Star. — London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

TREASONABLE PLOT! The discovery was only made, we understand, 01 Wednesday morning, to the Secretary of State's t:. ice for the Home epartment, by the Earl of ii,i;tiowaY, the Lerd President of the Council, who, it is said, was stopped by a man when he was riding lirrseback in St. James's Park, who delivered to :in a lezter, informing the Noble Earl, in particular :ins, that a gang of assassins was formed who were asassinate his Lordship, and the rest of the Cabinet lit. inters, when assembled at Lord BATHURST'S on the cveriing of that day, at the Cabinet dinner the Noble l:arl was to give. The Earl of HA it ROWBY. though he ,!id not know the man, stopped to listen to his repre sentation, in addition to the contents of the letter, and ..iterwards consulted his brother Ministers on the subject. The result of their determination in the ; ]•, t place, was to postpone the dinner, the resi : %e of Lord BATHURST being well calculated for assassin to escape, Mansfield-street being such vrry open space, that a villain, once lost sight of, Ise pursued many courses but the one he t9ok -The most prudent precautions were taken at the Secretary of State's Office fur the Home Department, th as to the secrecy of the measures to be adopted, a., well as au excellently well regulated plan kir the • 1 k':!c.c.very and apprehension of the murderous vil- The first intimation given at Bow-street Office rat: at past seven o'clock, when it was made known L:it a cc: :Ain number of Officers, Constables, and ra•rt!e, would be wanted. Mini.ters' male servants wsre armed with pis- Hs. and two Officers or Constables appointed to each tesidence. The Earl of Haftnowav and Vis (—cant Cas . rtERF.AGH dined with the Earl of LIVER r.or., and at nine o'clock they went to the Secre tary of States (Mice for the Home Department, at which time all the Cabinet Ministers assembled, to be in readiness to give directions, in case of any des kerate act of resistance. Mr. lIIRNIE, the Magistrate, was appointed by Vis c,,unt SIDNIOLTH to be in Cato -street, to direct the Officers, and to be in readiness to act in case of eniergency. A party ofahe Guards, under the com rr.:!7id of Captain FITZCLARENCE, were directed to r Ar:11 to Cato-street, to be in readiness to assist the P .ce, if necessary ; but, unfortunately, they were r. t dearly directed, or they did 'not understand sii.ere the place was, as they were at the contrary c of the street, when the assassins commenced their unaJerous attack upon the Officers, and it was only b:. t::e discharge of pistols that they found out where ti,e builJing was ; they then hastened there with all speed. When Captain Ft . : ZCLA RENEE had secured the eon ,• ators, he directed his attention to the unfortunate Smithers, who lay on the flour of the hay •:: a lifeless corpse. The body being raised, the t .y:ain sent off immediately for Mr. KEYS, a respect- Surgeon, residing at No. 35, Humor -street, Lis-1 green, Paddington. Mr. KEYS arrived a little 1 .:Ore nine 'o'clock, and upon vi !wing the body, he k.rccted the clothes to be taken off; this was done in e loft. The blood flowed from the side of the t!:.ceasesi in torrents, and it was some time before an examination could take place. The danger of the murderer had entered the right side of the deceased, buween the ninth and tenth rib ; the incision was more than rive inches in depth ; the lunge of the assassin must have been a most tremendous one—the dagger passed thrcagh the right lobe of the liver.— Mr. KEYS traced the wound with his finger, and stated to those present at the examination of the de ceased, that the injury in the liver was sufficient to cause his death. lk also stated, that the wound was caused by a weapon, with a triangular blade, resem bling a bayonet. Mr. KEYS rent:ered prompt assist• ance to the Officers who were wounded ; but none of their iijinies were of a dan,;erous description. EX A MIN ATION ♦T bow-sTitErr, The Officers were in pursuit of 77,1)11c;ro.:(/ did whole of yesterday morning ; they first searched the! house where I.e r esides, in Stanhope.street, Clare- market. At halt-past ten, Lavender, Bishop, Ruth-1 yen, Ellis, and Maitiment, lett the Office to make another attempt to find him. About twelve o'clock Lavender and Bishop brought him to Bow-street in a hackney-coach. lie was conveyed into the . front Office, when he underwent an examination before Brims. It appeared, from the evidence of the Officers, that they found him in the house, No. 6, W . hite-street, Chiswell-street, where, after searching the whole of the upper part of the house in vain, they fund him in bed in a back-parlour. Bishop rushed torward and sprang upon him in the bed, being armed with a pistol. Thistlewood looked up and exclaimed, "Is it you, Bishop? I will make no re sisLanco ;" and also said, " I hope the person wounded last night was Mr. —," meaning a certain official Gentleman, whose name, from prudence, we omit. Ituthven identified Thistlewood as the man who stabbed Sniithers. During this time, Tnistlewood stood with a very sullen countenance. Mr. J. E. CONANT, the Magistrate, proceedel with the examination of the evidence. They consisted of the landlady of the hearse, Mis. /14 a ledge?, and a man named Lewis Casper. • Llizabeth Danis, the landlady, stated, tint her laishand works at Caslon's letter-tuandre. On Wed nesday she had a bill in her window to let her lodg lags, when, in the morning, betv..een Lea and eleven o'clock. Thistlewood came into her hone and inquired about the lodging. She told him it was only half a bed with her nephew. Thistlewood agreed for the halt bed, for which he was to pay hall-a-crown a w::'ek, and was to take possession of it that night. —it was st , rosed she kept a common nightly lodg ing-Low,e, by her taking a man in she did not know, 3.valiout ar.y reference, and the only explanation she roe to this ovals, that she thought he looked respect -4..!:, and sl4e had as many as eight Feople lodging her hoo e. 5!!... said she had a slight knowledge ct Thisilewood, but denied it aftei wards, saying slie was mis...!ken. It was supposed she was con tva:ing Thistlewood, as he was locked in the rn. This she explained ; the door flew open,, aA she could not keep it shut without locking r. the said Thi:tlewood arrived at her house be Ne on ten and eleven o'clock on Wednesday night i•bserved that he was I.c.e. She replied, he was And she had almost given him lip. Ile went to b, J. Yesterday morning, at rim- o clock, her bus • Le.d c,ime home to his breakfast, and went into the lauho 121,1,,tlaweod was in bed, when Thigle-, wood *lced him for some coEee, and she took him a basin full and some toast, in bed. Her street door being only fastened by a latch, the Officers entered and searched the upper part of the house before she knew they were there; when they asked her to un lock the door of the room where Thistlewood was in bed, she instantly did so. She did not know Lewis Casper was in her house till they met in the coach on being brought away. Lewis Casper stated himself to be a watch. finisher, residing in Union -street, Bishopsgate, and accounted for his being in the house, by saying he was with Mrs. Hill, the lodger, *who worked for him, and he ap pointed his little boy to call for a key. This man was detained till it was ascertained if he was the man he represented himself to be. Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Hill were discharged. John Firth, a cow-keeper, of Bryanstone-street, Mary-la-Bonne, the owner of the cow-house and loft where the assassins were assembled, attended, and stated, that he let the premises to a man named John Harris, who was a discharged soldier, who hired it but a few days since, for wl.ich he was to pay him five shillings a week, for six months certain. llarris stated his object to be in hiring the premises, was to keep a horse and cart in the stable, which his 4other was to buy for him, bnt neither cart nor horse had been brought there yet. EXAMINATION' BEFORE THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL. After this examination was concluded, Thialewood was conveyed to the Secretary of State's Office. $e was taken there in the same hackney-coach, and in the custody of the same Officers who had brought him from White-street ; and as the coach drove off from the door of the Office, the crowd, which by this time filled the street, uttered loud cries of exe cration. Mr. BIRNIE instantly followed in another coach. They arrived at Whitehall before the Coun cil had assembled. In the meantime, Thistlewood was seated in the Porter's Hell, between Lavender and Bishop, Ruthven and Salmon standing near him, and ten or twelve more ORiccrs stationed in different, parts of the Hall. There was also a &rjeant's guard of soldiers in the Hall, and the Lodge adjoining. This tiewood, whilst waiting in this place, inquired of the Officers the names of the different Members of the Council, as they passed through. " Who is that? 13'at that Lord Castlereagh ? That is the Lord Chancellor, I believe, isn't it ?" &c. His counte nance, at all times unfavourable, seemed now to have acquired an addidonal degree of malignity. His dark eye turned up,m the spectators as they came in, as if he expected to see some of his companions in guilt, who, he Lad bearl, were to be brought thither. He drank some porter that was handed to him. He asked, To what jail shall ibe sent ?—I hope not to Horsham ?"--(This was the place in which he was confined in conscaluence of la., conviction for sending a challenge to Lord Sidnicmth). By, half-past one o'clock, the following Privy Coun selors had arrived : The E:ali of liariowl, Liverpool, and Westmoreland, the Duke et Wellington, Lord. Castlereagh, Sidmouth, and Mel ville, the Ciuncellur of the Exchequer, Air. Canning, Sir-Wil liam Scott, Sir Samuel Shcpperd, Mr. Wellesley Pole, Mr. Bcagge Bathurst, the Lord Chancellor, and many other Mem bers of the Council. Mr. Birnie, and Mr. Baker, of the Marl borough.streetyolice, were in attendance. Shortly after, the Officers were directed to bring I . in their prisoner, and Thistlewood was instantly placed before their Lordships, when the LORD CHAtc• CELLOR addressed him as follows :—" Mr. Thistle- I wood, you stand charged with the two-fold crime of i High Treason and of Murder.—Have you any thing to say ?" Thistlewcod replied firmly, " I have no thing to say at present." Ile was then removed to the Porter's Hall again ; and, in a few minutes, Mr. BAKER delivered his com mitment to the Officers; who instantly conveyed him to the Ilouse of Correction, Coldbath-fields. In his way there he appeared particularly anxious to know when he should be sent to the Tower? and the Offi cers, taking advantage of the opportunity he had thus given, of making inquirie.: in return, asked him v•Lat he had meant to do with the ball-cartridges found in his pocket ? To which he hastily replied— ' " It wo'nt do, Mr. Bishop, I shall answer no ques tion.." He.was safely lodged in the prison about half-past two o'clock, and, in the meantime, the 1 nine prisoners, committed from Bow-street the night be:Ore, were tAken before the Council, and evidence at some length received against them: At the close of their examination, they were taken back to the House of Correct:on, under a strong escort of the Life Guards. Thistlewood is much altered in his personal ap pearance of late. Ile never was a very comely man, but now he looked care-worn and exhausted; and though he affected to appear firm and unmoved, yet there was a ghastliness in his countenance, and a restless anxiety in his eye, which manifested a spirit perturbed in the extreme. 'While the Officers were relating the circumstances of his arrest to the Magis trate, he stood by the fire, his hands still manacled, and seemed to listen to all they said with the-most intense anxiety—a hectic flush shooting over his face as the different instruments of destruction which had been found Were mentioned or brought into view. He was dressed in a threadbare black coat and waist coat, corduroy breeches, much worn, and shabby dark-coloured worsted stockings, with worn-out rusty shoes. lie was asked no questions here, -nor did he speak at all; but the worthy Magistrate having satis fied himself as to the identity of his person, sent him off instantly to be examined before the Privy Council. it is a singular fact hat not sae of the nine pii . soners apprehen2cd in Cato -street, on Wednesday night, had a single piece of money about them ; and when Tiiis:letcood was searched, he was found, equally destitute. Some of them, however, appear *in high spirits nevertheless ; Davidson, the black, especially. In his way to and from the Council, yesterday, he amused himself with singing, with all his might, Scots :rha fide we Wallace bled; and,' when reproved by the Officers for being so noisy, he abruptly replied, " I shall do as I please—l am ready to die for liberty.' CORONER'S INQUEST. Yesterday an inquisition was taken at the Duke of York, Queen-street, Edgeware-road, before THOMAS STIRLING, Esq. Coroner for the County of Middle sex, on the body of Richard Smithers, who was killed by Thistlewouds gang►, on Wednesday night. He observed, that it was a matter of vast importance, and would take up a great length of time; and al though he had not issued his warrant expressly fcr the purpose of proceeding now with the case, at the , . . Court was already assembled it would be advisable. to hear whatever' evidence could be brought before them. The Jury assented, and the immediatsly went to view the !body, which was at the Horse and 'Groom, at the corner of John-street and Cato-street. —They were sheWn hum a room on the first floor, where the body was laid upon the back on the floor; the upper part from the stomach was naked, with the exception of being covered over with a sheet.— The fatal wound appeared on the*right side of the chest, within half an inch of the breast, directly op posite the heart. It appeared on the surface to be about three-quarters of an inch long, and halt an inch wide. There was an immense crowd around the house during the whole day, and many Gentle men of respectability and rank came to view the pre mises where the murder was committed, which is situated in the-corner of the gateway, on the south west end of Cato-street : it is a building two stories high, and many of the panes of glass in the upper story were broken by the firing. The lower part was completely closed up, and a great quantity of blood still remained in the street. The Coroner and Jury having satisAed themselves in examining the place, returned to the Jury-room, at the Duke of York, in Queen-street, to hear the evidence. Pyall, the summoning officer in St. Mary-la bonne, said, he came just at the moment the de ceased fell ;, he saw him bleeding profusely, and he expired instantly. He assisted in carrying him into the Hotse and Groom, bat he had not seen him struck ; the firing in the street was so ra p id, that it was dangerous for the inhabitants to go out ; .t h e y could only speak to the firing, and those who were immediately upon the spot were not in attendance, as he had no time to summon them. The Coroner asked who the premises where the murder was committed belonged to, or if the pro prietor was in attendance? A Gentleman of the Jury said, they belonged to General Watson, who is now abroad ; but lately. tl:ey were in the occupation of a man who had for merly been his servant, and who has had the care of his town-house since he left England. firth, the person alluded to, is under examination. lie says he let the premises to a Mr. Harris, a few days ago. Pyall said, the individual alluded to was a milk man, that he had them for a cow-house, and lately let them to a man who had belonged to the Guards, who was to use them for a horse and cart ; that the conspirators had them only two days, and as far as he could learn, no one knew they bad them at all, till discovered accidentally, as they used the greatest precaution. The coroner asked in what manner they had been discovered? A Gentleman present, who did not give his name, said he was informed that one of them, he understood named Davidson, of Radical-meeting no toriety, happened to come down about eight o'clock on Wednesday night,'lor a light, when a cutlass was observed suspended from a belt round his body, un derneath his top-coat, the point of which was ex ceedingly sharp, and it appeared to be fresh ground; he had also a brace of pistols hanging from another belt. Several others being observed under very sns- Ticious circumstances, and all of them with arms concealed *about their persons, created suspicion, and information was sent to the Police, who arrived in about an hour afterwards. No sooner had the others heard them at the door, than a pistol was fired out at the window ; at this moment the de ceased ascended the loft where they were assem bled, and was immediately stabbed, it is supposed by a stick-sword, and he fell backwards, uttered a groan, and instantly expired. The military came in a few minutes, and ii was a matter of surprise how the others escaped : as there is a range of houses at the back of the premises, through which they must have been admitted. If a few soldiers had been planted on the roots of the houses, which could have been easily effected, they must have been all taken. The firing continued about half an hour, and it is Suspected that many of those who escaped were wounded, as tracks of blood were traced to a great distance. At this moment a Gentleman arrived in a chaise, and stated that Thistlewood had been taken near Finsbury-square, and conveyed to the'Secretary of State's Office; he said he had remained there a few minutes ; that during his stay he saw three others brought in ; that the sentries were doubled, and the greatest alarm prevailed in that part ; no less than 500 people were collected at Whitehall, and they were increasing every minute. The Coroner apologized to the Jury for the trou ble he had given them, and said, as no more evi dence was present, he must postpone the Inquest till to-morrow evening, when the result of the examina tionrof those in custody shall be known. FURTHER PARTICULARS. Five warrants were yesterday issued for the ap-. prehension of persons said to be concerned in this horrible business. One individual was apprehended in the afternoon. He is a servant, of the name of Simmons, living_ with a respectable family in Sey mour-street. He last night underwent an examina tion before the Secretary of State for the Home De partment, and another before the Magistrates at - Bow-, street. He was ultimately committed to Tothill-fields Prison. Two other persons implicated in this transaction are now in custody, who lived in some dirty conics leading out of Baldwin's-gardens. Their names are ?add and Brunt, and both hive earned their liveli • hood in the shoemaking trade. With respect to Tadd the following particulars have been collected : He is a man of the age of 49, and lived with his wife and family in a small and miserable dwelling, situa ted in the Hole-in-the-Wall-passage, leading from Baldwin's-gardens to Torrington-street. His family consists of one daughter and two orphan children, whom he had taken under his care. Tadd has been esteemed - among his neighbours, and by those who have employed him in his trade, as an in dustrious sober man, and an excellent workman. He has earned by his own hands 40s. a-week, and very often even a greater sum. During the whole course of his life, he was never known to neglect his work, or become inebriated ; but within the last week he has ben in a drunken state, and his family have been at a loss to account fur the extraordinary change in his conduct. On Wednesday night, between the hours of eight and nine, three men came to Tadd, whileinsuch a state of drunkenness as scarcely to to able to keep his legs, and forced him away, notwith standing the earnest entreaties and remonstrances of his wife and family. - Nothing was said by the men who took him away, a 3 to their object, either to the wife or any One in the house ; and during the whole night, and the greater part of the next day, they were in total ignorance of the circumstances since disclosed, and were at a loss to account for the absence of Tadd. In the morning (Thursday) between seven and eight o'clock, two men came to the house laden with a box of a considerable size, and, putting it down on the door, said, « they would call in a few minutes for it." The men refused; to answer the interrogatories put to them as to their object in leaving the box, and only repeated that they would call in a short time, and take it away. Very soon afterwards two more men 'came with a large bundle of sticks, some of them of the thickness of a man's wrist. These were left in a similar manner, and the men also refused to answer any questions, saying only that they would call apin for them in a few minutes. Ten minutes bad not elapsed before two police-oilicers entered the house, and seized the box and the sticks. When the box was opened, it was discovered to contain a great number of rjke-heads, sharpened ready for use.— Thtusticks we:e also seized, and carried away by the officers. It now arpears that Tadd was taken by the three men, whom we !lava described, to the stable in Cato-street, svbere 112• was subsequently .apprehended, and carried to Bow-street, tozether with several others. The next person suspected of being connected in this transaction, who has been apprehended, is Brunt. He is a shoecnaker, living in Fax -court, leadi ng out of Baldwia'slgardens. He was an excellent wolk knd could earn between forty and fifty shillings a week. He was taken in bed early yesterday morning. He was provided with a sword and brace of pistols, in case cf need, but he did net. make use of them on this occasion. One of the other prisoners taken on Wednesday night, is Cooper, also 1 shoemaker ) living in Garden -court, Baldwin s-gardens. The information respecting the conspiracy had scarcely been made known in the Metropolis, whop thousands of persons, of every rank in life, hastened towards Cato -street, to take a view of the place where this horrid crime had been committed. It would be in vain to describe the anxiety akid feeling which pervaded the countenance of every individual on the spot; and it was with the greatest difficulty that the constables and .police-officers could keep off the crowd, who appeared resolutely determined on ex ploring this meeting-house of the Radicals. It is the first building in Cato -street, a place inhabited by the middling class of society. The lower part of it, on the one side,. is a coach-house, and on the other a cow-house, strewed over with bricks and rubbish ; and in one corner of this stable, is a ladder which stands quite aslant, and a rail attached to it, but-it is of so narrow a description, that a lusty person would find some difficulty in ascending it. Over the stable is a loft, in a ruinous state, which has a large box in it, and part of a broken form ; contiguous to which are two small rooms, also empty. The whole appearing truly desolate and wretched, At the top of the loft is a window, from which the rope ladder was suspended, and by which means several of the Radicals escaped. A door thlt leads into the yard, is also close to the ladder. Throuh out the whole of the day, several Members of Parlia ment, Justices of the Peace, &c. &c. were examining every part of it. ,STATE7.IENT OF AN,EYE-WITNESS: On Captain FITZCLARENCE and his party arriving within sixty yards of the spct, the patty were cr. dced to halt, to fix bayonets, and to keep strict silence. la a few minutes, the report of a pistol was beard. Captain FrtzeLArtrxe^ ►nstantly or dered his rnea to el - large, and marched forward in don'ole quick time to the house. On coming near it, they stopped a man running; he presented a pistol to the•breast of Captain FITZCLARLXCE, and threaten.TA to shoot him, if not allowed to pass; the Serjeant (Legge) turned aside the pistol from the breast of Captain FITZCLARENCE, on which it went off, and the ball wounded the Serejant slightly in the right arm. The man was then secured. On Captain FITZCLARENCE teaching the stable, he was met by another man, a black (Davidson), who made a blow at the Captain with a cutlass ; one of the privates, of the name of James Ilasey, interposed his musket, and received the cutlass on his band, which was slightly wounded. The black then retired towards the door of the stable, calling out to 'those within, " Come forward, come forward, and let us kill all the d—d red-coats. We may as well die now as at another time." The call was not, however, attended to, and the ruffian was surrounded s and disarmed. Captain F. now ordered his men to go forward into the stable, where all was darkness and smoke, and nothing heard but a confused noise. The whole company hesitated. Captain FITZCLAItENCE asked, " if none of them would volunteer to accompany him ":'" Three Gre nadiers, and one of the Sixth Company immediately stepped forward, at the head of whom Captain FlTZ cLanzscr: rushed into the stable. lie was instantly attacked by a third of the gang, but, with the as-. ststance of his men, soon overcame him. On being seized, he called out, " Don't kill-me, don't kill me, and I'll tell all !" Captain F. and his men then ascended the step-ladder into the loft. The first thing they saw was the murdered body of the unfortunate Smithers. Near him was lying one o f t h e conspira tors, wounded and covered all over with blood. He 1 also called out " not to hurt him, and he would tell all r On searching farther, three more of the gang were discovered in a corner, covered with shavings. They yielded without any resistance; and one of t h em , on starting up, said, " I surrender myself: I hope you will make a difference between the guilty and the not guilty —I was led into it innocently, and was never here before." These four were all that were found remaining in the loft. A light was now procured, and the loft examined, and among . the articles ft - rund lyin g a b out , w e re a number of olunderbust , es, rifles, pistols, swcrds, cut* lasses, bayonet!, spears, riles sharpened like daggers, .flasks of powder, ball-cartridges, and two sacks full of bombshells and hand-grenades. On seeing such. a quantity of ammunition, Captain FIT7CLA n ENCE ob served, in supprize, " What was all this for ?" - One of the prisoners answerei, " To se: ti. .e to the Parliament [louse r' k! . .~