Star. — London, England, 1819-07-10 00:00:00

I 4 V L. 4 ►v INTELLIGENCB. I I COURT OF KING'S BENCH, JULY sr. JOURNEy MEN CO. CHMAKERS' CONSPIRACY. THE KING V. WILLIAM CONNELL ANO OTHER& This was an indictment against twenty persons, connected with the coachmaktng trade, for a conspi racy to raise wages, and make regulations touching the trade in general by unlawful combinations. One of the defendants, named William Penrose, since the indictment was found, had died. The following pet sons were put en their trial : William Connell, a journeyman coach-trimmer, working with Air. Stevellson, a e.Eichinaker ; George Stephenson, NN iitiam Thatekr, Thomas Wilder,lhe elder, ltichaxd Palmer, master coach:4mM'; David Vince, John Carwardine; Abel Brannan, IlielardAtda, and Sydnefilsonsson, journeymen coach-smiths; Rickard Vandover, James Langshaw John Stevens, Thomas Cot, John - Moody, journeymen coach-trimmers; James Field, James Drake, and James Clarke, journeymen coach-spring makers. The sltuendauat, ThortuteWiltley, jnu. had not pleaded. The prosecution was conducted by Mr. GuItNEY, Mr. BOLLAND. and Mr. PLATT. Mr. Scarmart arid Mr F.Potcoot conducted the defence of the master coach-smiths; Mr. MAILAYAT and Mr. Crum that of the journeymen smiths, and spring-makers and trimmers; and Mr. DESMAN that of William Connell. Mr. Guastey stated the case with his usual perspi cuity. He said, that the persons named in the indict ment. had been selected from an immense number of those who were engaged in the dangerous and er.tensive conspiracy charged against the defendants, 0,1 account of the prominent part which they had taken in it. The object. of the conspiracy was as mischievous as could well besimagined, and in its operations was only to be bounded by the extent of, whole trade of coach-making. In substance, the charge against the defendants was, that of conspiring by unlawful combination to restrain the master coach -makers in the lawful exercise of their trade. The coach-making trade consisted of several branches, coach-makers, harness-makers, painters, smiths, and spring -makers, in sortie of which the defendants were employed. In the spting of last year the conspiracy broke forth in full operatton,.but it appeared that the plan of it had been laid two yeats sine, by a society calling themselves " The Benevolent Society of Coach-makers," formed under pretence of relieving the aged and sickly members of the arade, but in reality for the purpose of regulating the trade, and compelling masters to submit to the combined power of the journeymen. This Society was formed on the 26th of February, 1816, and solicited the patronage of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex. In order to disarm the master coach-makers of any suspicion of their designs, they had studiously insetted an ar ticle in their bye-laws, to The effect " That no jour neyman should in any way combine against his em ployers." This was introduced as- a fundamental article, but was in fact put forward in order to de ceive the masters. Whilst they put forth the pre tended Rules of the Society, they had in fact another set of rules, which were really to be acted upon, and those were to be kept in profound secrecy by the members of the society. These rules were printed, but not the least remarkable past of their proceedings :vas, that these articles were without a printer's name. The grand mover and leader of this conspiracy, was the defendant, William Connell. By the secret rules alluded to, a grand Committee was to be formed for superintending the affairs of the society, the members of which were divided into three classes, citizens, subjects, and people, the candidates for which ranks respectively, were to render themselves eligible by a strict conformance with the rules of the society, and penalties were to be imposed for any disobedience thereto, besides degradation to the lower rank in case of default ; and in the case of au incorrigible offen der, he was to be turned out of the society for ever, that is, to starve, because such was the influence of the society, that he could get no employment in any part of the kingdom. The Grand Committee was .to have a supreme power over the Society, except as to the funds ; there was to be a General Secretary (Mr. Connell) And Divisional Secretaries of Districts, who were to act as spies upon the conduct of the members of the Society. If a proscribed Iran should happen to get employment in any part of the country, such was the power of the London Society, that they could compel the master so offending to turn him off.. There were instances of the exercise of this power. In one case, a coach-maker at Bristol had employed a proscribed man, and Mr. Connell had told him that if he did not immediately cease so em ploy the offender, he (Mr. Connell) had £2OOO at his -command, and he would setup a coachmaker against him in the town, and ruin him, by compelling all his workmen to leave his employment. Among other ar ticles of the Society was one, that a journeyman who should serve any master but an honourable master, should be liable to a penalty of 10s. 6d. per day.— By an honourable master, was meant a man who employed hone but members cf the Society ; and by another article, any foreman of a shop in the country, who betrayed the secrets of the Society, was liable to a fine of twenty guineas. Another ob ject of the Society was to prevent masters from taking more than one apprentice to every six men. In short, from first to last, the object of the Society was to keep a monopoly of the trade in their own hands, by overawing the masters to a compliance with their regulations. The master coachmakers were not blind to the effect which the formation of this Society produced upon their workmen, who manifested a great deal of discontent; but still no overt acts of the conspiracy were yet exhibited. They were, however, in hourly apprehension that some burst would take place, without being aware from what cause it proceeded; because the operations af the Society were kept profoundly secret. By the merest accident the plans of the Society were disco vered. In the month of February, 1818, a farce), . directed to a Mr. Williams, a coach-maker, had beery sent by a stage-coach, •to Reading, in Berkshire; but no person of that name being resident in that town, • it was deliVered to Mr. Brown, a coach-maker of that place. This parcel contained a letter, in the hand-writing of the defendant Connell, addressed to Mr. Williams,. informing him, that he enclosed in the parcel copies of the two sets of rules in question, for his perusal; that the secon4 set, already descri bed, were the private amides, upon which the So ciety were really to act. In that letter were the fol lowing expressionsta We are now preparing for a turn -out in London ; and as the fate of the trade in general depends upon the fist encounter, it is ne cessary that the whole force 'of the country should bear down upon it, in order to insure its success. In case of its being successful, we propose to turn our , attention to the country, and attack one place after another, until the whole trade in each ft*t respec tively, is brought under, when we shall put the pi rate articles in force, and then we shall go on more comfortably,' &c. This letter, together with its nc companying'documents, was afterwards transmitted by Mr. Brown to Messrs. Hopkinson, coach-makers, of London. In the meantime the Society went on in maturing its plans, by enlisting under its banners all the journeymen coach-makers in the kingdom, in order, by one simultaneous effort, to bring the mas ters to terms. Preparatory to the blow which was to be struck, a printed letter, signed " An Enemy to Intolerance," had been clandestinely left at the houses of different master coach-makers throughout town, containing a list of the demands or requests of the journeymen, which demands were of a nature highly injurious to the trade. Some of the masters, influenced by terror, acquiesced is these demaqds, but others manfully resisted them. The author of this circular, it would appear, was Mr. Connell, who, it seemed, had endeavoured, on repeated occa sions, to induce some of the masters to become members of the Society, with a view of engrossing the whole trade to themselves, to the exclusion of the fair manufacturer. In the spring of last year, the plans of the Society being ripe for action, the first open manifestation of their design was by cor rupting the coach-spring-makers, and on the 14th of March, all the persons engaged in that branch of the trade in London struck, and refused to work any more ; and, but for the manly resistance of the mas ters to this overwhelming conspiracy, the whole of! their trade must have been destroyed. The Learned Coursel said that he had a volume of evidence to lay before the Jury, demonstrating the guilt of the de fendants. This was the outline of the case which he had to lay before the Jury ; and he was persuaded that they would have no hesitation in coming to that verdict which should consign these conspirator to the just reward of their enormous offences. Witnesses were then called to support the prosecu tion, amongst whom were Mr. Brown, of Reading, 'and Messrs. William and Luke Hopkinson, the coach makers, of High Holborn. The evidence of the lat ter Gentleman, which was given at great length, tended to spew in the clearest manner, confirmed ks it was by the documentary evidence already alluded to, the guilt of Connell, Vince, Carwarden, Brannan, and Alder. Before any other evidence was offered, the Defen dants' Counsel severally interposed, and admitted that it was impossible to resist the weight of evidence adduced, and therefore, without Curtner occupying the time of the Court, they would consent that a verdict of guilty in each case should be recorded, trusting that this step would be met by the prosecu tors with corresponding lenity. Mr. GURNEY, on the part of the prosecution, said I he was instructed to say, that in consequence of the course now adopted by the defendants, the prosecu tors would forbear (with the exception of one) to bring them up for judgment, on condition that the liability to be called up should hang over their heads in terrorem, as a security fur their future good beha viour. As to the defendant Connell, no hopes of forbearance could be held out. Mr. DENMAN followed the c:atmple of his Learned Friends in surrendering his client Connell to a ver dict of Guilty, feeling th:tt as the weight of the case was against him, it was impossible to expect that the Jury would come to a different conclusion after they had heard the whole of the case. But he indulged a hope, that after the heat of feeling upon this sub jot had subsided, the prosecutors would be disposed 16 forbear carrying the extremity of the law into effect. - The Cntze JUSTICE said, that the'Learned Counsel had exercised a very sound discretion in adopting this course—a discretion most favourable to his client, ',and which would have the effect, in some degree, of relieving him from the pressure of the case. It was' , impossible, after attending to the evidence, for any man to doubt what the result of the case would be, if it went to the Jury ; and his Lordship could not ,uffer this occasion to pass without observing, that if the master coach-makers had fallen into the plan proposed by the conspirators, they would themselves have been guilty of a great offence and a high mis ' demeanor; because, •to confine this trade to a cer tain class of persons, so as to enable them to pay their workmen such wages as they might demand, and to exact from their employers such prices as they chose, would be the most unlawful combination of which any persons could be guilty. A verdict of Guilty was then recorded against each of the Defendants. IEZARD, GENT. V. JOHN. This was an action for words of slander spoken by, the defendant, of and concerning the plaintiff's con duct as an attorney. It was proved in evidence, that the plaintiff was employed in adjusting the affairs of a tradesman named Williams, who had compounded with his cre ditors, of whom the defendant was one. The princi pal creditor having called upon the defendant to pro cure his signature to the composition deed, the latter refused to sign, and said " they (meaning the rest of the creditors) are all a set of shufilers. There is one Izzard that tails himself an attorney—he is no attor ney at all—he is nothing but a black leg." Being asked who he meant, he said, " that fellow Izzard, he has been at the meeting." In two or three days afterwards, the same person called upon the defen dant, with these words written down, and asked him whether he meant to abide by them, saying, that he had shewn the paper to the plaintiff. He replied— " You have done very right, for no honest man would ever employ him." In consequence of this slander, the witness had ceased to employ the plain tiff as an attorney. Mr. E. LAWEIS addressed the Jury on behalf of the defendant, and ' The Jury, under the Learned Judge's directions, found a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages-40s. THE KING V. JAMES RUSSELL. This was an indictment against the defendant, who , is searcher of the parish of St. George, Hanover square, for a violent assault committed upon the person of John Stanley, late the sexton of the same parish, on the 29th of December last. It appeared that these deadly gentlemen. on the day mentioned in the indictment, were preparing to ➢erform the obseguic4 of the dead in the church-yard of the parish in question, when some warm alterca tion took place about a point of etiquette, which the pposecutor had failed to observe towards the searcher, in having, as was alleged, sent the body of a still born child to his private residence for inspection.— High words arose, :Ind the terms lie and liar at length formed the climax of the prosecutor's Rhetoric, which produced on the part of the defendant a deadly blow with his doubled fist at the sconce of the pr osecutor, who in his turn seized a pair of fire tongs which stood in his office, and repaid the compliment will interest. The defendant fell to woi k with redoubled vigour, and probably would have finished his anta gonist, but for the timely interposition of the grave digger, who, against his own interests, succeeded in rescuing the minister of death from an untimely sa crifice to. the searching influence of defendant's fists. Mr. ADOLPH 11S, in his address to the Jury, treated the case with a great deal of good humour and good sense, but the assault not being disputed, the defen dant was found Guilty. KEELE V. PARSONS. This was an action against the defendant for the breach of an agreement, whereby he undertook to apprentice his son to the plaintiff, a surgeon and apo thecary. It appeared that the agreement was broken off, in consequence of the plaintiff refusing to pay the stamp duties payable on indentures of appren ticeship ; and the question was, whether the master or the father was bound to pay the duties ? The CHIEF Jusrricit held, that under the Statute 8 Ann, c. 9, the master was bound ; and this having been refused in the present case, the plaintiff was nonsuited. JONES V. HALL, GENT. This was an action by the second indorsee against the acceptor of a bill of exchange. The defence set up was, that the acceptance was a forgery. The plaintiff attempted first to prove an acknow ledgment of the hand-writing by the defendant ',tit the evidence failing, a witness was called to s ir. ve the hand-writing ; but he stated, that he believed was not the defendant's ; upon which the Learued JUDGE directed a Nonsuit. OLD BAILEY SESSIONS. Upon the arrival of the Judges yesterday morning, the four following persons were put to the Bar, charged with uttering, and having in their possession, divers forged and counterfeit Bank of England Notes, well knowing them to be forged, viz. Owen Ragdon, James Balnett, Esther Bevan, and Mary Deal. They ail pleaded Guilty to the minor offence. Francis Roxburgh, a master-baker, was indicted, upOn the Coroner's Inquisition, for felonioussly kil ling and slaying Mr. Charles Coe, on the 6th instant. John Paui, the first witness called, was in Hol born, near Browalow-street, between five and six o'clock in the afternoon of the day above stated ; saw an elderly gentleman (who he afterwards learned was Mr. Coe, the deceased) crossing the street, and stopping on a sudden, as if seized with some alarm ; ' witness turned round, and saw a mar. (the prisoner) riding at a very brisk trot towards the deceased, who instantly after at once rode against him, and passed over him. The man continued to ride on westward; witness and others cried out " Stop !" The man was pursued a short distance, the bridle of his horse was seized, and he was brought back. Witness ex claimed to him—" You brutal rascal, how came you to ride over the Gentleman ?" To which he replied, " It w::s his own fault ; why did not he get out of the way ?" A mob soon gathered, and much indig nation was excited against the prisoner, but witness did not allow any violence to be committed against him, be being so respectable a looking person. Wit ness asked him for bis name and address, or card ; his answer, in angry tone, was, that " he had no card." He endeavoured to avoid all explanation in the most indifferent way, but after a good deal of re monstrance, said he was known to Mr. Francis, the linen-draper, hard by, and witness caused his address to be given to that Gentleman. The street was per fectly clear when he saw the old Gentleman fall lions being run against by the prisoner's horse. Cross-examined.---Saw nothing of the deceased be fore he fell ; did not know the Gentleman was sub ject to, or at the time labouring under a fit of apo plexy ; did not see him foam at the mouth, before the horse reached him ; he had stopped quite short ; witness appeared before the Grand Jury ; they threw out the Bills against the prisoner, both fOr Murder and Manslaughter. Joseph Hood is an assistant in the house of Messrs. Curhyn and Co. Holborn. On the above day, about a quarter before five o'clock in the evening, au el derly Gentleman was brought into the shop by five or six persons ; he was nearly insensible ; the circu lation was languid, the breathing difficult, and there was no pulsation in the wrist. The prisoner was brought to the shop shortly after, and the circumstance of his having rode over the old Gentleman having been related in his presence, he observed, if he had, he was very sorry for it. In about ten' minutes, the deceased recovered a little; so as to be capable of answering the questions put to him.— He complained of pain in his head and back, but could not account for what had happened to him ; some camphor of julep and sal-volatile was admini stered to ,him. Witness observed a sort of bruise on the left side of his head ; could not say whether it was the effect of accident, or an original tumour ; there was no wound, but a small scratch ' - there was a small mark of dirt on the front of one of his stock ings ; sent for deceased's wife, and deceased's wife went away with him and some others in , a coach read his name (thinks James Coe) on the back of a letter, which he found in his pocket; he was in a kind of stupor when he went away. Joseph Morgan, of Bedford-row, Surgeon, said he was sent for to attend the deceased at his house in Robert -street, on the 2d of June. He found him in bed, in a state of great sickness and debility. He gave a very inSperfect account of what had happened to him, but more than once said he had got his death blow. When his wife, however, said he was knocked down by a horse, the deceased rejoined "yes." He observed the tumour spoken of on the left side of his head, and in his judgment the deceased came to his deatlrhy the blow. He lingered until ten the morn ing following, when he ezpired. Cross-examined by Mr. ALLEY.—Witness did not open the head of the deceased to ascertain whether the blow caused the death or not. If he had been called in, and did not hear of the deceased being knocked down, he should not have come to this con clusion. The decoased had been ill before, and wit ness, about two or three months since, had been ("idled in to attend him, when he wa . ; neatly suffoca:.. drinking gin. nix. ALLEY took two objectiors to the indi ct . which had been framed upon the Coroner's luc, but Mr. Justice HOLROYD over-ruled them. The prisoner, being called on for ltis defence, tw lemnly protested that he was unconseiot,:. of he atci. dent, not hating seen the old gentleman. pressed his deep egret at the occurrence. The followin; witnesses were examined in hit- Mr. Josiah Platt, Chief Clerk to Mr. Justice was passing through Holborn, on the 2d saw the deceased on his back in the street, ac if is a fit. His lips were closed, and he appeared cnnv i o,, d. He was lying crossways in such a situation ao le could not have been had he been knocked &Aw l a horse. Mr. .Francis, linen-draper, also saw sly!, decea it t. lying in the street, as stated. Witness heard a and the cry of "stop," when he saw the prisorer t rm , ting on a pony, but who immediately stopped of own accord. John Turner and James Moore, draymen, saietlty were passing by at the time, an.i yaw the old man 04 his back in the street. If the horse of the pri sme had run against im they must have seep it; the ? thought he must kt:e falkn before the .horse reached him. Miss Mary Wilson was also there. The decea* was asked in her presence if he could tell how accident happened? and lie distinctly said he 104 tioL tell. A number of respectable witnesses gave the pri soner a most estimable character for humanity. Mr. Justice HOLIWYD told the Jury, that the yet. tion they had to try was, whether the prisoner, tidlr i z at a quick speed aiong the street, had caused lite dui of the other through a want of due caution? .1 whether, by taking proper care, he might slot have avoided the accident? If that were the case, he v.z guilty. But all that depended on the evidence Paul, which, in some particulars, was contradictel by that of other witnesses. The Jury instantly acquitted the prisonrr.—The trial lasted above five hours. GEORGE PAGE.-It will be recollected, that rim Sessions ago, George Page was tried at the Old Bai ley, and convicted of defrauding his creditors in his own Jaankruptcy, by concealing goods, &c. Since that time he has been in Newgate, daily expecting tc undergo the sentence of the law. This day a free pardon arrived from the Prince Regent at Nswgate, in consequence of the favourable report of his case hy the Judges. He is to be brought up to the. Ring% Bench in a few days for the original debt to hs creditors. Bow-srnEre.—Yesterday several persons we re cm victed of following their lawful callings on the. Lord's. Day, by selling fruit in Covent Garden Marks t : err of the cases was of a novel nature, being that : of the grower of strawberries, for sending them to market for sale on Sunday: he pleaded, that he Had neither sold nor bought; however, it was held to be fi3llow 1. ing'his lawful calling, by sending the scrawl erries fur sale. He requested to I:now v.liat he mist da with the fruit that was pc: idling on the ground? He was informed, the Act of Parliament of Charles ex Second made no provision for such a case. ilhe l'a xish Officers who attended said they were dem:mi.:a to put an end to the practice by a more summary mode, as they intended to seize all the fruit and ve getables which were exposed to sale next Su:loy. Lately, a Lady at Paris, aged 40 years, of three elillrea What makes it more remarkable is, it was her first prtga.uitl. 2dARIIIED. Tuesday, at Maryh-boune Church, William Yates Poel,Ert M.P. to Lady Jane Moore, second daughter of the Sod A Mount Cashel. DIED. Mooday, at Ms seat at Ne - wlands, in the County of Smal ampton, the Moo. Admiral Sr William Calms/Ms, G C B. 'Vice-Admiral of England, &c. . _ Jane _it, at Para, the Hon. Alice Emily Party; secoall daughter of Lord Lovaine, in bar Mit year. NEWGATE AIM Lli 11) EN (By the Beef ',s 841 to 4s SO Mutton ......4s Od to 5s Od TALL MAKKITS,JVLT 9. Carom.) I Veal ..... 44 se ss ai Pork sa; 5s 411 WHITECHWrit. Ihy... 51 121 to 61 1111101 Newdo.sl 51 to 111 Os 0/ Straw 9.1 as to &I 3s al Clover 71 /s to NI as /I OF 110 PS. PRICES or 11A Y ANS S . ST. JA MSS. hay 41 12s Od to 71 Os Od Str.ovul 17s 041 to 31 41 64 Clover 711.:s Od to 01 Or Od TRAW YROATERDAY. XZw Pocr/sis. Kent Sussex 5l 165 Is 61 Lim, Essex rarsharn SOAP, Etc. per 11416. Dine rough . ..... 3ar Yellow Soap hotted ...... Curd Palm .......... •COUNTRX 11/412LitTS. Ozroao, Juts' B.—Tka price of a Bagel */ Wheats.-- The Ililf-peck Loaf, Household, la. Sid. Newayar, Balms, Joss , B.—Wheat, 675 to 86e--ntarle , 545 to 025--Oats, 26. to :4s—Beans, 41Ia to 80--B-as, at to Ms.—Bread, Is 74 to Is 9d. per Gallon. %man av, JULY S.—Wheat Bs. Od. to 10s. Od.— , Beans. ss. tc 85 Od—'Vetches, Os Od per busheL—Barley, 56s to 64*-0 214 26s 01 to 52. Od per quartet—Bread, is 10d half peck—Flu , : 60. per sack. _ Uissizqa. JCL B.—Wheat, per load, £1.7 10s to .CV.:ue Barley, per quarter, 316 to 42s—Pats to 355--s o,l = 50s to 581 —Yeas, 00s to 00F—Rye, 003 to 003. _ couasn OF EXCHANGE ..; Amsterdam ll 11 C.F. Sevin", 3s{ IMtto at nett ... ..11 S Gibrakat ...... Rotterdam... ..... 11 12 2U. Leghorn Antwerp, ex-tno. 11 15 Genoa ..... ...... liamburgh 'l5 0 iiii. Venice ltal..Liv. 26 0 Altona 35 1 2i1.1. Matta ....... .... AO Paris, 3 day's date 24 SO U. Naples Ditto 24 80 21j. Palermo Wild per 01 ; Boordeaux do. —.24 80 lAsbon 54 Frankfort on the Maine 144 et-MO. Madrid, effective 361 Cadiz effect 36{ OPOn O Rib Janeiro Dublin i4 Cork. i 4; Barcelona ..... SSI Billies, effective 354 Agio of the Bank on 1101- fetid 2 COAL liA A RICCI', Jinx p. Ships at Market. Ships SOW. 461 Newcastle 7,3 16 Sunderland 10 1 Culru Price. 29. Ed to 40. 6d Ms 04 to 39. 6d 04 tO HI G H-W AT Elt at LONDON RR I DGii 10-1108 RA)W NI ruing - ' - - Sl minutes after * Afttessoa - libliPNTPriated and published I Lusa Lag Admit. Mace, Tani oat. WSW 11A41.. PRICE Kent Susses 5l &to Y 1 Gs Essex Foreiin PRICE or TA LI.OW, Town Tallow iTs Od Yellow R . 1.11.612 67s Od White ditto ...... 61s Od Soap ditto 63s Od Melling Stuff.— sgs Od T i c 4 •-r a r i X :4 If le ti • • of Di :kg s y t JV 011 ' lb I I Il