllable in it calculated to ipjare you , to hurt your feelings , or to lessen you in public estimation . But why was your answer to it not published \ Because it was the most rascally , vicious , brutal , beastly , and insidious attack , that ever was made upon the Star and the
Editor , and especially upon the Editor ; and at the same time you wrote to me a very polite note , saying that Mr . Hill had now made the u amende , " by the publication of one of your letters for which there was not room in the previous number . Upon reading your viperouB epistle , I sent Mr . Hobson off to Lancaster , with what you call the "r iumari-le , " to satisfy you that I had no intention of offending you . You appeared to him perfectly satisfied with the explanation ; and now for the turn which the fruits of that mission gave to the whole question of ** correspondence , " had you 6 ven written as a correspondent , which , you never did ; not one single line .
Mr . Hobson having occasion to go to Chester to see the Roverend Mr . Stephens , on business , had put into his hands—what think you f Why , a letter from James Bronterre O'Brien , expressing an anxiety to be once more at liberty for the purpose of destroying the popularity of Dr . M'Douall . Mr . Hobson rerurnwl to Yorir , and full of apprehension said , " Sir , you must be cautious of O'Brien , or he will ruin tha movement , " and he then communicated t--e fact . Now , Sir , take that communioatiwa in connection with tko following extract from your letter to Mr . Warden , written immediately after Al'Douali ' s
release , and of whioh yon demand the publication ; and then ask yourself whether any sane man can come to any other conclusion , than that during the period of your imprisonment you were coscooting schemes for the destruction of every leader , and for the breaking up of the movement \ You knew that Warden and Cardo were denounced by the Star and the country ag " foreign policy" men , who desired to rum Chsrtisza for a more profitable trade . You knew that you had witten privately to the Editor th 3 nking him for his exposure of these parties ; and yet , you write thus to the said Warden on the 8 ch of Sept . 1840 , just after M'Douall ' s release : —
* ' my opinions ooincide exactly with your own in respect of ths pro * 8 ssions , dinners , &c . in honour of Coliina &b 4 M'Douall ; and as to the movement , I consider It to be virtually extinct for all useful purposes . I have no cacfidtnea whatever in the present race of agitators , with one ortwo exceptions [ no doubt Warden and Cardo ] . They bare neither the knowledge nor the Integrity , neither tbe capacity nor the courage requisite for such a MISSION . The majority of them are actuated Bolely by personal motives , either the immediate one of profit , or the more remote but not leas unworthy one of ambition . Not a few of them are also , I fear , confirmed spies and emjbyo tsaitoss . I could say more on this bead than I choose to commit to print , but sufficient for thB day is the evil thereof . "
Now , sir , even these two circumstances were Hot the cause of your productions not appearing in the Star . There were others ; firstly , tod did not send any , as you aaid thai Captain Williams had prevented your writing 11 Yoa wrote to the Reverend Wm . Hill , it is tine ; bat such letters as would have folly , justified him in kicking yea out of his office the moment yoa made yonr appearanoe there . They were low , base , scurrilous , false and nngentlemanlike ; and while he was receiving those I was receiving communications from different places assuring me that nothing would so much please the readers of the Star as the substitution of Sir . O'Brien for Mr . Hill , upon his , ( Mr . O'Brien ' s , ) release from prison ! My next malicious act of kindness was after the Siurge Conference broke up . Then I promised you as much type as would start yoa in your new under-
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taking . Upon that occasion I paid yoa £ 42 , as treasurer to a portion of your press fand , and you were of coarse so anxious to cancel all" obligations , " that you repaid it me as part payment of the advanced " blood-money" I At least , from your great desire to repay it , one would suppose so . But not so ! nor did I ask it ; nor would I have accepted it , had you been just enough to have made the offer . Before I leave Birmingham , I shall dispose ef the Conference . And firstly , as to what took you there . When you were at Stroud , upon a mission to damn O'Connor and the Star , through Vincent and-the Vindicator , you , with a few others , left the fustian jackets , and repaired to apnvate room , when a gentleman said to you , " O'Brien , if you were elected to the ' Stnrge Conference' would you go I" " Yes , " was your reply . " I am delighted to hear it , " said the gentleman , M it would give you great moral influence ; and onk man and one paper have had
ALL THEIR OWN WAY LONG ENOUGH . " Now , Sir , I never hint at things . I give my authority . The sub-Secretary to the Chartist Association at Cheltenham , is my informant : and it was told as a sarcasm upon praise which I was bestowing upon you . You went to the conference : and you have denied what I published with regard to your conduct while there . Now there are three living witnesses to the material facts , all of which you deny : Mr . James Leach , with reference to your conduot upon all occasions when you joined the people's delegates , and Mr . and Mrs . Porter respecting the most material points ; my invitation to you and your accop'ance of it to write your own version of your proceedings in the Conference to the Star , in preference to your proposition that I should do it ; and also your promise to meet me on the following Monday , at the head of the Birmingham procession , to join those from Bilston and Wolverhamptou ; and in fact aa respects the entire transaction .
Let any of your friends read my letter in the Star of April last , over to Mr . and Mrs . Porter and to Leach ; and if any one of them will say that there is aninaccaraoy , the public may oonsider the whole as being false and malicious . And with respect to tha charge that you now make against the Editor of the Star and myself of having changed our opinions as to the fir at Btruungbam Conference : vou are wholly in error , inasmuch as we still hold to the opinions wo at first expressed , and merely approve another Conference upon the understanding that it shall be a national representation , instead of a packed junto . As to my praise of Sturge ; I always said that he was much too good for his followers . But , as to any j auction with that party upon any other terms than those contained in the resolution which I published , and whioh I would have moved had the Conferenco
met , it is idle for them to hope for it . As to the resolution which I supported at Birmingham , I will give you a stronger case . It was I who recommended it . But what does it do ! It thanks the Conference as a distinct and separate body from the Chartists , for going bo far before their order ; and wherever you thiak proper to move the Bame , I will support it . The Conference ended , the Convention shortly afterwards assembled in London . We sat for three whole weeks , and never did so much kindiy good feeling and union prevail among the people ' s representatives ; when , lo ! upon the last week you made your appearance , and harmony , as if by magic , was turned into discord . Nothing but fighting and squabbling , rowing , accusations and recriminations . There , too , I was ready to smoiher the past , and to go unitedly for the future . But , no ; that would not suit your baok ; you thought that in a storm alone you could live . Well , we passed tho two following resolutions : —
" That this Convention deem it absolutely essential to the success of the Chartist movement , and to tho safety of all who take a prominent part in It , that no public men connected with our cause should be denounced in any assembly of the people , or in any newspaper supposed to be in the interests of the people , until after tbe party against whom the denunciations may be levelled , has been folly heard in his own defence lu the presence of the assembly , or through the columns of tho newspaper which would denounce him ; and ¦ furthermore this Convention records its solemn determination , collectively and individually , to treat all denunciations ns calumnies and misrepresentations againi-t the parties who may be the objects of them , unless the denunciators shall have previously invited or brought the denounced parties in presence of the public , so that a fair hearing of both sides may take place—the public as jurymen—before any public censure is awarded . "
" That we respectfully invite our brother Chartists throughout tbe empire to close their ears against all private slander levelled against the character of the people ' s friends and advocates , and at once to silence all such attempts to recognise in such & pernicious system the destruction of union so necessary , and the frittering away of character so essentially necessary to the success of oar common cause . We also recommend that the system of private letter writing for tbe purpose of creating an ill-feeling , which U generally followed by the formation of sectional parties , who invariably direct their attention to tha support of individuals instead of the furtherance of the o ' . use , be discountenanced . "
The first you moved , and I seconded it ; the last I moved and you seconded it . I promised that your " blackguard letter" to Mr . Hill should be returned ; and it was returned . I pledged myself that any communication you sent to the Siar , in explanation of yonr conduot , or in contradiction of my letter should be inserted or any other communication that was not personal . Did you take advantage of this opportunity which now and at all times you have expressed such a desire to have afforded to you ? Did you ever try the experiment in order to strengthen your cataloguo of grievances if refused !! No such thing ! 1 You never wrote a word to tho Star , besaute you had nothing to complain of . Now , surely to a man really deserving union . here was a wiping out of the" bye gones , "
and a fair prospect for a b . tter understanding in future . Did you embrace it 1 No , you vile man 1 The ink in which the abive resolutions were written waa scarce upon the paper before you had dispatched your secret missives all over the country , breathing fresh denunciations of O'Connor . One of those you wrote to your friend , Gray , of Manchester . He read a portion of it to a immbir of ChartiBts ; when thoy , very anx'ous to hear all , took the letter from him by force , and read your foul , unjust , ungenerous and false denunciatons . You had the columns of the Star at your service ; you accepted my offer of type to bring out a pamphlet in numbers to introduce your paper ; and what did the first number contain 1 Wiiy , a united attack upon mo by yourself , Vincent , and others , which of itself was sufficient to damn you as a public man .
Now , S r , etato what act of mine , or of the Editor oi tho Star , between the passing of those resolutions and the offering your communications publicity , and the appearance of your pamphlet , could have justified y .-. u in such a course ! Another attempt to entrap you had nearly escaped my memory . I intended to establish a daily paper ; and what was ruy offer to you ! It was to join me in a tour of England , Scotland , and Wales , for the pHrpose of ar . nouncipg it , at my expence ; and the further off . r to you , without a fanhing ' s subscription towards it , to become joint proprietor with me , or to name yonr own terms as Editor , without risk . Having now disposed of that portion of the subject which you challenged me to explain , I come to your senseless , foolish , and self-answering allegations as to your trial at Liverpool . Firstly , you were never tried for any one of tho-: e "fabricated speeches" of yours which
appeared in tho Star . I was tried for publishing them in the Star ; while you was tried and convicted upon the Manchester Guardian reporter ' s version cf one of those eaid speeches . And , carious to say , I was convicted at York , bifcre the Judge who tried you at Newcastle , ard was convicted for tho publication of the speech for uttering which you were acquitted ' You forget that the Star reports were'never offered in evidence except against ma . You also forget that you was acqnitted ac Newcastle in consequeuce of the imperfect recollection of the reporter ; whereas you wa 3 convicted at Liverpool upon the testimony of a reporter who swore that he had taken down every word you spoke , and who read his notes as glibly as though they were printed . You also forget that if tho Star report had been more strong against you , that that report would have been preferred to any other from any source whatever .
As to yonr version of my conduct upon your trial , there is not a child of seven yeara of age who heard of it , bu / rrust laugh heartily at it . " WHAT DID YOU USE THAT LANGUAGE , O'BRIEN ? " Madman ! who in court but yourself heard it , or ever heard of such a thing !! Three barristers sat between you and me , Mr . Clarkson , the solicitor , was at my elbow , and the Rev . Mr . Jackson , and other Chartists , were close by me : did they hear it ! No , faith I and fur the very best of all possible reasons : because I never opened my lips from the
time the trial began till it closed , except for the purpose o ! instructing counsel as toihecross-examination of Clarkson tho reporter . Why , foolish man , I did ' nt even condemn your language upon my own trial , when it might have been servioablo to me I ! Bat for a barrister to get np in court while counsel was speaking to evidence , and especially a Chartist barrister upon the trial of a Chartist , for tbe purpose of reproving his conduct , is too ridiculous ! ! but more ridioulous still to suppose that the great political sieve should have so long kept his mouth shut npoa each a plum !
As to the charge of your witnesses not being in attendance , both Mrs . Lerercshe and Mr . Templeton were there in court aubpaned , and what were they to swear to ? Just this ; that there were better report * era than Clarkson ; but not to contradict one word he said . Now bear in mind that others were tried and convicted apon his evidence as well as you ; and when I mentioned the nature of the evidence we had to adduce , which was precisely the same as in your case , to the Hon . Mr , Wortley , counsel for the prisoners , he said , "Let Mr . O'Brien examine them if he pleases , bat I won't ; as it is impossible to shake that reporter ' s testimony by other evidence . There are his notes : they cannot Bwear that they are not substantially oorrect . They may damage us :
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but cannot serrt us . " In this view Mr . Clarkson the solicitor , acquiesced j and upon those grounds the witnesBe 3 vrtjte not examin d for any one . But aprtpos of witnesses . What right have you , of all men living , to object to the non-production of witnesses for your defence ! You , who would have me to stand so naked before the law , as to term the affidavits of honourable men " lying affidavits . Surely affidavits are evidence aa well as vivavoce " testimony ; and why censure that course when pursued by me , when you objsat to the same means not being resortod to for you ? Those persons , many hundreds , must be under an obligation to you ! As to your notion of the Chief Justice stopping me in my speech , you are wrong ; and though" it is not worth while to set you right , yet I Wish to sot the country right . He did not stop me in my speech .
When I applied the first day to have judgment postponed on account of ill health ; before I had spoken ten words , ho said— "Mr . O'Connor you are now answering your own application . " But when I spoke in mitigation of punishment in a fortnight afterwards , the court did not interrupt me—but the people did , by their repeated cheer .- * , not for my " cowardly , " but for my bold and uncompromising tone ; and tho Chief Justice , more than once , threatened to clear the court . The same occurred upon each of the three occasions when I was tried ; and I never asked to be transported , nor did I blubbur lvks a great school boy , but I told the court and tho . jury that I would break oppression ' s heaH , or oppression should break my heart ; and that I would come out of prison a better Chartist than I want in . But you , brave man ! appearso far to honour the law aa to court
its vengeance . You speak against the employment of counsel . Allow me to ask what would Frost , Williams , aad Jones have done without them ! and what did you do assist in raising the funds to pay them ? or what one service have you ever rendered to the cause in your whole life , save and except the honour that you have conferred upon it by ivmg out of it ? As to my "feigned illuoss , " I was in my bed fourteen days , was blisiercd , cupped , leeched , blooded , and physicked almost to death . \ et I rose on . the becoud Monday and would have gone into court had it not been for the injunction of both of my physicians , much too honourable men and too high in practice to be bribed by the first man in the land to be guilty of making " lying affidavits . "
Now , as to the recommendation to plead guilty . It proves what a thankless office that of acting for others is . It was not I who recommended you to plead guilty ; it was counsellors Watson , Murphy , Wilkins , and Wortley , —all of whom had been engaged in the Chartist caseB at York , ar d who had witnessed the different sentences passed upon those who went to trial , and those who pleaded guiliy . They witnessed the oase of Hoey , Ashton , and Crabtree , who goo two years and hard labour ; and Home of the Sheffield , or some other , men who pleaded guilty , an-i got very slight sentences . I communicated the opinion of counsel , whioh Btrongly recommended some to plead guilty ; and all who did were allowed to remain out upon their recognizances , instead of swelling the demand upon the Support Fund .
To all these matters Mr . Clarkson can bear unbiassed testimony . He can also bear me out in eaying , that not a single step was taken without the opinion of counsel , who lost their fees in each where their advice was followed . But , base aud perfidious wretch ! you even charge mo with the expenditure of more than £ 300 of ray own money in defence of prisoners , as a crime . Suppose I bad not employed counsel and the prisoners had got heavy Bentcnoes : what then would have been your charge , and where would it have ended \ You forget that you lost all self-posscssiaii ,
and actually insulted : Mr . Clarkson m ouen Court . As to the postponement of my own trial , it was just what all the traverser ? , Richardson , Jackson , and others had done at the previous assizes , and for whicn . I paid £ 124 . Perhaps that was also to entrap you all ! With respect to tho lenity that my conduct gained mo from the Attorney General , and Mr . Wightman , now a judge , you appear to have forgotten that both one and the other opposed my application for postponement , and that I battled the point myself , the judge who was to pass sentence upon me in a few weeks well knowing that eighteen months was in store for me .
But pray what has conferred upon you the right f interference and dictation in all matters not only concerning yourself , but in those in which you can havo no possible concern ! Or are you not satisfied with having assisted in banishing M'Douall , and withholding up Cooper as an object of jury class hatred ! Do you want more victims out of your way Just see how you correct yourself , you aay : — "Instead of your suffering for me on account of tbe Stockport speech , it was I that suffered through ycur Star ' s infamous mlsreport of it . . Its embodiment as a count in your indictment at York , caused it to be circulated through all the papsrs in the kingdom , and that , amongst other similar circumstances , caused no small share of the ferocious prijuilico which ths Livsrpool jury were known to entertain towards me in comparison with my follow prtsoaens . "
Now , Sir , with this perfect knowledge a = ( to the effect of creating prejudice in the minds of the jury class , fresh in your memory ; how can you reconcile the publication of the l > O'd Chartist , " andyour recent attack upon poor Cooper ?! It is a most astonishing circumstance that the man who has least to complain of as to the trials in 1839 , 40 , should bo the only one tocomplaiu . There must be some reason for it , and the public will guess aright no doubt . You follow up your exordium with a most extraordinary admission . You say that you havo receivod scores of letters from O'Connorites , but you dont wish to publish such things ; while , in order , no doubt , to allow the public
to come to an unbiassed conclusion , you publish no fewer than six scurrilous letters from as many red-hot O'Brienites , Lovettites , and Vmcentites—all anti-O'Connorites . What a very extraordinary notion of justice you must have I and how very fortunate to have received every one of the aforesaid epistles , some- from unknown aud others from too well-known persons , just in the nick of time ! To begin also with poor Mason , and to finish with poor Burns ! You must be badly off for a case when you are compelled to fly to such sources . However , taking their every assertion for fact , let us test the logic of one of those " praise God barebones" Chartist Christian Churchmen—M'Ewen ; a kind of rural Dean ,
who would charge me with falsehood because 'I asserted that fifty places , which I had visited , supported the National Petition , while he supports his denial of it thus : — 'There were , " says he , tk eighty-four delegates ; and a majority of those were opposed to the National Petition . " Why , the great horse-god-mother-of-a-devil , did'nt he know very very well that the delegates did not represent the same places that I had visited ? Was he not aware that a set of them represented lanes streets , and alleys , in Glasgow ? But to comment upon the imcomprehensible stuff contained in all this " niokof-time" evidenoe would be an insult ; and I have ever courted the hatred of auGh fellows . Bnt why not publish one , even one letter from one honest O'Connorite ?
Sir , you wtuld saddle upon me every act done by every Chartist iu the kingdom if it was displeasing to you . What have I to do with the acts of other men ; but yet I do thank the brave follows who appear to be so numerous that you cannot select a line from all , and so watchful that your perfidy cannot escape any . However , with reference to "Correspondence , " you ask a plain question . You say , " Let them publish the letter ; let them publish all they can : I will stand by , all that is my own , whether public or private . Would they—could they—dare they , do the samel "
Now , this 13 a plain question , and hear my plain answer . Aye ; and I will give you full aud entire permission to publish any letter ever written to any one by me in all my life , and I wiJI give any man £ 10 who will send you onocontaiuing a sentence , line , or syllable , reflecting injurioasly or , having tho slightest tendency to injury ono single—even the most insignificant Chartist ; and I will give the same to any man who can swear that ho has over heard me say one single word calculated to injure you , or even to offind you , until you deserted the cause of the people . Now , that ' s a plain answer to your plain question . Make all you can of it . I shall now take a rapid rsview of your conduct since you left Lancaster Castle .
You dined with me on the 4 th of October , after the Manchester , Leeds , and Sheffield demonstrations had taken place . What awkward things those dates are ! Never did heart seem to beat warmer than did yours to me on that occasion ! You were about starting apon your lecturing tour , aad the last act that I performed wa 3 that of giving yoa a check for whatever monies bad been collected for you at tho Star office during your incarceration . I reminded you that it would be impossible to send a reporter everywhere after you ; but that the Slat should be open to your communications . You thanked me : aad it did announce your movements , and published every word that was furnished complimentary to you , but no portion of your lectures ; and why ? because you asked the reporters not to furnish them , or rather it : as the lecture that
you delivered at Lancaster upon tho day of your release was the same identical one , without alteratiopr emendation , that yoa delivered in every town through winch you paseed . Mark ! I don ' t object to that course . On the contrary , I think it wise and prudent to set pnblie opinion by the same dial ; but I do object to its being matter of accusation a « ainst the Star by you and your friends as it has been , that yonr lecture was not reported , when suoh non-reporting was at your own request ! Now , let me follow you through your tour . You till what pence you could , and small blame to you . You did mote to cause strife , confusion , and dissention , than all the mischief-makers that ever went before jou . You preached abstract notions ipoa
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subjects that you do not understand . You denounced every one bat J . Bronterre O'Brien . Y « u did not make a single Chartist , bub on the contrary , weakened thefaUh of many . Yoa abused the organisation , and you told your hearers that you thought just as much of O'Connor and the Star as of old Walter and the Times ; and , to such a pitch did you carry your villany at Halifax , that the whole committee left you in the room by yourself , and told ym if you published a paper not to send any to Halifax . You intrigued and defamed with private letters , and made secret charges against every man whom you think to stand in your way . You returned after . disgusting the best part of your audiences . You then went to Bath to torta a coalition with Vincent and the Vindicator . Yiu gave him a glorious character ; and presently the Vindicator [ begins to fire at O'Connor and the Star : and down it went . You next went
to Birmingham , and tried the dodge of intrigue there ; but they found you out . You then sat in the Conference preparatory to establishing a place in the " new move ; " but- , like tho Devil and the Bottle Imp , thoy won ' t have you at any price . Yoa then got hold of the Statesman : your devils having pushed it for tho last week of the Convention against the Star . You then ^ turn " hew move" man , and invite the League to join the Complete Suffrage Association . You would then , if pressed , sink Annual Parliaments . Then you would stand up aa chainpioufor tho Executive against the Star . Then the Executive are " cowards and traitors . " Then O'Connor is a "brave and gallant fellow . " Tl-. en ' he is a coward and a traitor , and always was . " And then ,
Sir , to crown your villany , what do you do 1 You are a professed lover of justice ; you hate the law because it doeth not justice . You charge a gentleman with being a " coward and a traitor , " upon the evidenoe of an anonymous writer ; and how do you prove your love of justice I The law that you profess to despise allows the " traitor" to have a copy of the indictment on which he is charged , of ihe jury by wh 6 m he is to be tried , and of the list of witnesses who are to appoar against him . The law does that . What does Ja ? . B . O'Britn ? He publishes the oharga , and strengthens it by adoption ; and then says that he will give the namo of tho only witness iu support oi it to any man except ; to the only one to whom it may
be serviceable , and who alone is entitled to it ! "Yea , a Daniel , avery Daniel came tojudgment . " Ahlyou perfidious , wretched , disappointed , self-destroyer I thinK you that the keen and all-piercing eye of public opinion will fail to see through the thin veil of patriotism with which you have attempted to cover your dark and hellish plot for the removal of the Star acd Feargus O'Connor from out your way ? head your list of charges against a man whose every act for the last ten years is known ts evory one ; and behold how they are shivered against that coat of mail with which honour is ever covered against the assassin ' s dart . Why , you miserable self-tormentor ! do you suppose there is a . child in England who does not know that you slaughtered
the London Dispatch , the London Mercury , the Operative , and tho Southern Star , ami that your assassins-hand is now armed to strike down the British Statesman ? You have neither constitution , head , or stomach , fox the position to which you would vainly aspire . You have neither knowledge , brains , nor temper to retain the position if fate had assigned it to you ; and so from your masked battery you would aim your missiles at those whose knowledge , courage , and prudence but servo as a contrast Jo your lack of all those attributes whioh distinguish a good and honest man . You would be a pensioner upon any man ' s bounty , rather than lead a life of industry ; thinking that times run hard when you are compelled to do more than " open
your mouth , and shut your eyes , and see what God will send yon . " Now ; Sir , I have replied to your guesses , your slanders and insinuations ; and the only apology that I can make to the readers of the Star , for that space which your gambols have recently ccupied , is ihe assurance , that , with my consent , your name shall never again appear in its columns . You now stand uncovered and uv masked before the public . I havs nevtr assumed othor character than that wbipb I have and ever shall maintain , that of a honest , uncompromising , and resolute advocate of the people ' s rghts . My whole conduct is before the public
to the people I refer the question ; by their verdict I wiil be judged . If I have been ajjggler , I have boon the most fasoinatiKg , and worst paid , that ever appeared upon the stage ; while I am bola enough to assert 'hat you have lived well upon the performance of those tricks with which your audience have become disgusted . You have well supported your position . You havo succeeded in fomenting and perpetuating discord from the moment you entered upon public life .. I trust that , in that retirement to which Bound public opinion has now consigned you , you will have time for reflection and repentance . I am , the " Coward and Traitor , " Feargus O'Connor .
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Dbvonpoet , Saturday . —The Archduke £ r « J *? of Austria landed here to-day at two o ' clock ^ joo * arrived in command of the Austrian fogate JJeiw » - at an 0 »~ l j hour of the day .
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TREMENDOUSLY DARING FEiT . ( From the Xorthem Tims . ) An American seaman , named Michael Smith , aged 23 , proposed to leap from the east Bide of Sanderland-b * i < ij ; u into the river on Wednesday last . His intention waa announced by hand-bU ! a on the previous evening , and at the time fixed ( four o ' clock ) , hundreds of peraov . s assembled to witness this daring and novel exploit . Smith , learning that the officers of police would be on tte alert to prevent him accomplishing his o ' ej ct changed his dress , to evade detection , and proceeded across in the ferry-boat to the north side , which caused
a little delay . On arriving at the centre of the Imago ha instantly mounted the railing , and was preparing to throw himself off when he was seized by the pnrW , who dragged him to the station-house , to the great dieappointment of the spectators . On Thursday he wa 3 brought before the magistrates on the charge of obstructing tbe thoroughfare . The case "Was stated by Sargeant Pax ton , and Superintendent Brown remarked that the man had been previously cautioned . Smith , in defence , said , that he was a shipwrecked mariner , aud belonged to Now York . He was an experienced diver , and had no other imeatiom in performing the frat thin to raise a little money , in order that he might be enabled to fit himself out for sea . The Mayor told him
that he had no business to obstruct the footpath ; if he would jnmp off the bridge people mast go to see him , and that the pvlice had acted perfectly right in taking him into custody . Sergeant Paxton here stated tb&t Smith told the officers he would do it in spite of them and the magistrates . Smith denied this charge , but intimated to the bench that he would yet leap off the bridge , providing he could get their sanction . This , however , was refused , and the Mayor told him that , ns a foreinrer , the bench were inclined to deal leniently , and discharged him on paying costs ; but that tbe police would keep a strict eye upon him , and if he disobeyed their injunctions he would be taken up and bound over to keep the peace .
THE ACTUAL LEAP . About six o ' clock in the evening of the same day , determined not to be diverted from kis purpose , Smith went privately on the bridge , and despatched his companions to apprisd certain parties who had bafriec < i «>; t him of bia determination to . le&p . Several were , however , disappointed , Smith having before they arrivs . j perched himself on the summit of the lamp-frame , from whence , waving his cap gallantly , he sprang into Tho river Wear—a height of upwards of 110 rest . Oi reaching the water he struck out and swam " like a sea-bird , " to a keel or barge , from whence be ' saluted the spectators on the bridge and on the heights in . the style of a true jack tar , which was immediately returned by a rouud of hearty chi-era from the astonished multitude . It is almost unnecessary to inform our distant readers ( for there nre few but must have heard of tba far-famed iron bridge at Sundm-iaad ) that it is so constructed that large vessels of 400 u > nB sail underneath it without 8 trJkinfc . tb . eir masts . .
Smith has dona what no man ever did before , and what , very probably , no other roan will dare to attempt again . Smith is an active , brave , jolly-heartod fellow , short made , and about twenty-three yep , rs of age . lhi has frequently leaps i from the highest jards and masts of ships iuts tlie sea ; and , in several instances , rar . been iustvumental in saving the lives of his fellow-man at groat p * v : l . . Or . '¦ reaching the shore , after having achieved little less than ;» Kiracie , a juumber of people gathered round him , who cheerfully presented him with trifling sums of money , when the polica immediately interfered and dmg ^ ed him off to the station-house , alleging as a r « &M > n that he was " begging money . "
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¦ ' - ¦ - < - ' i- - « . EXAMINATION OF MR . WM , BEESLEY . AT BURNLEY . h r--Buenlet , Sept . 7 . —ffhiB day , Mr . Beesleyfwho bad been remanded from Monday , inconsequence of the absence of Mr . Philip Grant , reporter for the Manches ter Chronicle , and occasionally for the Morvm § Herald , ) was brought before the magistrates , Mr . P . E . Towtiley Mr . Charles Towniey . and the Bet . William Thnrsby charged with uttering a seditions Hbel on th « 13 th day of Jane last , at a meeting held on P « ndle-hilJ . Mr . P . Grant being sirorn , stated thai ha resided at Manchester—was a reporter—attended a meeting on Pendlo Hill on the 12 th of June ; what the subject < & the meeting was t ! id not transpire in my presence . It was held on the Sabden aide of Pendle Hill . Arrived there about half-past two o ' clock in the afternoonthere were about 2000 or 2500 persons present- ^ bustings was formed cf earth and stones about a yard and a quarter high , and appeared to have required considera-¦¦¦ ¦' - ¦¦ ' <—~ < "• ¦ - ¦ « .
ble labour in the erection . There wera from 20 to 30 persons on the hustings—I went on the bastings—there was not the slightest objection to my going on ,- or taking notes . The meeting was quite peaceable , arid consisted of working men , women , and boys . I began to take notes immediately when I got on the hustings . The copy I here produce is a verbatim copy of what Mr Boealey said , aa far as it goes . It is my own hand * writing , transcribed from my note-book on the evening ef the meeting . The first sentence I heard was , " I have now given yoa my view of physical force . I will show you that if you went unarmed , you cannot meet the people ' s murderers , and therefore you must have recourse to other measures ; you nave the power to do anything you please if you think proper to exerctae It * lit was here arranged that the reporter should read bit notes through , and they should then be copied into tbe depositions by the magistrate ' s clerk , Mr . Richard Sbaw . ]
Mr . Grant went on to re&d several pages , stating Mr Beealey ' s opinion of the Tories—showing the people the impossibility of making a successful appeal to physical force ; telling them that the middie classes would be sworn in special constables , and that the farmers would ba yeomanry , and cut down the people to protect tha landlords . That the Queen was receiving an enormoos salary every year , while the people were starving ; that she bad received £ 8 . 000 to learn to dance , £ 70 , 000 for new stables and learning to ride ; that she could not wash her own chemise , and was spending bet evenings . it balls while the people ware starving ; that the / should go in hundreds to the overseers and ask for relief ; they should also go to the parsons and demand of them to fulfil the oath they took on their ordination ; that at the next General Election , they should elect 658 men , by the voice of the people , and if they were refused admittance into the House , and were bludgeoned away , they ebould make a Commons Houss for
themsalves , and make laws , and let them be obeyed . ' He was one of those who thought working men might be worse off , for if they lost an arm or a leg , they would be worse off ; but if they were determined to resort to physical force , if they would show him one hund ^ fsd thousand armed men , then , sooner than they should be without a leader , be would lead them on to victory and the Charter . Mr . Beesley oro 3 s-examined the witness , and elicited from him that ha was at the police-office in Burnley previous to geing to tbe meeting—that be bad a reporter from the Times in company wiih him—that they travelled together in a gig to Sabden , that the London ( rent , stayed at a public-house in Sabden , while be ( Mr . Grant ) went to tbe meeting—that be left the meeting at three o ' clock , the business being concluded—that Bsesley sp * ke a considerable time—and that several other speakers addressed tbe meeting during tbe short half-hour thai he was there—that be furnished tbe
Times reporter with a copy of his notes , and they were given to the suporlntendant of police in Barnloy—that Mr . Grant was one of those who went from Manchester to Liverpool to swear against the Chartists tn 1839 , and that be bad lost £ 100 by going down there on that business ( Mr . Grant was evidently labouring under sevare indisposition , his appearance being such as to justify a supposition that bis days or earth are very few ) . Mr . Beesley read a paragraph from a Manchester paper ( the Guardian ) of the I 5 th or 18 » h June , which states tbat be was opposed to physical force . He also read a paragraph or two from the Manchester ^ ni Salford Advertiser , aDtl drew from the witness an avowal that he bad f urniBhe-. l that paper with a report . Mr . B . Btated , that so far from buing opposed to the witness
taking notes , he was glad be waa there for the purpose , and save him every facility to do so . He bad been condemned as a coward for advising the people at that mooting to rely on their moral power , and shewed the bench , by reading a paragraph from a letter from Mi . O'Connor to tho Chartists of North Lancashire , that he had wrote to contradict the report given in the Advertiser , of the 18 th June , aa a gross and base misrepresentation . ' He bid done this when be had not the slightest id . a of a prosecution b ^ ingpending ; be Jnad done it in order to sat himself right withi the public Ha complained that the subject should fee brought forward at this time , after having stood over thirteen weeks , and now to . institute proceedings against him on the written testimony of a ropo : ter , who it was evident from tha ftcts elicited wftB a party to a conspirary to crush him by depriving hteof bis liberty .
John D ^ whurst , of WUalloy , shoemaker , was tbe next witness called on . ( This witness was examined on Monday last , and his explication tak « n down . ) The CleTk having sworn him , proceeded to read from whet purported to ba his deposition givea on Monday , the witness eanfinniag what was read to him . Mr . Beesley protested against thi 3 modo of proceeding , abating that what was than read was nothing like what h « had $ ivea iu bis testimony on Monday ; that it appeared to him ( Mr . Baeisey ) to have been cooked uj-in the office and now presented to tbe witness in a polished form , so that it would answer tha end of bis proseontor , by the witness swearing to it . The following sentence will convsy an idea how tho thing was intended to be done : —
Clerk reads to the witness , yon say that what tbe defendant said was calculated to excite the people to a breach of tbe peace ? and the witness was composed of such materials , that if , instead of o breach of the peace it had been read , to keep ihe peace , or to sit fire to the country , ho would have answered , Yes , Sir ? Mr Beesley appealed to the bench and remarked , that Mr . P . E . Towniey had stated on Monday , that if they could produce no stronger testimony than Dawhurst ' s , be should be Bet at liberty . It was then agreed that the witness should be again examined , and his deposition taken down . In answer to questions , the witness said he attended a meeting on Psnile-hiU on Sunday , tbe 12 th of Jane ; cannot tell what the meetiptf waa for , but ' o rekkun it Avur a Chartist
meding . Heard Beesley begin to talk . There were two or three thousand folks prassnt . They came over the hill , and in the direction of Sabden . I saw Beesley there for one , there were five « r six men on the host * ingB . He gave a view of physical force . —I was Ire or six yards from life hustings . He encouraged the people to come forward and unite in one body . He did not urge physical force . —said moral force was of no uss . He said something about a number of men ( I have forgotten bow many ) going to the Parliament house and demanding admittance to redress their grievances . If they were defeated by bludgeon mea , they were to come back and make laws somewhere else .
Siidsomething about the Queen ' s salary—could not tell what it was—ii was either £ 800 ot £ 8000 , could not tell which —what he said was calculated to excite the people to g& the Charier—did not give bis opinion in my bearing aWout physical force . I have no particular remark about that . —Mr . Beealey hare wished tke clerk to pot down what the witness actually stated , namely , th ? t he did not recommend physical force . The clerk said he would when the witness swore it . After some altercation between the clerk and Mr . Baesley , the Rev . Mr . Thnisby put the question to the witness . Are yoa positive you did not hear him recommend physical force ? Witness—Yes . The magistrates then ordered the clerk to put it down in the deposition .
Mr . Bsesley crass-examined the witness , and elicited from htm that he was sent to tha meeting by Superintendent Me . Cabe : be had nothing promised bun for the job . Here Me . Cabe stated , that he was a special constable , and tfter some higgling to keep back tie P » pay system , he bagan to put words into the mouth of the witness . Mr . B . very politely told Me . Cabs , th&B he not btjing a solicitor bad no right to interfere or speak . The bench concurred with Mr . B . Mr . Beesloy—When was you sworn in constable ? Witness—la Jane last . Mr . Beesley—Before or after the meeting ? Wi tness—Before . Mr . BeeBlay—How long before ? Witness—I cannot say ; it was to the spring . Mr . Thursby—How long was it before the meeting " Was it a month or two months before ? Witness—Two monthssir .
, . ^ Mr . Beesley—You havo now stated on your oath that 6 u v 7 w sivarn in constable in June , taat the meeting cas in June , and that you" was sworn in two montM before the meeting-Mr . M'Cabe was then sworn , and stated that b ?» along with two others , took the defendant intoenstow on Saturday the 3 d of September , at Holland * Temperance Hotel , Cuiaou-etreet , Burnley ; He took possession of a travelling bag—read a list of its contents—«» Address from the Complete Suffrage Union , 'signed Joseph Sturgfr , and Borne resolution * passed at a delegate meetingwere retained . JBareral books , two or
, three dczen ' ef Emmetrt life and trial—Cdbbettf Paper against Goldj * e . i Were tetttmed . ¦ - - ' _ The Court was taenorteyed to be'dtated ^ lor u » magistrates to consult -When we again entetsd U » court , Mr . BeesTey was informed fcj the clerk that ne must be bound himself in £ 100 , ana two mwttes » £ 60 each , to appeai r at the next Lancaster ( MaroW Assies , te answer an Indictment that- would *• ¦ £ " ! , ferred agains * him for uttering a sedition * abet ¦ w » was immediately tendered , and ae * epted . Mr . MW ? was bound over to prosecute , and the-witnessfla wonu to aDDe&r and afore " evidence , wheii Mr . Beesley ^ aa
at liberty , and retired with bis -friends . - ' '^ Jzl Beasleymaking his appearance outride * . *| r : , room , three hearty cheera were given for toe Cn ** "' the multituda assembled . n
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The Special Commissions —We may now state whh oertaiuty , saya the Staffordshire Advertiser . thai ; Her Majesty has directed letters patent uri-kx the great seal to be issued , appointing special commissions for the trials of the persons in custody on charge 8 connected with the disturbances in the maun faotuifing districts . That for Staffordshire will be opened on Saturday , the 1 st of October , on Sunday the judges will atttn'd divine service , and on Monday the trials will commence . Chief Justice TinJ »! will preside . Upwards of 200 prisoners are now in custody , committed for various offences relating to the late destructive riots in the Potteries , and to the disturbances in the south of tbe county , who will be tried under the special commission , besides tho ^ e who are out on bail on similar charges . The prisoners charged with offences not connected with the riots will not be tried under this commission . There will be special commissions for Lancashire and Cheshire :
One of the privates belonging to the 2 d dragoon guards , now stationed at Newcastle , and who iook an active part in tho affray at Burslem , put au end to his existence , on Friday night week , by discharging a loaded carbine immediately under his chin , having pressed the trigger with his foot , by which the top of his head was blown ta pieces . It appears that the deceased , whose name was Kinp , had formed an intimacy with a woman at He 3 castle , representing himself as an unmarried man ; but his wife , having been apprised of the connexion , came to Nevvoastlo , and frustrated the intentions of the dee « ased . An inquest was held on the body on Saturday , and a verdict of ft lode se waa returned .
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6 THE NO 1 THI 1 N ST 11 . ____ V ¦ ——— . : . _ __^__— ; ; ¦ :
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 17, 1842, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1179/page/6/
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