Thomas Hiden Robert Adams
Wilson was then taken back to Newgate, and the whole of the prisoners were re-conducted to theirrespective places of confinement. Thistlewood shook hands most cordially with some of his companions, whom he had not previously seen since his commitment.
First Day, April 17, 1820.
The interest excited by this trial was strongly manifested by the assemblage of a crowd in front of the Sessions-house, as early as seven o’clock. Previous to this time a numerous body of the civil force had arrived, and were stationed in such situations as to control the multitude. For the purpose of preventing the interruption arising from the passage of carriages and carts through the Old Bailey, rails were erected at the two ends, next Ludgate-hill and Fleet-lane. These were only opened to admit the carriages of persons engaged in the business of the Court.
At eight o’clock the arrival of the jurymen who had been summoned created considerable bustle, and this was greatly increased by the pressure of other persons for admission to the Court. Regulations were adopted to prevent the entrance of those who were not provided with tickets. This was the more necessary, as from the limited nature of the Court but a small portion of the public could obtain accommodation. The Jury alone, who stood in the body of the Court, were upwards of two hundred in number. Certain boxes were devoted to the reception of females, several of whom were present.
The witnesses for the Crown were divided into two parties. The more respectable were placed in the Grand Jury room, and those of an humbler class remained in a contiguous apartment.
Monument, who remained a prisoner in the Tower, was brought from thence in the care of two warders, and Lavender and Bishop. He was placed in a room by himself, as was Adams, who was brought from the House of Correction in the custody of Governor Adkins.
The pikes, swords, guns, pistols, grenades, ammunition, and other articles intended to be produced on the trial, and which the witnesses brought with them, presented a most formidable appearance.
At half-past eight Thistlewood was conducted from his cell, in the care of one of the Turnkeys. He appeared greatly dejected. He was placed in the apartment usually devoted to those about to be put on their trials. The other prisoners were not brought down.
As the time appointed for the sitting of the Commissioners approached, the body of the Court became greatly crowded; while the galleries, which are private property, and to which admission could only be obtained by the payment of a guinea, were comparatively thin. The boxes assigned to the Committee of City Lands and the Grand Jury were completely filled.
At nine o’clock the Commissioners entered the Court in the same order as described on Saturday. The Court was then opened in the usual form.
Mr.Sheltonimmediately proceeded to call over the names of the Jurymen summoned. As they answered, they were asked, whether they were freeholders in the county of Middlesex to the amount of ten pounds a-year, or of a freehold and copyhold together of that amount? In the event of their answering in the negative, they were passed over. Those who did not answer when called, were called upon their summonses “to come forth and save their fines of 100 shillings and issue.” Several were in this predicament.
The object of this ceremony was to ascertain the number and eligibility of the Jurymen in attendance, preparatory to their being subsequently subject to the challenges of the crown officers and the prisoners. Some of the gentlemen were excused from attendance on the ground of their health being so infirm as to preclude them from doing their duty as Jurymen.
While this form was going through, the prisoner Thistlewood was put to the bar, and attracted generalattention. He was dressed as on Saturday, and came forward with apparent firmness. He had in his hand a pencil and a sheet of paper. He paid particular attention to the names as they were called over.
The Council for the Crown in attendance were, the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, Mr. Bolland, and Mr. Littledale. Those for the prisoners were, Mr. Curwood, Mr. Adolphus, Mr. Walford, and Mr. Broderick. Such was the pressure occasioned by the assemblage of the Jury, that they were constrained to ask permission to quit the Court as their names were called over. This request was complied with, but they were desired to remain within hearing.
As the prisoner stood at the bar, and while the Court was occupied in attending to the list of the jury being called over, a man of shabby appearance contrived to get to the corner of the dock, and to place his hat on the board in front, and then, calling Thistlewood’s attention, directed him to take the contents. Thistlewood immediately took from the hat five oranges, which he put in his pocket. Mr. Brown, who was in his box, witnessed the transaction, and admonished the obtruder. He afterwards directed one of his turnkeys to take the oranges into his possession. Thistlewood, on being asked, delivered up the fruit, and they were carried out of Court to be examined.
There might seem, in this conduct, on the part of Mr. Brown, something of harshness; but when it is recollected that an orange might be made the vehicle of conveying to the prisoner the means of personal destruction, or some other thing which the precautions already taken were meant to prevent, it will be seen that he did no more than became the vigilant execution of his duty. The oranges, having been examined, were returned. It was intimated to Thistlewood that he should be provided with any thing in the way of refreshment which he might require. We have already stated, that allcommunication with the prisoner, save under an order from the Secretary of State, had been most positively interdicted. The act of the individual in the present instance, however well-intentioned, was in direct contravention of this order.
Subsequent to this transaction, two letters, which had come by post, were delivered to Mr. Brown. We believe they were addressed to the prisoners, and, after they had been shewn to him, Mr. Brown felt it his duty to enclose and send them to the Solicitor of the Treasury.
At twelve o’clock the whole of the jury had been called over.
Thistlewoodthen addressed the Court, and said, “Will your Lordship allow me a chair?”
TheLord Chief Justice.—Considering the length of time which your trial is likely to last, the Court will grant you this indulgence.
A chair was then placed at the front of the dock, and the prisoner sat down, having first thanked the Court.
THE TRIAL.
Mr. Sheltonthen announced to the prisoner, that the jury were about to be called; and that, if he was disposed to challenge any or either of them, he would do so on their coming to the box to be sworn, and before they were sworn.
A considerable number of challenges then took place, both on the part of the crown and of the prisoner; at length the following jurymen were impannelled:
Alexander Barclay, Teddington, gent. and grocer.Thomas Goodchild, North-end, Hendon, Esq.Thomas Suffield Aldersey, Lisson-grove, North, Esq.James Herbert, Isleworth, carpenter.John Shooter, North-end, Hendon, gent.Samuel Granger, Blackwall, lighterman.George Dickenson, Colt-street, Limehouse, builder.John Edward Sheppard, Eden-grove, Holloway,John Fowler, St. John-street, iron-plate-worker.William Gibbs Roberts, Ropemakers-field, Limehouse, cooper.John Dobson, Felix-place, Islington, Esq.William Cooper, Grove-street, St. Pancras, Esq.
Alexander Barclay, Teddington, gent. and grocer.Thomas Goodchild, North-end, Hendon, Esq.Thomas Suffield Aldersey, Lisson-grove, North, Esq.James Herbert, Isleworth, carpenter.John Shooter, North-end, Hendon, gent.Samuel Granger, Blackwall, lighterman.George Dickenson, Colt-street, Limehouse, builder.John Edward Sheppard, Eden-grove, Holloway,John Fowler, St. John-street, iron-plate-worker.William Gibbs Roberts, Ropemakers-field, Limehouse, cooper.John Dobson, Felix-place, Islington, Esq.William Cooper, Grove-street, St. Pancras, Esq.
After which theLord Chief Justicethus delivered himself:—“As there are several persons charged with the offence of high treason by this indictment, whose trials are likely to be taken one after the other, I think it necessary, in the furtherance of justice, strictly to prohibit the publication of the proceedings of this, or any other day, until the whole of the trials shall be brought to a conclusion. It is highly necessary to the purposes of justice that the public mind, or the jurymen who are hereafter to serve, should not be influenced by the publication of any of the proceedings which may take place, until the whole of those proceedings shall be finished. It is expected that all persons, therefore, will attend to this admonition.”
Mr. Sheltonthen called the attention of the prisoner, and read the indictment.
Mr. Bolland, as junior Counsel for the Crown, having shortly opened the indictment, the Attorney-General, at half-past one, proceeded to address the jury.
“May it please your Lordship, and gentlemen of the jury; you are now assembled to discharge one of the most important duties that can devolve to the province of a jury, to decide upon the guilt or innocence of a party charged with the highest offence known to the law; and, upon such an occasion, I am satisfied it is unnecessary for me to bespeak your patient attention to the case before you, still less even to hint to you the necessity of coming to the investigation with unbiassed and unprejudiced minds. You, I am sure, will discharge from your recollection every thing you may have heard or read relative tothe charge which is about to be preferred against the prisoner at the bar, confining your attention solely and exclusively to the evidence which will be adduced in support of the charge, and forming your conclusion on that evidence only. Gentlemen, the charge as I have stated to you, is one of the highest nature known to the law. Other offences, generally speaking, however heinous and however enormous, may in their consequences, except so far as example is concerned, end with the fate of the perpetrators, or with the individuals who have been injured; but, with respect to high treason, not only in its inception, but still more so if it is unfortunately completed, it draws after it consequences of the most important kind, affecting, not merely individuals, but the whole community against whom it is directed.
“Gentlemen, I shall not trouble you in the observations I have to make to you, painful as the duty now imposed upon me is, with any lengthened detail with regard to the law as it affects the charge imputed to the prisoner; because, if I mistake not, that law is so clear, and if I err not greatly, the facts that will be proved to you will establish the case against the prisoner in so clear and satisfactory a manner, that it would be an idle affectation in me to cite any authorities before you in support of the charge; because if the overt acts, as they are called, or any of them, are proved to your satisfaction (and I have no doubt but a considerable number of them will be proved,) no man who hears me can entertain the slightest doubt that the offence charged in the indictment will be established in point of law.
“Gentlemen, the charges in this indictment, though four in number, will be all proved to you by the same evidence; and if the evidence I shall lay before you be sufficient to establish one of them, it will, I believe, completely establish the whole. Three of the offences charged, consist in compassing and imagining the deposition of the King from his throne; the death ofthe King; and a conspiracy to levy war, in order to compel him to change his measures for the government of the kingdom.
“It is hardly necessary for me to state to you, that in proof of these charges, it is not essential that the plans of the parties accused should aim directly and immediately either at the life or the deposition of his Majesty; because, if they are aimed at that form of government which now exists—if intended to bring about a change in the system of rule now established, by means of war, which would naturally tend to effect that which must ultimately result either in the removal of the King from his kingly dignity, or in compelling him to change his measures in Council, that would be high treason; and therefore in these cases it is quite sufficient to shew that the plans framed were of a description and nature aiming against the government, (which will undoubtedly be proved in this case) although not directly and in the first instance aimed against the personal safety or the personal authority of the Crown. If, therefore, the consequences of the acts of the accused in this case, if those acts had been perfected, must inevitably have led to these results, they establish in point of law the treason charged; and therefore, Gentlemen, not to bewilder you in the inquiry which you are about to enter upon, I think it quite sufficient in the outset to state to you, that, in which I believe I shall be confirmed by the highest authority in the law when this case comes to be summed up to you,viz., that if the overt acts and facts charged in the indictment as evidencing the intention existing in the minds of the conspirators be proved to your satisfaction, they do prove the charges laid in this indictment; and, therefore, it is unnecessary to trouble you with any further observations on the law of the case.
“Gentlemen, important as the duty is which you are called upon to discharge, and anxious as that duty certainly must be to you, mine, I say, is no less anxious; for although in the address I purposemaking to you, I do assure you I mean only to inform your minds of the nature of the charge brought before you, and of the evidence by which that charge will be substantiated, yet my duty is most painful; and I make this address with no view of leading your minds to any conclusion which the evidence itself does not warrant—with no intention of making any addition of my own, for, God knows, the facts want no addition to accelerate the inevitable conclusion to which you must come. It is my duty to state to you, as counsel for the prosecution, the case against the unfortunate man at the bar, as detailed to me in my instructions. My anxiety, therefore, is, I do assure you most conscientiously, not by any thing I shall state to you to attempt to lead or direct your minds to the conclusion which you ought only to draw from the evidence, but to state to you calmly and fairly the facts which I believe will be proved, without any attempt at exaggeration on the one hand, or any thing but a fair and candid narrative on the other, without any colouring whatever, because no colouring can alter the real facts of the case, however high. If I should err in this, and if in any thing I state to you, you shall, when you come to make up your minds, think the statement not proved in evidence, or the observations or inferences which I may have drawn shall not be fairly borne out by the facts proved, you will dismiss them from your minds, and confine your attention to that alone which is proved. But if you believe the statement I shall make, if you believe the observations made in that statement are fair and natural on the facts, then you will give them the weight they deserve, and you will suffer them to operate so far, and no further, as you, in your judgment, think they ought.
“Gentlemen, having said thus much, I will, without farther preface, call your attention as perspicuously and as shortly as I can to the facts which will be proved in evidence to support the charges. The prisoner at the bar, Arthur Thistlewood, must be alreadyknown to you by name; but, as I before stated to you, let nothing that you have known or heard of him before you came into this court to discharge the solemn duty you are bound to perform, have the least effect upon that verdict you are to pronounce. The prisoner at the bar, however, I state to you, as it will be proved in evidence, had for some time conceived the wicked and nefarious plan of overturning the government so long established in this country; and it will appear to you that several, nay, all of the persons mentioned in the indictment, were participators in the same design; some of them, probably, coming into that purpose and design at a later period than others, but all of them concurring in the last criminal event which led to their detection. I shall prove to you by the most satisfactory evidence, that all of them were combining in that act, which was to be the commencement of that revolution in the country, which was meditated. I would, however, call your attention to two persons, whose names you will frequently hear in the course of this inquiry, I mean a person of the name of James Ings, and a person of the name of John Thomas Brunt.
“The prisoner at the bar resided, during the time of the transaction which I am about to relate to you, in Stanhope-street, Clare Market. The person named Brunt, I believe, was a shoe-maker or boot-closer, residing at a place which will be frequently mentioned in the course of the evidence, Fox-court, Gray’s Inn-lane; he inhabited two rooms in a house in that court, I believe the second floor, and in one of which his trade was carried on, and in the other his family, consisting of himself, his wife, an apprentice of the name of Hales, and his son, lived.
“I shall not carry your attention very far back in the narrative of this transaction; it will be sufficient for me particularly in the outset, to call your attention to circumstances that took place between the close of the month of January and the 23d of the following month of February. Undoubtedly it will appear toyou, that long prior to that period the prisoner at the bar, the two persons I have mentioned, and several of the others, whose names are included in this indictment, had consulted and devised plans for the purpose of overturning the Government. They had frequent meetings at a public-house, called the White Hart, in Brooks’ Market, in a room which they had obtained for the purpose of these meetings, behind that public-house.
“About the latter end of January, or at the commencement of the month of February, they thought it prudent to remove their meetings from this place, and that it would be better that they should be carried on, if possible, in a room in the house where Brunt lived in Fox-court; and to avoid suspicion, they therefore had recourse to this contrivance, that another room in that house, and upon the same floor on which Brunt resided, should be taken by the prisoner Ings, who is, I believe, by trade a butcher. Brunt and Ings on that occasion hired that room, for the avowed purpose of a lodging for Ings, but for the secret and real object of having their meetings there, where they might devise their plans, and prepare the means for carrying the object of their conspiracy into execution; that being a place of more security and privacy than the one at which they had previously held their assemblies.
“At the close of the month of January, or the beginning of the month of February, you will learn, that having previously prepared means for effecting their plans, their meetings at Brunt’s room became more frequent and regular. They had determined—and, Gentlemen, I here regret, that in an English Court of Justice I have to state to you the horrible purpose which then entered into their minds, and the way in which they intended to consummate the nefarious operations they had in view.—It was thought by Englishmen, that the assassination of several, if not all, of his Majesty’s ministers would be a proper step towards carrying into effect the revolutionthey intended; and you will find that they meditated and consulted on the means by which that horrible purpose was to be completed. They entertained hopes that they might be enabled, at some meeting of his Majesty’s ministers, to effect all at once the double purpose they had conceived. Having done that, they intended at the same moment, or about the same time, to set fire to various parts of this metropolis—to endeavour to obtain possession of the cannon which were at the Artillery Ground, and at the Light Horse Volunteers’ Stables in Gray’s Inn-lane—to create as much confusion and dismay as they could by these various operations, and then to establish, what, in their vain expectations, they had imagined themselves capable of effecting—a provisional government, the seat of which was to be at the Mansion-house. They had frequent deliberations on this plan.
“You will recollect that his late Most Excellent Majesty died on the 29th of January. At this time their deliberations were going on with the greatest activity. During the latter end of that month and the beginning of February, it was thought that the meeting of his Majesty’s ministers at the King’s funeral would be a proper occasion for carrying their plans into effect. They had intimation that upon that occasion, the greater part of the troops centred in the metropolis would be removed to Windsor, to witness the solemnity; and they imagined that would be a fit and proper period to commence their operations; but, however, they found that their schemes embraced more objects than at that period they had the means of effecting, and upon that night they did not attempt the purposes they had in view. But, gentlemen, brooding over their nefarious schemes, many of these men became impatient at the delay which from unavoidable circumstances, interposed between the present day and that on which they hoped to accomplish their purposes; and you will find that on the 19th of February, to which I shall presently call your attention, the impatience became so greaton the part of many of these persons as to be restrained no longer. They found that during this delay, an opportunity offered at which they could effect the horrible purpose I have mentioned—the assassination of all his Majesty’s ministers assembled at one and the same house.
“They got intimation on Saturday the 16th of February, that on the Wednesday following the opportunity would occur when they would be able to effect their purpose, by finding that his Majesty’s ministers would be assembled at the same house. Upon hearing that such an assemblage was to take place, they determined, at a meeting held for that purpose, that at all events, on the following Wednesday some blow should be struck, and that the revolution they had in contemplation should actually take place.
“Having thus determined, they appointed a meeting on the following day, Saturday, at Brunt’s house, for the purpose of forming a committee, upon whom should devolve the plan which was to be effected on the ensuing Wednesday, at that meeting; and indeed at all the meetings, you will find the prisoner foremost in every thing. He was to be their leader, and he was to be one of the men on whom they placed the greatest reliance. You will find that at this meeting he is the person who addressed them, and prepared the plans, and in whose plans they placed the greatest confidence.
“Gentlemen, upon this 19th of February it was, that Thistlewood proposed that which I have stated to you. He stated, that as it did not appear from the intelligence they could collect, that Ministers were likely to meet at the cabinet-dinner soon, they immediately ascertained the strength of their respective parties, and having so ascertained them, these parties should be divided into different bodies, upon some of whom should devolve the horrible duty of destroying as many of his Majesty’s ministers as their means and convenience would allow; that upon others should beimposed the duty of setting fire to various parts of the metropolis; and that others should be assigned other duties, which were there pointed out by the prisoner.
“This plan, formed at that meeting, was seconded by Brunt, whose name I have already mentioned; and there too it was agreed as I have already stated, that on the following day, Saturday, a meeting should take place at Brunt’s room, in order to appoint a committee, upon whom should devolve the final arrangement of the plan which was to be executed on the following Wednesday.
“On the Sunday the meeting accordingly took place, attended by the prisoner, by Ings, by Harrison, by Wilson, and by other persons, whose names are mentioned in this indictment, and with which I do not at this moment trouble you, because, as your attention is confined to the present prisoner, it is unnecessary to do so. At the same time, in the course of this investigation, connecting, as we shall do, all these persons in one common plan and design, the acts and declarations of each will be most important, because they will all be answerable for the acts of each in furtherance of their common purpose. Upon that occasion they met at Brunt’s, and it was then agreed that they should meet again on the following morning, Monday, February 21.
“After the plans, I should tell you, on the Sunday were again repeated by Thistlewood, they were again approved by these persons. I think the number who attended on that occasion amounted to fourteen or fifteen persons. They then agreed that no activity should be wanting in the mean time. I mean to prepare that to which I shall by-and-by, call your attention. They met again on Monday at Brunt’s. The same plan was again canvassed. No objection was made, and they then separated for the purpose of communicating it to their different friends in different parts of the town; and for the purpose of collecting as many persons as they were enabled to do for the meeting on the following Wednesday. OnTuesday the 22d of February, a meeting took place again in the morning, at Brunt’s; and upon that occasion, one of the parties communicated to some who were present, that he had discovered by the newspapers, that a cabinet dinner was to be given on the following day, Wednesday, at my Lord Harrowby’s, in Grosvenor-square. Gentlemen, you will be shocked when you come to hear the evidence detailed, to find with what exultation this intelligence was received. Brunt, with an impiety which must shock every well-regulated mind, exclaimed, ‘that till then he disbelieved the existence of a God, but that now he was satisfied the Almighty was favouring their designs, and that this dinner was appointed by Providence on the following day to enable them at one blow to effect that purpose which had been levelled against each of his Majesty’s ministers separately, and that they might be enabled by that means to accomplish at once, the whole destruction they meditated.’ The exultation was not confined to him; you will find, that Ings and the other persons present equally rejoiced at the prospect of a speedy termination of their nefarious purposes, and hoping that on the following night they should at length attain that which was so great an object of their desire, and which they had pursued with the utmost anxiety. The newspaper was then sent for, to see if the intelligence was true. On being brought it was immediately determined, that instead of the plan of endeavouring to assassinate some of his Majesty’s ministers at their respective houses, that my Lord Harrowby’s should be the place of attack; and that there in the evening, between eight and nine o’ clock, after all the guests were assembled, and were lulled into security, that the attack should be made on the house, and that the ministers should be destroyed by the means I shall state to you.
“Their activity on this intelligence being received, was redoubled; they met again in the evening—their different partizans were requested at once to obtain alltheir fire-arms, the ammunition they had previously collected, and the different instruments of mischief which you will find they had prepared for execution, and that they should be in a state of preparation on the following evening to effect this purpose. I should have stated to you, gentlemen, before I had come to this part of the narrative, that a person of the name of Tidd, who is also included in this indictment, and who lived, I believe in the Hole-in-the-Wall-alley, Brooks’-market, was one of the conspirators, and had embarked in these plans. His house was made the depôt of arms and ammunition.
“As the meeting of the conspirators had been held at Brunt’s, they had a suspicion that their proceedings might be watched, and they thought it unsafe that that should be the place of deposit, and therefore Tidd’s house had, for some time, been the depository for the arms and ammunition which had been collected.
“As Brunt’s house was, as you know, at some considerable distance from Grosvenor-square, where the commencement of this scene of blood was to take place, they thought it would be better to procure some place of rendezvous nearer to the house of Lord Harrowby; and you will find therefore, though it was not communicated at that moment to the different parties, who were to be engaged in the transaction, that a place was procured at the west end of the town, in Cato-street, which runs into John-street, and thence to the Edgeware-road. A place was there procured by Harrison, another of the conspirators, for the purpose of meeting on the following evening, preparatory to their going to Grosvenor-square.
“Gentlemen, it frequently and providentially happens, as it generally will in conspiracies of this nature, that some of the parties, previous to the perpetration of their wicked designs, feel some compunction, which leads to a disclosure of their plans, and a prevention of their intentions; and you willfind in evidence, in this case, that upon the Tuesday, the day on which the intelligence was received that the dinner was to be at Lord Harrowby’s the next day, which really was the case, one person of the name of Hiden, who had these plans communicated to him, because it was hoped that he would become a participator in their designs, felt such compunction as to compel him to communicate to Lord Harrowby the plan that was designed; and you will find, that upon that day, this person took an opportunity of watching Lord Harrowby from his house, on horseback, into the park, and there he generally communicated to him that some mischief was intended against him, and therefore forewarned him of it.
“It will also appear to you, that at their meeting on Tuesday some little alarm had been excited in the minds of some of the party, by a person named Adams, who had been told by the publican at the White Hart, that their meetings had been suspected, and that they were in some hazard of being discovered. He therefore stated to Thistlewood, and others, on Tuesday, that a communication had been made to him by the landlord that their meetings at the White Hart public-house had been observed by some of the police officers, and therefore he expressed his apprehensions, that their plans had been discovered, or were likely to be discovered. This excited in the minds of those present the greatest agitation. They were astonished that Adams should have ventured at such a meeting, consisting of fourteen or fifteen persons, to hint that there was a possibility of their plans being discovered. The intelligence produced the greatest alarm, and they immediately took into consideration what was best to do.
“The prisoner Brunt, in order to ascertain whether there was any ground for the suspicions entertained by Adams, proposed that some of the party should be posted near Lord Harrowby’s house, on Tuesday evening, and early on the following Wednesday, with a view of seeing whether any preparations were madeto receive any intended attack, and thereby to ascertain to their satisfaction whether or not their plans had been discovered; and you will find that the suggestion of Brunt was carried into effect, by sending two or three parties, amongst whom was a man named Davidson, who will be a very conspicuous person throughout this transaction, and one of the most active partizans, to watch the house. They sent him and another person about six o’clock that evening, to watch Lord Harrowby’s house, and they were to be relieved between eight and nine o’clock by two others of the party, who were to keep three hours’ watch; at the end of which time they were to be relieved by others, who, in their turn, would be relieved by four in the morning. It will be proved to you that they actually went there on that night, and were seen by different persons in Grosvenor-square, watching Lord Harrowby’s house for the purpose mentioned, and finding, as was the case, that there appeared to be no alarm—that there were no police officers, or troops of any description introduced into Lord Harrowby’s house, or stationed in the neighbourhood, they felt quite satisfied that it was a groundless alarm on the part of Adams—that there was no foundation for suspecting that any of their plans were discovered; and therefore they proceeded without hesitation or dread to complete, as far as they could, the purpose they had in view.
“On the Wednesday morning, great preparations were made. Arms were brought by Brunt in great abundance to the stable in Cato-street; they consisted of sabres, swords, guns, pistols, and other destructive instruments of offence. But one of the most terrific instruments, and calculated for the most deadly purposes, and which they prepared themselves, was what was called a hand-grenade. It was composed in this way—there was a quantity of gunpowder enclosed in a tin case, three or four inches in circumference, round which was tied a quantity of tow, and on the outside was a quantity of iron, in pieces of variousdescriptions, sharp-pointed, and otherwise shaped, which were fastened together, and tied round with the same sort of material I have mentioned, so as to enable the instrument to explode with the greatest force; and the object of this machine was stated without disguise to be this: that upon their entrance into Lord Harrowby’s house, it was to be lighted by a fusee, communicating with the powder, and then thrown into the room; and by the explosion, the persons exposed to the mischief might be killed or wounded, as would naturally be the case. It seems they had prepared a great number of these destructive instruments; I know not how many.
“They had also prepared what they, in their mode of expression, called illumination balls, made for the purpose of setting fire to any buildings which it was their object and purpose to destroy. They had prepared also a large quantity of ball cartridges, the amount of which will probably surprise you, considering the apparently feeble means these persons had of procuring articles of this description. Will it be believed, that they had prepared between 11 and 1,200 rounds of ball cartridges? They had also prepared several sorts of cartridges of a different description, made with flannel bags, and had provided themselves with a very large quantity of powder. They had also prepared a great number of pikes, and pike handles, for the purpose of arming their friends and associates, who had no other arms. All these preparations must, obviously, have been the work of a considerable length of time. They must have been the fruits of very great labour, and they were all prepared and ready on the 23d of February for their intended operations.
“On the morning of the 23d of February, several of the conspirators assembled at Brunt’s house, where they were engaged in completing their hand-grenades, putting flints into their pistols, loading their arms, and, in short, making every preparation for the approaching attack. These facts will be proved to youby Brunt’s apprentice. I have already told you, that for the purpose of their meeting, and for the convenience of having some place near to Lord Harrowby’s house, a stable had been hired by one of the conspirators in Cato-street, near the Edgeware-road.
“I know not whether curiosity has led any of you, as it has done a great many of the public, to visit the place; but if it has not, I will endeavour to describe the situation, and I think you will agree with me, that a more appropriate situation for the purpose contemplated could hardly be selected. It is an obscure street, having a very narrow access at either end. I think at one end there is not any access for carriages, and at the other there is an archway, and under it posts, to prevent none but foot-passengers going in or out. The east end passes into John-street, and the west end, which is a very narrow cartway, runs into Queen-street, both John-street and Queen-street running parallel with each other into the Edgeware-road. The stable is the first building as you enter Cato-street from John-street on the right-hand side of the way, and it is nearly opposite the small public-house, called by the sign of the Horse and Groom. The stable had been occupied by General Watson, who is abroad, and rented of him by a person of the name of Firth, by whom it was let to Harrison for this purpose. It consists below stairs of a stable, with three stalls, and a small place adjoining, for the reception of a carriage or cart; and at the further end of it, nearly opposite the door, as you enter, is a step-ladder leading up into the loft over the stable, on the side of which are two small rooms, which are immediately over the cart or coach-house.
“It will be proved to you, that previously to the meeting on that evening, which was to take place about seven or eight o’clock, preparations had been made by Harrison, and several others of the party in the stable, for the reception of those who were to be assembled. In order to avoid the observation of the neighbourhood, some pieces of canvass had beennailed up against the window of the loft, to prevent persons from observing on the opposite side of the street what might be passing; and it was remarked by several of the neighbours, that this place was visited by a great number of persons during the afternoon, who were carrying something on their backs which the neighbours did not discover, but which, I have no doubt, were the arms and other implements of mischief collected there, and found when the prisoners were taken. Harrison, who was known to be one of those persons, was observed going into the stable in the afternoon; and on being asked what his purpose was in going there, he said, he had taken it from Firth, and was cleaning it out. About six o’clock, Davidson, the man of colour, was also observed by some of these persons residing close to the stable, going in with something on his back, and under his arm, which they could not discover, and a number of candles in his hand. You will find that he applied at one of the houses adjoining the stable, at six o’clock, to light one of these candles, with which he went into the stable. A party was to meet at Brunt’s lodgings, in order to proceed from thence to this stable. Tidd, whose name I have already mentioned, and who lived in the Hole-in-the-Wall-alley, was to accompany another party. They had not communicated to all the party, at first, the precise place of meeting, but some were to meet at the Horse and Groom, and others were to go to the Edgeware-road, near John-street, where some of the conspirators were to shew them to the place of rendezvous.
“Between seven and eight o’clock Brunt, and some others from his house, took their departure with arms, with which they had there provided themselves, and concealed under their coats, to this stable in Cato-street. They met there Thistlewood, Ings, Wilson, and some others, and here they proceeded to arm themselves with the weapons provided, and which were afterwards found; such as guns, pistols, swords, a great number of hand-grenades, and aconsiderable number of pikes, rudely formed, but sufficient for the purpose of doing incredible mischief. The handles of the pikes were composed of rough ash sticks of a large size, the ends of which were planed off, to admit a ferrule, and at the end was stuck a pike-head or bayonet; for articles of both descriptions were found, screwed on for the purpose of being afterwards used.
“At first their party at Cato-street consisted only of fourteen or fifteen persons, and some little alarm was excited, and some little suspicion evidently raised, in the mind of Thistlewood and some others, at Tidd’s not making his appearance at the appointed time, for there being some remarks made that their number was not so large as was expected, it was stated by Thistlewood, and by some others, that there were other persons, who would by-and-by assemble, and that other parties were gone for different purposes about the metropolis, who were not to accompany them to Lord Harrowby’s house in Grosvenor-square. In a short time afterwards, however, Tidd made his appearance with a person named Monument, who will be produced as a witness; a person who had only been recently induced to participate in their schemes—who a short time before had been introduced to Thistlewood, and who had an intimation generally with respect to their particular views; but he had not been admitted to a knowledge of the whole scope of the plan, until he arrived at Cato-street, although he might be aware that their object was to overturn the Government in some way or other. He arrived, however, with Tidd about seven o’clock, and the party at that time consisted of about twenty-five persons; two of them were appointed to remain as sentries below stairs to prevent any interruption. These persons were Davidson and Ings, and they remained on guard whilst the other conspirators were above stairs talking over their plans, and making the final arrangements for proceeding to Lord Harrowby’s house, in Grosvenor-square, which they proposed to do between seven and eight o’clock.Some alarm, as I have already told you, had prevailed in the party. Some of them expressed a fear that their own strength was hardly adequate to the object in view. Upon which Thistlewood and Ings said the opportunity must not be lost; that there was enough to complete the purpose of destroying his Majesty’s ministers; that when that was accomplished, the other consequences would follow; that they should have parties ready to set fire to different parts of the metropolis; that they would be joined by immense numbers the moment the first blow was struck, and therefore, there could be no hesitation in their minds to execute the intended purpose.
“Having thus assembled their forces, and prepared themselves for the desperate object of their enterprise, they began between seven and eight o’clock to consider who should be the party to enter Lord Harrowby’s house to destroy the ministers. The plan had been, that Thistlewood was to knock at the door, under the pretence of having a note to deliver to Lord Harrowby, and by that means having obtained access to the hall, they were to compel the servants to shew them to the room where the ministers were assembled; that they were to secure the servants, who, they naturally believed, would be soon overpowered, and should then immediately make their way into the room; and then they should, without discrimination, without reserve, or without any remorse, destroy every one of his Majesty’s ministers who should be assembled.
“I have stated to you, gentlemen, already the exultation and impiety displayed by Brunt on one occasion, when he contemplated the completion of his sanguinary purpose; and I cannot conceal from you one fact, as it affects the man named Ings, which will be distinctly proved; he had been a butcher, and he had armed himself on this occasion not with a blunderbuss, a gun, or any thing of that sort, but with a large butcher’s knife, and for the purpose of enabling him to use it with more effect he had twisted round thehandle a quantity of thread, in order that when saturated with the blood of his victims, it might not slip out of his hand; and he stated, in language of the most gross and horrible import, that with this knife he would himself effect the murder and mutilation of some of the persons who should be assembled. The cruelty of the designs this man expressed, is beyond all description. The scenes, in fact, which had disgraced another country some years back, were to be acted again on British ground, and the heads of some of the ministers were to be triumphantly paraded through the streets, to procure converts to this detestable cause! Gentlemen, that very knife was found upon, and taken from, that man; and I mention that only as a corroborating fact, if corroboration be needed. Gentlemen, thank Heaven, that Providence which kindly watches over the acts and thoughts of men, mercifully interposed between the conception of this abominable plot, and its completion, which was all but perfected.
“In consequence of the communication made to Lord Harrowby, measures were taken in other quarters to prevent the impending danger. It being stated that these persons had met in Cato-street, for the purposes I have already mentioned, means were immediately taken to secure the conspirators, which, however, were not so effectual as could have been wished, but certainly so far as to prevent the execution of their dreadful purposes. In order to remove all suspicion from the minds of the conspirators, it was determined by Lord Harrowby, that the preparations for the dinner, which he had intended undoubtedly for his Majesty’s ministers, on that occasion, should go on; and in order that there should be no suspicion in the house of my Lord Harrowby, his servants were desired to proceed in the necessary arrangements for the dinner, because there is no doubt, that if any alteration had taken place in the arrangements of the day, it would have been communicated to the conspirators; and if they suspected that the dinner wasnot intended to take place, they would have changed their measures, and the ends of justice would have been defeated.
“In consequence, therefore, of the seeming perseverance in the design of having a cabinet dinner, all suspicion was removed from the minds of the Cato-street conspirators, who no doubt expected that they should be enabled, from the short distance of their rendezvous, to reach Lord Harrowby’s in about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, and accomplish their purpose unmolested—a circumstance not unlikely, considering that the hour of eight was chosen; considering that the neighbourhood was the most quiet and retired in London; at a time, too, when the inhabitants of the square and its vicinity were employed in domestic retirement; at that hour when suspicion must be lulled asleep, and when no apprehensions could be entertained of personal danger; for that hour, and that moment was chosen by the Cato-street conspirators to issue from the scene of their nefarious deliberations. Precautions, however, had been taken as I have stated to you, in order to prevent the accomplishment of their designs. A number of Bow-street officers and patrol, had been directed to go to the spot, and endeavour to watch their movements, and counteract their operations, before they took their departure, and endeavour to secure the whole assemblage.
“A party of the Guards also were to attend in John-street, to assist the police; and, just at the moment that these persons were about to set out, and when Thistlewood was calling over those who were to separate from the rest to execute this horrible plan, the officers entered the loft. Upon their entrance into the stable below, they found two persons there, armed, who will be proved to be Davidson, for his colour, which is nearly black, was perceived; he had a double belt round his waist, in which were pistols and a cutlass, and he had a gun over his shoulder; they found him inside the door, and another person,who will be distinctly identified to be Ings. He was found at the bottom of the ladder, with this knife, with a cutlass, a sword, and with pistols.
“The officers, with a resolution and courage which does them high honour, considering the desperation and determination of these characters, immediately ascended the ladder without securing the persons below. They merely gave directions to those who followed, to keep them secure, and they thought that would be enough, without actually confining them. The first man who went up was a person of the name of Ruthven, who will be called to you: he was followed by a man named Ellis: after whom came a man, of whom you have undoubtedly heard before, named Smithers, who met his death by the hand of Thistlewood.
“On Smithers ascending the ladder, either Ings or Davidson hallooed out from below, as a signal for them to be on their guard above, and upon Ruthven ascending the ladder, Thistlewood, who was at a little distance from the landing-place, and who was distinctly seen, for there were several lights in the place, receded a few paces, and the police-officers announced who they were, and demanded a surrender. Smithers unfortunately pressed forward in the direction in which Thistlewood had retreated, into one of the small rooms over the coach-house, when Thistlewood drew back his arm, in which there was a sword, and made a thrust at the unfortunate man, Smithers, who received a wound near his heart, and, with only time to exclaim, “Oh! God!” he fell a lifeless corpse into the arms of Ellis. Ellis, seeing this blow given by Thistlewood, immediately discharged a pistol at him, which missed its aim. Great confusion followed; the lights were struck out; the officers were forced down the ladder, which was so precipitous, being almost perpendicular, that they fell, and many of the party followed them.
“Thistlewood, among the rest, came down the ladder; and, not satisfied with the blood of one person,he shot at another of the officers as he came down the ladder, and pressed through the stable, cutting at all who attempted to oppose him, and made his escape out into John-street, the military not having yet arrived; and he was no more seen at that time, except with a sword in his hand in the Edgware-road. By the other persons an equally desperate resistance was made.
“Conscious of the evil purpose for which they had assembled, they waited not to know on what charge they were about to be apprehended; but instantly made a most desperate resistance. Ings, Davidson, and Wilson, were particularly desperate, each, I believe, firing at some of the officers or military, who had only come to the ground on hearing the report of the fire-arms, not having been previously directed to the exact spot.
“Notwithstanding the resistance, however, which they so desperately made, and in which resistance Thistlewood, Tidd, Davidson, Ings, and Wilson took a most active part, by attacking the officers and soldiers, the whole of the conspirators were, at length, fortunately overcome, and eventually eleven of them secured. Not on that night, however, for three out of the eleven for the time escaped, namely Thistlewood, Brunt, and Harrison. The officers, however, not only secured on that night the eight men, but various articles of fire-arms, numerous weapons, and certain combustibles.
“The prisoner Brunt, gentlemen, one of those who escaped, returned that night to his own house. He was accompanied by another man, and his own boots were in such a state, as not to fail to excite the attention of some persons in the house. His boy (an apprentice, named Hale) soon learned, from the conversation which passed between his master and the man, that they had just escaped from Cato-street, and Brunt expressed a belief that his person had not been discovered. The prisoner, gentlemen, remained home the whole of the night, but early on the morningfollowing, he called to him the apprentice boy I have named, and asked him as to his knowledge of some street in the Borough, where he wanted to convey some baskets. These were all carefully packed up, and it is a remarkable circumstance, which will be spoken to in evidence, that so anxious was he for the concealment of its contents, that one of the baskets was secured with the apron of his wife! Gentlemen, the prisoner now thought all secure; but he had scarcely effected his plan, and retired into another room, previous to despatching the baskets, when the officers entered the house and seized him. This, you may suppose, was not a little surprising to Brunt; for, most material would it have been to him to have the baskets removed. Upon searching these, gentlemen, were found a number of hand-grenades, fire-balls, and other articles of destruction. Upon their discovery, Brunt for some time affected ignorance of the thing, but he was told it was of no use.
“The prisoner at the bar, Thistlewood, who also escaped on the night of the 23d, retired not to his own house, however, but to an obscure lodging in White-street, where he thought to conceal himself. Information, however, soon reached the police-office, Bow-street, of his retreat, and early the next morning, a strong party of officers, headed by Bishop, were sent to apprehend him. Upon their arrival at the place, every precaution was, of course, taken to prevent an alarm; while the officers, at the same time, knowing the desperate sort of character they had to contend with, were equally guarded to resist any attack which might be made upon them. They proceeded to search the house, beginning with the top and descending to the lower rooms. They then observed a small room on the ground-floor, the door of which was locked, and Bishop demanded the key, which he procured; and knowing from what had taken place, the determined desperation of this man, he opened the door as softly as he could, and perceivedby some slight light that came through two or three holes in the window-shutters, the person of Thistlewood lying on a turn-down bed. The moment he opened the door, Thistlewood put his head up, and Bishop immediately discovered him, and he immediately threw himself upon him, to prevent mischief. He then said, he should make no resistance, and on being taken out of bed, it was discovered that he had been laying in his breeches and stockings. Gentlemen, by these means the prisoner at the bar was taken; and thus ends, in point of fact, the evidence which will be adduced before you.
“Gentlemen, I have now to state to you, at the suggestion of a learned friend, a fact which I had almost forgotten. It is material for you to know, that on the 22d February, the conspirators held a consultation at the house of Brunt. Every thing was, on this occasion considered as finally arranged. I have already told you, it was their plan to set fire to various parts of the metropolis, and among other places, the barracks in King-street were fixed upon, not only because troops would be there, but because Harrison, who had been, I am sorry to say, in his Majesty’s service, was acquainted with the situation of the building, and pointed out the means by which it could be easily fired; and thus the soldiers, who would have retired to rest, would be unable to accoutre themselves or their horses. But this is not all, gentlemen; for at this very consultation, Thistlewood sat down and wrote two proclamations, in anticipation of the success of his diabolical schemes, and which proclamations were upon that success to be issued. But you will observe, gentlemen, it was not considered by the prisoner duly official to write these proclamations on paper, and Hale (the apprentice of Brunt) was sent in search of parchment. This being procured, he wrote an address to the following effect, intended for the people generally:—
PROCLAMATION.“Your Tyrants are destroyed!“The Friends of liberty are desired to come forward andsupport the Provisional Government, which is now sitting.”
“So that, Gentlemen, if any doubt could be entertained of these men’s ulterior designs not being confined to the destruction of his Majesty’s Ministers, this proclamation, written by Thistlewood, would put it beyond all doubt. He wrote two or three of these. He read them aloud to the party assembled, and told them that they were to be stuck up where the houses were on fire, that the people might see it. Afterwards he sat down, and endeavoured to compose another proclamation, which was to be issued to the soldiers, and that contained an offer to the soldiers, calling on them to join the friends of Liberty; promising them twenty pounds each to carry them home, and that they should be rewarded with full pay and a pension for life!! These proclamations, Gentlemen, were read aloud by Thistlewood to the conspirators, and they were unanimously approved. Some of them, I should tell you, were to be posted as convenient as possible to every barrack or public place which might be set fire to or destroyed. Thistlewood himself carried the proclamations from the house of Brunt to Cato-street.
“And now, Gentlemen, having stated these facts, let me pause to ask you, whether, if I prove them in evidence, you can come to any other conclusion than that the prisoner who stands before you, is guilty? What answer, I will ask, can be given to such evidence as this, and if no answer can be given in evidence, what answer can be given in reason? It may be urged, in a general sense, that such schemes and such plans as the facts I have related to you disclose, ought scarcely to be credited in a Court of Justice. This may be inferred from the circumstance of heated men with heated passions conceiving and proposing the adoption of plans, wild and visionary, and in fact wholly impracticable. In this case, however, such aprinciple did not exist; for here were long laid regular plans, extensive schemes, and the most abundant preparations, to effect a wicked purpose. And will not desperate and designing men, infuriated by their passions either influence others to the accomplishment of such plans, or be worked upon by them themselves. Look then, Gentlemen, to the facts of the case yourselves. You will view them as calm and sober men, and in doing so, you will perceive such a system and such an adroitness towards the execution of that system, that their object requires but little solution.
“Gentlemen, it is not your duty to consider whether the schemes in question were wild and visionary, but whether they had for their object an illegal or wicked purpose; and if illegal, and that towards the execution of their plans they took but one step, they have then done that which renders them amenable to the offended laws of their country. If these arguments, Gentlemen, won’t avail, what then may not be urged for the prisoner? But you will also be told that accomplices are not to be believed on their oath in a Court of Justice. I contend, however, that they should; and if it was not permitted to accomplices in guilt to give evidence for the purposes of justice, then the blackest and foulest crimes would be daily committed, and go unpunished. But it is not the law of England, alone, to hear the evidence of an accomplice. It is the law of reason also, and has been the law of all ages and nations. I admit that you should watch with the greatest caution and jealousy the testimony of an accomplice. You should weigh his story well, and see whether it be confirmed by the more indifferent witnesses. Not confirmed in every part, for then his evidence would not be required at all: but in certain collateral parts which may be found to correspond with the other testimony. If therefore, Gentlemen, an accomplice is produced before you, and you believe a part of what he relates, you are bound in a great measure to believe that the whole of what he tells you is true.
“No man, or set of men, who had ever conceived such plans as I have laid before you, could have so conceived them without an intention of pursuing them. The plans, therefore, at least for some time, could be known only to themselves and to their God. I say then that the evidence of an accomplice is not only highly necessary, but even laudable; for if you resist such a principle, the more dark will be the crime, the more secret the scheme, and the more wicked the purpose. As I told you before, Gentlemen, it has long been the law of England to receive the evidence of an accomplice, and even in cases of murder, it has proved most salutary in the administration of justice.
“I will call a witness before you,Gentlemen, named Adams, an accomplice, as you will find, and he being in the full confidence of the conspirators, will prove to you the nature of all their proceedings from time to time, and of the different plans and communications which were made between him and them. I will call another man to you, Gentlemen, who was the first to make known the diabolical plans of the conspirators, to my Lord Harrowby; but this man was not much known to them, nor did he therefore rank high in their councils.
“This man in fact, when he heard the dreadful plan related of visiting his Majesty’s ministers with destruction and death, his heart shuddered, his conscience smote him, and he could hold out no longer. Some men, you know, have very strong minds, and are not to be deterred from the most wicked purpose. Others are less firm, and more easily shaken in the accomplishment of a cruel or immoral design. The witness whom I shall produce to you, Gentlemen, and whose name is Hiden, is one of this description.
“A third witness I shall produce to you, is an individual who was rather more in confidence with the conspirators. His name is Dwyer, and you will find that Thistlewood and Davidson applied to him for hisadvice and assistance towards the execution of their murderous purpose. You will even find that they solicited his aid on the very day in which that purpose was to be put into execution. This witness, however, horror-struck at the intended massacre, and feeling it to be his bounden duty, ran almost instantly and communicated the fact to others. He first communicated it to his wife, and next to an officer in the army, named James, with a view that it might be immediately conveyed to his Majesty’s ministers. This, under the special order of Providence, was done.
“And now let me again ask you, Gentlemen, is this testimony to be rejected? Surely it never can by enlightened men such as you are. But this even does not furnish my case for the prosecution; for I assure you it does not rest upon the testimony of Adams, Hiden, and Dwyer; but there are facts in this case which, I fear, the prisoner will not be able to answer. Why, I would ask, were these men assembled in Cato-street, and why at night? There were none of them related to each other, yet they were all armed with deadly weapons, and found in close deliberation in an obscure stable. There were also found there a quantity of destructive grenades and fire-balls, together with a large portion of ammunition. But this is not all. At the houses of two others of the conspirators, namely, Brunt and Tidd, there were found similar articles of destruction, particularly ammunition. The weight found of the latter, gentlemen, amounted to between eleven and twelve hundred pounds; and I would ask, in the name of God, what object could these men have had in the possession of such a quantity of ammunition? Surely it could not even be for an individual murder! No, gentlemen, it was the destruction of his Majesty’s ministers in the first place, the burning and levelling of public barracks and edifices in the next, and finally, the establishment of a revolution, and the appointment of a Provisional Government.
“These men, Gentlemen, could never have been unfriendly towards ministers as individuals. It must have been a hatred of them in the character of their office alone, and their design was more particularly levelled at Lord Harrowby, because his Lordship was President of the Council. Can you doubt, that after this dreadful blow was made, and it had succeeded, that it was the intention of these conspirators to have established a provisional government, and thus spread anarchy and confusion around. In fact, that was the eventual blow meant to be carried into execution. I say, therefore, that even if the learned counsel for the prisoners were to contend most successfully against the evidence of the accomplices, the facts I shall produce to you by other testimony, will answer the purposes of this just and necessary prosecution.
“What was the conduct of the prisoners when they were discovered in Cato-street? I want not, Gentlemen, by a repetition of this term, to inflame your minds: but it will be extremely important for you to remember, that when the officers entered the loft there, and said, ‘we are officers,’ they submitted not to their authority, but resisted them even in the most ferocious manner, and one officer, as you have before heard, unfortunately lost his life. The prisoner at the bar, however, is not under trial for that offence, nor should the fatal circumstance operate in the present case against him. But I must again ask you, what became of the prisoner on the 23d, the intended night of blood and slaughter? Why he flies from the desperate scene, not to his own home, as you have already been told, but to an obscure place of concealment. These, then, Gentlemen, are the facts of this momentous case; and once more I ask you, what possible conclusion can you draw from such facts, if they be supported in evidence?
“Gentlemen, I repeat it, that this is a momentousand important case, and if these plots of the conspirators, and of the prisoner in particular, be proved to have existed—if the means had been used which I have described to you for effecting the nefarious and diabolical plans they had formed, then I call upon you, in the name of justice, to give that verdict which will best satisfy the laws of your country, and tend to protect the lives of your fellow-creatures. Commiseration (if I may use the term) towards a prisoner, I never should withhold; and God forbid, Gentlemen, that you should not give to the man at the bar the advantage of every, even the slightest, circumstance of doubt which may arise in his favour. If these doubts also should predominate, it will be your duty to acquit the prisoner; but if, on the other hand, the facts which I have laid before you be substantiated, and you feel in your consciences that the charge is made out, it will then become your painful but bounden duty to convict him. Should these facts, I say, for the last time, be brought home to the prisoner, it will then be your duty, as men, as citizens, and as fathers—as men desirous of maintaining the laws, and of acting under the solemn obligation of your oaths, to pronounce him guilty.”
The learned gentleman’s speech occupied the attention of the Jury for nearly two hours.
Before the first witness for the prosecution was put into the box, all the prisoners named in the indictment were brought up, with the view, we suppose, of having an opportunity of hearing the evidence, it being principally the same which is to be adduced against most of them. They entered the Court with much apparent indifference.
Davidson and Ings were particularly remarked for the calm indifference with which they surveyed the Bench and the spectators around them.
During the examination of Adams, some of the prisoners whispered together. Thistlewood throughout preserved the most perfect composure.
The first witness called was
Robert Adams, examined by the Solicitor-General.—I live at No. 4, in Hole-in-the-Wall-passage, Brooks’-market. I am a shoemaker. I was in the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards. It is 18 years last Christmas since I left them. I knew Brunt at Cambray, in France, he went then by the name of Thomas Morton, it is 18 years ago since I first knew him. I know Thistlewood. I knew him first on the 16th of January last. He then lived in Stanhope-street, Clare-market. I was introduced to him by Brunt and Ings. I saw him at his own place. We had some conversation together.
Here Mr. Adolphus objected to the witness mentioning any thing of the conversation which passed on that occasion. The crime against the prisoner was charged in the reign of his present Majesty, and against his crown and dignity, and no act of the prisoners in the late reign ought to be adduced.
Lord Chief-Justice Abbot said, the Court might hear of the commencement of the transaction, as connected with what had occurred in the present reign.
The examination of the witness was continued.
When I went in, Brunt said to Thistlewood, This is the man I was speaking to you about. Thistlewood said, “You were once in the Life-Guards?” I said, “No, I was not, I originally belonged to the Blues.” Thistlewood said, “You are a good swordsman?” I said, “I could use a sword to defend myself; but I could not use it very expert, as I had not used any arms for a long time.” Thistlewood said, there was no one who was worth 10l.who was worth any thing for the good of his country. As to the shopkeepers of London, they were all a set of aristocrats together, and were all working under the same systemof government. He should glory to see the day that all the shops were shut up, and well plundered. He then alluded to Mr. Hunt, and said, he (Hunt) was a d——d coward, and were he (Thistlewood) to go to Whitehall, he was sure he would find his (Hunt’s) name there, as a spy to government. He then turned the conversation to Cobbett, and said, he was equally the same as Hunt, and for all his writings, he had no doubt he was also a spy. This ended the conversation then. I was afterwards confined for debt in Whitecross-street Prison. The next interview I had with Thistlewood was on the 16th, at the White Hart public-house. It was in a room in the back yard. Thistlewood was present, and Ings, Brunt, and Hall, and before they broke up, Tidd. On the 17th I went to prison, and remained fourteen days there. I came out on Sunday, the day after the death of the King. I saw Thistlewood on the Monday evening following. I saw him in the same floor in the house where Brunt lived, in a back room. This was in Fox-court, Gray’s Inn-lane. There were Brunt, Ings, Hall, and Davidson, present. There was nothing particular took place that night. To the best of my recollection, I met them next on the Wednesday, (by them he meant Thistlewood, Brunt, Davidson, Harrison, and Ings,) I had a conversation—
Mr. Curwood here objected to the witness speaking to what then occurred, as no over-act was set forth in the indictment on that day. It merely referred to a meeting on the 16th, and at divers other times.
Lord Chief-Justice Abbott observed, that the present mode was the invariable form of such indictments, and no objection was ever made to it. If all the particulars of overt-acts were set forth, it would occasion a great prolixity.—The objection was over-ruled.
Witness continued—I went into the room andsaw a number of pike staves, and Thistlewood wanted to have them ferruled. Thistlewood then asked why Bradburn (the prisoner) was not present, and he added that Bradburn was intrusted with money to purchase ferrules, and was not satisfied lest he should not buy them. The staves were green, and seemed as if they had just come from the country. Thistlewood said he would not give a damn for a man who would spend the money in such a way. I do not recollect any thing further then. The meetings were held twice a-day from thence to the 23d of February. The room was hired by Brunt for Ings; Brunt said so. I remember one circumstance that occurred: one evening, about ten days before the Cato-street business, I went in and saw Harrison, Thistlewood, and Brunt. Harrison said, he had been speaking to one of the horse-guards, and he told him, that the whole of them would be down at Windsor at the King’s funeral; and Harrison said, this would be a good opportunity to do something that night (the night of the funeral.) Thistlewood said it was a good place, and added, that if they could get the two pieces of cannon in Gray’s Inn-lane, and the six pieces in the Artillery-ground, they could so help themselves as to have possession of London before morning; and he said, that when the news should reach Windsor, the soldiers would be so tired as not to be able, when they came back to London, to do any thing; but that by activity some might go to Hyde-park, and prevent any person or messenger from going to Windsor. He also said, that they should go over the water and take the telegraph, to prevent any communication with Woolwich.
He then said that they should form a Provisional Government, and send to the sea-ports, to prevent any gentlemen from leaving England without passports. He particularly mentioned to send to Dover, Brighton, Margate, andRamsgate, and he most particularly mentioned Brighton—not that he thought the new King would be there, or at the funeral. He said the present family had inherited the throne long enough, and it was no use for the present King to think of being crowned. Brunt and Ings came in after this, and Thistlewood mentioned to them what passed; but they said that nothing would satisfy them but their plan of assassination. They had talked at a former meeting of this plan of assassination. Two or three of them had drawn out a plan of assassinating his Majesty’s Ministers at the first public dinner they had. They talked of assassination at every one of their meetings. I could not say there were pikes in the room before this. I met them on Saturday, the 19th of February, at eleven or twelve in the forenoon. I saw Thistlewood, Davidson, Brunt, Harrison, Ings, and Hall. They were all set round the fire, and seemed in a conversation betwixt themselves. They all got up and turned round, and said, “It is agreed, if nothing turns out before next Wednesday night, next Wednesday we will go to work.” It was said they were all sworn that they would not wait any longer.