The Sun. — London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

where he was heard, unguardedly, to say, that " ha knew he bad killed one man, and he only toped it was Stafford," meaning Mr. Stafford, the Chief Clerk of the Office, to whose un remitting exertions in the detection of public de linquents too much praise cannot be given. Mr.. Birnie, having taken a abort examination of the prisoner, sent him to Whitehall to be examined by the Privy Council. Here the 'crowd was as . great RS that which had been tamed in Bow street. Persons of the highest rank came pour ing into the Home Office, to learn the particu lars of. what had tran.rpred. The arrest of Thistlewood was heard with infinite satisfac tion. Ile was placed in a room on the ground floor, and a vast number of per:ons were ad mitted in their turn to see him. His appearance was most forbidding. ilk conutenance, at ,all times onfavonrable, seemed nosy to have au (inired an additional degree of malignity. Fits (bilk eye turned upon the spectators as they came in, ns it he expected to see sonic of his com panions in guilt, who he had beard were to be brought thitber. He drank some porter that was handed to him, an t ) occasionally asked questions, principally as to the names of the per‘ons who came to look at him. Then be asked, " To what gaol he should be sent )—ite hoped not to Hor shom."—(This was the place in which he wa. con fined in consequence of his conviction for sending a c hA t nge to Lord Si,dmouth ) At two o'clock 14e tires conducted before the I'riYV Ile Was still handcuffed, but mounted the stairs with alacrity. On entering the Council Chionber he was placed at the foot of the table. lie was then addressed by the Lord Chan cellor, who informed him that he stood charged with the twofold crime of Treason and Murder, and asked him whether he had anything to say for himself ? lie answered, that " he should decline saying anything on that oecasionZ.. lie was then taken hack to the loom in which he had,bemilre vionsly placed—his commitment to Coldbath 7 helds , was made out, and he was conveyed to that prison, under the care of 6 officers. There was a partial shouting and groaning, as the carriage in which he was placed drove off. The other prisoners, apprehended the night be fore, were likewise taken before the Privy Coun cil, and re-committed. It is rumoured that one of them has turned evidence for the Crown. in the course of the day further arrests took place. Among others secured is a man of the name of Brunt, who is stated to have been se gond in command to Thistlew9od. lie was ap prehended at his lodgings in Fox-court, Gray's inn-lane ; in his room a vast quantity of hand grenades, and other combustibles, were found. These were charged with powder, pieces of old iron, and other materials, calculated upon explosion to proditce the most horrible consequences. A great number of pike-blades, or stilettoes, such as were discovered in Cato-street, and a number of fire arms, were likewise found. The whole of these, together with the prisoner, were taken to Bow street. He was afterwards sent to Whitehall,and then committed to Coldbatb-fields. Firth, the person by whom the stable,, was let to Harris, has likewise been arrested. lie admits that he has attended some of the Radical Meet ings, but denies any knowledge of the con spiracy. Warrants have been issued for se curing six others, whose names and descriptions are known. The lodgings of Thistlewood, and of all the others who were in custody, have been searched, and several important papers, and quantities of arms, have been discovered and seized. It is a singular fact, that when Thistlewood was arrested, he had not a farthing of money in his possession. The same observation may be made with respect to his comrades, all of whom were in the most wretched state of poverty. At present it seems to be undecided whether the delinquents will be placed on their Wad upon a charge of high-treason or of murder. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. Information having been received that Arthur Thistlewood, whose ordinary residence was in Stanhope -street, Clare-market, had recently taken a lodging at No 8, White-street, Finsbury-square, orders were yesterday morning issued by the Bow street Magistrates to Lavender, Bishop, and Sal mon, senior officers of the establiAiment, assisted by a body of the patrol, to proceed in search of Lim. When they arrived in the neighbourhood, they alighted &urn the coaches in which they were conveyed thither, and stationed parties round the house, so as to prevent the possibility of any individual escaping from the premises. On knocking, Bishop, Lavender, Salmon, and Ruchven obtained admission without difficulty. They proceeded to search the apartments above stairs, where nothing suspicious was discovered. On descending, Bishop recollected that two 79orn: au the ground floor bad not been searched. On atternptlng to open the door "on the right hand, be found that it was locked, and be immediately 'proceeded .to the adjoin ing room, and demanded the key of that in which be believed Thistlewood was concealed to be delivered to him by Mrs. Harris, the woman ..who appeared to act as landlady of the. house.- 7 - The demand was immediately complied with ; and Bishop unlocked the door very softly: he • then entered, with his staff in one hand and his pistol in the other. He states his reason for entering thus, " doubly armed," to be, that information was given of the intention of Thistlewood to de fend himself, and he was anxious that be should not have any excuse for doing a deed of blood, by pleading that he was not aware of the situation filled by the individual who apprehended him.— The moment Bishop entered the room, Thistle wood raised his head from his pillow, looked out, and immediately shrunk back. Bishop said to him, " Mr. Thistlewood," I am an of; facer of Bow.street. I have a warrant against you. Surrender !" and he immediately threw himself on the culprit, and seemed his Bands. Thistlewood, though in bed, had got his breeches and" aeoekings on. When Bishop stated to him who he was, and the nature of hi s basiness, he haling been at this time secured, Thistlewood said, " I shall make no resistance, Sir." iliblivp, having handcuffett him, pioccEdcd to feel about the bed for arms. Finding none, he : " Where are your pistols, Mr. Thistlewood Thistlewood answered, " I have got none, Sir." l i 'lire other officers were, of course, in close at ' tendauce on Bishop, end, with their assistance, he was taken out of bed. lie appeared much dis,. spirited. The officers proceeded to search the • r (rum, and, amongst other papers,' Lavendt r found a copy of the bill furnished to Dr.. Watson by Mr. Ottley, of the Crown and Anchor Tavern, for the expences of the dinner given to Hunt, on his re turn from Manchester. Pet haps it is not unfortunate for the Doctor that he was not able to liquidate this debt. He is at present an inmate of White cross-street prison, and thus has been saved front the temptation of joining his tormer associates. On searching Thistlewood's, wickets, two ball cartridges were found, several musket balls, and a number of flints. Lavender found" in one of his coat pockets a broad black belt, similar to that Which, it is in evidence, was worn by the person who stabbed the unfortunate Smi tilers. 'lire search having been concluded, This • thisstood was pla'eediti'khisCkney-cottch, and con yeyed to Bow-street. From thence he was taken to the Office of the Secretary of State for the Hometielfairment. Several Members of the Privy Council were assenibled. on the occasion. The Lord Chancellor informek the prisoner, that he was charged with the double crime of high treason and murder, and asked him whether be had any answer to make 1 Thistlewood answered; 4 ` No; I decline saying any thing at .. present." He was then conducted,,o, , Coldbath-fields prison by the Bow-street Officers. The sword with which the murder of Smithery was perpetrated is of foreign manufacture, and near ly a foot longer than those which we are ordi narily the habit of seeing. A Lady, of tire name of Northmore, who lives in a street immediately adjoining that in which tire conspirators assembled, found a sabre in her yard yesterday morning. This also is a weapon of foreign manufacture, and, from its appearance, had evidently been ground within a (lay or two It was perfectly sharp on both sides, and, in ad. dition .to its brass bill, there was attached to it a handkerchief,- so disposed as to afford a sort of guard for the arm. Mrs. Northinore, on finding the weapon, sent for a friend, who ad vised leer to .transmit it to Bow-street. This was accordingly done ; and, extraordinary to relate, it was recognised by an active member of that esta blishment as exactly representing one of two sabres, of which a description had been given at • the office, and which were known to have been taken to a. cutler for the purpose of grinding, a day or two since. As the person who took the sabres to the cutler is known, important informa tion is likely to be elicited by the discovery of this weapon. Five warrants were yesterday issued for the ap prehension of petsons said to be concerned in this horrible business. One individual was appre hended in the afternoon. He is a servant, of the name of Simmons, living with a respectable fami ly in Seymour-street. Lie last night underwent an examinakion before the Secretary of State fur the Home Department, and another before the Magistra►es at Bow-street. He was ultimately committed to Tothill-fields . prison. Amongst those against whom warrants are is sued, there is, we understand, a native of France. Two other persons implicated in this transac tion are now in custody, who lived in some dirty courts leading out of Baldwin's-gardens. Their names ate T add and Brunt, and both have earned their livelihood in the shoemaking trade. Wi‘b respect to Tadd we have collected Ike tollowiog particulars :—lle is a man of the age of 49, and lived with his wife and family in a small and mi serable dwelling situated in the Hole-in-the-Wall passage, leading from Baldwin's•gardens to Tor rington-street. His family consists of one daughter and two orphan children, whom be had taken under his care. Tadd has been esteemed among his neigh bours, and by those who have employed him in his trade, as an industrious sober man, and an excellent workman. He has earned by his own hands 40s. a week, and very often a greater sum. During the whole course of his life he was never known to neglect his work, or become inebriated ; but within the labt week he has been in a drun ken state, and his family have been at a loss to account for the extraordinary change in his con duct. Ott Wednesday night, between the hours of S and 9, three men came to,Taild while in such a state of drunkenness as scarcely to be able to keep his legs, avid forced him away, notwithstand ing the earnest entreaties and remonstrances of his wife and family. Nothing was said by the men who took him away, as to their object, either to the wife or any pne in the house ; and during the whole night, and the greater part of the next day, they were in total ignorance of the cir cumstances,since disclosed;and were at a loss to account for the absence of Tadd. In the morning (Thursday) between 7 and 8 o'clock, two men came to the house laden with a box of a consider able size, and, putting it down on the fluor, 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 hox, and onlylekeated that they Would call in a shot time, and taken sturay*.NVvy soortlvitthow& 2-41, 01 1inva came with a large bundle of sticks, some of them of the thickness of a man's wrist. These were lett in a similar manner, and the men also refused to answer any questions, saying only that they would call again for them in a few minutes. Ten mi nutes had not elapsed before two Police officers entered the house, and seized the box and the sticks. When the box was opened, it was diseo• vered to contain a great number of pike-heads, sharpened ready for use. The sticks were also seized, and carried away by the officers. It nosy appears that Todd was taken , by the three men whom we have described, to the stable in Cato street, where he was subsequently apprehended, and cart ied to Bow-street, together with several others. The next person suspected of being connected in this transaction, who has been apprehended, is Brunt. He is a shoemaker, living in Fox - court , leading out of Baldwin's Gardens. He was an ex cellent workman, and earned between 40s. and 50s: .a Week. He was, we understand, taken in bed cal iy yesterday mot ning. We learn that he had previously provided himself with a sword and a brace of pistols, in case of need, but he did not make use of them on this occasion. One of the other prisoners taken' on AVednesday night is Cooper, also a shoemaker, living in Garden-court, Baldwin's Gardens, and was apprehended, we un deis tend, in the middle of the day. FURTHER PARTICULAR , : REcPEtTU'G THE mtm- oil - siiTnEtts BY Tuis-n.r.wool) It is impossible to describe the anxiety and aorror which pervaded the countenances of thou sands of persons• who visited John-street, Edge- Ware-road, yesterday. Through the whole of the (lay, and till very late in the evening, several persons pf the highest consideration in the coun try, visited 'the place where the conspirators had assembled on. the preceding night. The Horse and Groom public-house, where the body of Suti thers now lies, is nearly opposite. The alarm in the neighbourhood, on heating the report of fire-arms, and the noise of contest, on premise's Which they considered untenanted, may be more easily CoOceired than described. It was heightened by every circumstance of terror that the imagination could form to itself:The house was surrounded with soldiers and police-officers-- fighting was heard within—officers were obscure ly seed' scaling a ladder and entering the scene of battle, while - their fate and the cause of the com bat were entirely unknown. Some of the persons belonging to the public-house adjoining, aft er run ning to the spOt, fled in diSitiay when they heard the „balls whistling about their ears. Several of the inbabitapts of Cato-street observed since Monday last, strange-looking men coining about the empty premises. On - the morning of Wednesday they saw Davidson, the man . of colour, and three others, watching at different _ends of the Street, while some of their associates were board nailing up the windows within the-loft. Be fore dusk Davidson again made his appear ance, with a sack on his hack, which the neighbours at the time supposed to contain car penters' tools for repairing or new modelling the interior of the building, but which bad in fact conveyed the arms with which they were to equip themselves for their daring enterprise. After the arsenal was formed, the band arrived; and the people in the public-house were surprised, if not alarmed, to see about twenty persons, entire strangers to the place, hovering about their premises, and at last entering the den. Still they had no suspicion of what was goingfor ward, "and no presentiment of what was in a short time to occur.. The Police soon arrived, and the murderous struggle took place. Smit hers, who was murdered, must have died in stantly, and without convulsion. He received only one wound, about an inch below his right breast, and abort an inch in width. His body is exposed in a room on the first floor of the public house above-mentioned, in the dress in which he was killed. His breast and neck are co vered with blood, but his countenance is as placid, and his features as composed, as if their expression had been arrested, and life extin guished, during a tranquil sleep. He has left a wife, but no children, to deplore his loss. On his death being mentioned to Lord Sidmouth, his Lordship expressed great regret at the event, and sympathy for his surviving widow, saying, with great humanity, thatt as he could not restore to her her husband, he would take care that she should not want his assistance in a pecuniary point of view.—The unfortunate man's sister came last night from Putney, to see the dead body of her brother, and, deeply•affected the spectators with the poignancy:of her sorrow. [Morning Chronicle.] Three more of the Assassins were apprehended yesterday, and seven more warrants were issued, and by the clue which air. Justice Willie has re- • ceived, there is every reason to believe that they would be, in the course of last eight, or will be ' this day, apprehended. The retreat of the horrible 'lllistlewood was discovered by a woman, and sh e , w i t h t h e hold and vigilant Officers, will be entitled to the reward of a thousand pounds offer ed in the Gazette Extraordinary . The second of the gang is one of the three taken yesterday. It is a curious fact, that on Wednesday night the nine villains secured, were found not to have even a halfpenny in their pockets--although the quan tity of fire-arms, ammunition, pikes, and swords, shew that they must have had considerable re solrces ; for*, in addition to the immense number of pikes, hand-grenades, pistols, &c. seized in Cato-street, another depOt was discovered yester day in Gray's lnn-lane, where, among other wea pons, between four and five hundred weight of grenades and pikes were found. These grenades are of a most deadly construction ; they are filled with pitched tow, gunpowder, and balls, so that when flung into a room they must spread destruc tion to all around. These were all brotight to Bow-street, and it is supposed that further dis 7 L coverlet will yet be made. We oust in !leaven that the execrable plot, through all its rarnifito tions, will be laid open. Great credit is due to Mr. Justice Birnie, and his Officers, for the promptitude and bravery with which they attack= ed the banditti with so inadequate l N\force. If they had wait to assemble more men;.,,so as virroupti•ohe tiveuse, tbot, bustle of repast' tnialki. lispv-4at ' Wind 4 it, Ord .put am t arts q tbtir guard. [Morning Herald.] Thisltewood is much altered in his personal ap pearance of late. He never was a very comely man, but now he looked care-worn and exhaust ed ; 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 ex.., treme. Yesterday, whilst the officers were relata lug the circumstances of his arrest to the Magis trates at Bow-street, he snood by the fire, his hands still manacled, and seemed to listen to all they saltl with the most intense anxiety ; a hectic flush shooting over his face as the different instruments of destruction which had been fooird were men' tinned or brought into view. He was asked no questions there, nor did he speak at all ; but the vtorthy Magistrate having satisfied himself as to the identity of his person, scot him off in.. :tautly to be examined before the Privy Council. He was taken there in the same hackney coach, and in the custody of the same officers us ho had brought him front White-street ; and as the coach drove off from the door of the office, the crowd, which by this time filled the street, tittered burl cries of execration. Mr. Hirnie instantly follow- • ell in another coach, They NEI iced at Whitehall before the Council had assembled. In the forint time Thistlewood was seated in the Porter's hall, between Lavender and Bishop, Ituthven and Sala mon standing near him, and ten or twelve mote officers stationed in different parts of the There was also a serieant's guard of soldiers in the hall and the lodge adjoining. Thistle wood, 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 i—lsn't that Lord Castlereagh ?—That is the Lord Chancellor ? 1. believe, isn't it ?" &c. By halt-past one o'clock the following Privy Councillors had arrived The Earls of Harrowby, Liverpool, alit/ Wsst• morland, the Duke of Wellington, Lards Castle reagh, Solmotith, anti Mflville, the Chancellor-of the Exchequer, Mr. Canning, Sir William Scotts Sir `Samuel Sheppard, Mr. Wellesley Pole, Mr , Bragge Bathurst, the Lord Chancellor, and manY other Members of the Council. Mr. Biruie, Hoe' Mr. Baker, of the Marlborough-street Police , were in attendance. Shortly after, the officers were directed to bring in their plisoner, and Thistle wood was instantly.placed before their Lordships' when the Lord Chancellor addressed him as tot' lows :—" Mr. Thistlewood, you stand charged with the twa-fold crime of High Treason and of Murder.Haye you any thing to say ?". Thistle wood replied firmly, have nothing to say at present." He was thin' remoYetho the Porter' e. 11.11 again ; and, in a few minutes, .Mr. BAster . delivered Iris commitment to the officers, who stantly conveyed hint to the 1 - louse of Corrections Cold- bath Fields. In his way there he appeared par - - Ocularly - anxious to know when he should,he seat the:lower, and the officers, taking advantage of the opportunity be had thus given, of. soak' log enquiries in return, asked him what bad meant to do with the ball cartridge .. found in his pocket ? To which he hastily re' Alit d, " It wo'nt do, Mr. Bishop," shall answe r no questions." '• He was' safely lodged in th e prison about half-past two o'clock, end, in the mean,. time, the nine prisoners, committed frnr° Bow-street the night before, were taken befor e . the Council, and evidence at some length receiv e d against-them. At the close of their examinatio°' , they were taken back to tire House of Correctio n s under a strong escort of the Life Guards.. Lord Sidmouth, in speaking of the. widow o f Smithers, yesterday, to a person who was de ; scribing her affliction, said " 'fell her I cann a restore her husband, but 1 will take care that O . shall never want." IVe understand, that besides deferring the i° ; tended Cabinet dinner at Lord Bti l burst's, each 0` the Ministers, as .a measure of proper precauti o . ° l bad Police Officers in his house during the %%41 01° of yesterday and last night. One of the prisoners, it is said, has express e ‘ his abhorrence of the plans of his associates, 01/ serving, " that they ought all to be hung in a ne_ (timely." He seemed inclined to make a foil d is :i closure at Once, but his companions, by looks a° gestures, checked hint. th e It is a most singular fact that not one. o f 0 nine prisoners apprehended in Ca-o street, Wednesday night s had a single piece of mon!),4 about them; and when Thistlewood was sea rea o f ed, he was found equally destitute : some e' them, however, appear in high spirits neee ro :o less—Davidson, the black, especially. in 1 1 , way to and from the Council yesterday, he a1°, 11 . ,, , ed himself with singing, with all his mit_ i l'a " Scuts whit brie i' Wallace bled ;" and Fru h o reproved by the officers for being so noisylii abruptly replied, " I shall ilo as I please; am ready to die tor liberty !" [FU ETU PARTICULAM.] When Captain Fitzelarence hod secured fib! conspirators, he directed his attention to the tii:o fortunate Richard Smithers, who lay on T i l e floor of the hay-loft a lif e l ess cor p s e. body being raised, the Captain sent off rai lt° ,o - 1 diately for Mr. Keys, a respectable Surge'a-• residing at N'. limner-street ' green, Paddington. :11 r. Keys arrived a ',jiff before nine o'clock, and npon viewing the b9;;30 h ' e directed the clothes to he taken ofr • thi s ; ( je done in the I:ift. The blood flowed troth the '"'",e of the deceased in torrents, and it 6 , o :e s time before an examination could take The dagger of the iilde.er bad enter ed .. m t ly right side of the deceased between the 01136,4 !old tenth lib ; the incision %vas more th" ll Jg t inches in depth ; the binge of the assassio te.'jer hare been most tremendous one—th e dt3r is'lri Massed through the right lobe of the liver. 00 0 Keys traced the wound with his fing er, f stated to ‘.bnse present at. the cNeininatiOn ° 1 } 3 11 F ated And t‘ tile c , Y, ci ticut a t , . inch . ' ;1, 3 two qPer st