The Sun. — London, England, 1820-02-24 00:00:00

LONDON JOURNALS. FROM THE MORNING PLPERS OF THIS DAY. [Morning Post.] HORRIBLE PLOT OF RADICAL REFORMERS, TO AS SASSINATE HIS MAJESTY'S MINISTERS, AND OTHER LOYAL SUBJECTS. DREADFUL. .4N.D FATAL AFFRAY. AUTHENTIC PARTICULAUS. • We received late last night information, which we communicate to the Public with the strongest feelings of horror. The existence of a Treasonable Conspiracy of a most atrocious character bits, we understand, been for some time known to ti:e Gover!lllient. 4111 blow was 'to have be . en struck yesterday, by the Assassinatiou of hie itlAjesty's Ministeis, wbeti' assembled at a Cabinet Dinner. . About seven o'clock - in the - eveuing, Mr Birnie, the 'Magistrate, under the directions of the Secre tary of State for. the Home Department, proceed etf to the rendezvous,,of the Conspirators,. oil the Edgware-road, with a wet rant to apprehe They were at the' t nue upwards of twenty in min►brr, with Arthur Thisttetwoo4 at their head. They were armed, and upon being tequired to surrender,- refused to- , do so, and commenced a desperate attack upon the PeaCeOffiters, one Of whom, named Smithery, Was stabbed by Thislle wood, and instantly fell-dead.- Others of them were severely wounded. Thistlevrood cffected his escape, but eight uy Pine of ti►e conspirators were final!y secured, by the assistance of a party of the Foot Guards, who were called in by the Magistrate to the support of the Peace . Officers. A considerable quantity of arms, of variuu• torts, pikes, pistols, daggers, band-grenades, &c. were found upon the, pretnises. Government has lost no time in taking the ne cessary steps to bring the sanguinary villains to punishment. Messengers and Police Officers were last night sent ()If to eR the outports to prevent the escape of Thistlewood, and such of bis infamous sasociates as have tor the present escaped ; and at one o'clock this morning the following Extra ordinary Gazelle was published, offering a rewa+•r of- 10001. for the apprehension of the multitrer 7hi4tlewood:— . THE LO.NDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY. THURSDAY, FKIIRVARY 14, 1820. WHITEHALL, VER. 23, 1820. Whereas, ARTHUR. THISTLE WOOD stands charged with High Treason, , and also with the Wi , ful Nlurder of RICHARD SMITHERS, a reward of ONE 'FtrOus.-IND POUNDS is. hereby offered to any person or persons who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be discovered ur ap prehended, the said Arthur Thist leVvootl, to be paid by the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, upon his being apprehended and lodged in any of his Majesty's gaols. And all persons arc hereby cautioned, upon their Allegiance, not to receive or harbour the said Arthur Thistlewond, as any person offending herein will be thereby guilty of High Treason. SIDMOUTFI. The above-named Arthur Thistlewood is about forty-eight years of age, five feet ten inches high, has a sallow com plexion, long visage, dark hair (a little grey), dark hazle eyes and arched eye-brows, a wide mouth and a good set of teeth, a scar under his right jaw, is slender made, and has the ancarance of a military man, was born in Lincolnshirv, and apprenticed to an Apothecary at Newark, usually wears a blue long coat and blue pantaloons, and has been a Lieutenant in the Militia. Previously to receiving the above . autbentic par ticulars of the horrible designs of the Radical As sassins, the following accounts had come to bantl :-- Yesterday evening the West end of the town was thrown into the utmost confusion. The streets were lined with aoldiers and persons, and the greatest alarm prevailed in consequence of the following dreadful circumstance : Information having been • received at Bow-strett, that a meeting of Reformers, armed, was to be held at a house in Caton-street, Marylebone, the Magistrates, fear ing something serious might result, sent a formidable body of their officers to the place. On their arrival, tlicy found that a party of men, amounting to about 30 in will:her, were holding a seditious meeting, all armed with guns, swords, daggers, and other weapons, and appeared ready to leave the place, which was a hay=loft at the top of the house. The officers demanded entrance, hut were re fused. ‘Vestcot, one of the officers, went op first, and was followed by several others, ,on which the Reformers made a most desperate resistance, and in consequence of which they were fired on. Westeot received three shots through his hat; and Smithers, an active officer, re ived a stab in his right side, and was carried away quite dead. A desperate affray took place, in which the whole of :be officers were wounded, sonic most seriously. Gill, one of the officers, upon going up the steps, was met by a man of colour, 'lamed Davidson, who was armed with a loaded gun, which he fired off, but fortunately missed his object, on which Gill took out his staff and bet:shouted him over the wrists until he let go. He then seized a sword, which he was' pre vented from using. In consequence of this resistance, most of the officers were prevented from entering the left in which the Reformers were, but were obliged to remain below while smile of the party escaped by means of a rope-ladder, which they hid p laced out of a hack window. Their numbers being thus diminished, their resistance became lessformidable, and the Ivliole of the officers, except those injured, entered the place, where there were still nine of the offenders. Arthur Thistiewund i s supposed to he the mai) who stabbed Smithers be bad a desperate black eye, and his hands were much cut. Scarcely one of the officers escaped without some injury. By this time a laity of the Guards arrived; they also met with resistance, and a sergeant and several of the soldiers were in jured by stabs, &c. On searching the place, guns, pistols, swords, bayonets, &c. were found, which, tegether with the rope ladder, were hronghl to Bow-street Police Office, in hackney coaches, in custiodrof the officers, and they were escorted lay a strong bodyof the soldiers, who surrounded the coaches. On their arrival at - Bow-street, the prisoners were placed at the bar. Statements of what had occurred being related by each of the parties, Mr. Biraie put .several questiompto each of the prisoners, who were chiefly shoemakers and car penters, but could arrive at no satisfactory point as to the ob ject of their meeting. Davidson denied the charge. They were all reniauded to Friday next for further bearing. Mr. Birnie ordered that they: should be conveyed in hackney-coaches to the House of Correction, They were harnrcutfcil together; two were placed in each coach, with resolute licers, and two soldiers sat . on the box of each coach and two behind, in which manner they proceeded, guarded by the : rest of the solvliess, who had their bayonets fixed. They were followed by a vast concourse of persons, and the utmost good ,order prevailed. -The instruments of desti uction found by the officers:were ordered to be kept until Friday utxt. • [FURTHER PARTICULARS:]I On arriving at the spot, the Officers attempted onietly to gain aihnittance, but being opposed, it became necessary to Imre an entrance. .1 - laving got into the stable, •ti volley was fired by the wretches who had got into the hay-loft; this was smartly returned by the Officers, and the contest continued tor some time with the greatest deter mination on both sides. Happily the Officers gained the ascendancy, but not instil that meritot tions Officer, Sotithets, bad lost his life ; West cott had four balls passed through his hat ; Wright 'had a still more narrow escape,' as a sword ac tually passed through his shirt and flannel jacket, but did not penetrate his body; Swinton received a ball. in his. neck, and several of the Officers Were otherwise •seriously injured. The Prisoners exa mined last night formed but a part of the gang-, and Thistlewood is, the identical pet son who ac tually shot poor Smith ers. but who uhfortunately has for the present escaped. The whole nine were safely lodged in the House of Correction between eleven and twelve o'clock, having been escorjed there by a strong body of Police Officers and a military escort. It would appear that the gang had not lost sight of the liability of being disco vered, and had must strongly armed themselves with swards, pistols., guns, and in fact almost every weapon of destruction known, the whole of which is now in the possession of the Officers, in addition to a considerable quantity of balls and gunpowder. A strong body of Officers- were in attendance last night at flow -street, while others were sent off to all the ontports,' to prevent the escape' of Thistlewood and his associates. No tidings of the capture of Thistlewood had been received up to a late hour last night. Smithers, we understand, has left a wife and family to la. ment his untimely fate. [Morning Herald.] ARRESTS FOR HIGH TREASON. In consequence of private information received by.the civil power that it was in the contemplation of a gang of diabolical ruffians to make an attempt on the lives of his Majesty's Ministers, whilst as sembled at the house of Earl Bathurst, in Mans 'field -street, to a Cabinet dinner yesterday evening, Richard Biruir, Esq. with a party of 12 of the Bow -street patrole, proceeded about 8 o'clock to the place, which had been described as the rendez vous of these desperadoes in Caton-street, John street, in the lidgeware-road, where, in a kind of loft, over a range of coach-houses, they were found in close and earnest deliberation. The only approach to this pandemonium was by a nar row ladder. Ruthven, one of the principal Bow street Officers, led the way, and he was followed by Ellis, Sasithers, Surman, and others of the Patrole. On the door being opened, about twenty-seven or thirty men were seen within, all armed iu some way or other ; and, for the most part, they were apparently engaged, either in charging fire-arms, or in girding themselves in belts similar to those worn by the mili tary. There were tables about the room, on which lay a number of cutlasses, bayonets, pis tols, sword-belts, pistol-balls.in great quantities, ball cartridges, &c. As the officers entered the room, the conspirators all started up, when Ruth yen, who had been furnished with a warrant from - the Magistrates, exclaimed—" We are peace of ficers ! Lay down your arms !" Ip , a moment all was confusion. A man, whom Rohl/en describes as the 'notorious ditihurThist/ewood, opposed liimsti+ to the officers, armed'with a culind !burst sword of Unusual length. Ruttiest) attempted to secure the door,and Ellis , wlto had followed him into the rooni, advanced towards the map, and presenting his pistol, exchiimed, " Drop your mold, or Pll fire instantly !" The !Mill brandished his sword %vitt) increased violence, when Stnithers, the patrole, rushed forward to seize bin► ; and on the instant the ruffian stabbed him to the heart. Poor Su& thers fell into the ar►ns of I►is brother officer Ellis, exclai►ning, " Oh God !" and in the. next in stant was a corpse. Whilst this deed was doing, the lights were extinguished, and id desperate struggle ensued, in n•hich many of the Officers t ere severely wounded. Surrnan, one of the p9trole, received a musket ball on the temple, hut fortunately it °lily glance►! along the side of his head, tenting tip the sc►lp in its way. The conspirators kept ul► an incessant fire; whilst it was evident to the officers that many of them were escHpit►K by - some hark way. Mr. Birnie exposed himself every where, and en couraged the officers to do their duty, whilst the bails were whizzing round his head. At this moment,' Capt. Fitzclarence (one of :the gallant sons of his Royal - Hightiess the Duke of Clarence) arrived at the head of a detachment of the Cold stream Guards. They surrounded the building, and Capt. Fitzclarence, with Sergeant Legge and three fires of grenadiers, mountedthe ladder and entered the room, now filled with smoke, and only illuminated by the occasional flashes of the fire-arms of the conspirators. A ruffian instantly approached the gallant Captain, snit presented a pistol at his breast ; but as he was in the act of pulling the trigger, Serjeant Legge rushed forward, . and whilst attempting to push aside the destructive weapon, received the fire tint:M . las arm. Fortu nately for this brave man, the ball glanced along his arm, tearing the sleeve of his jacket from the wrist to his elbow, without wounding him. It is impossible to give a minute detail of the desperate conflict which followed, or.the_nu merous instances of pet sonal daring manifested by the peace-officers and the military, thus - brought into sudden contact with a band of assassins their obscure den, and in utter darkness: Unfortu nately, this darkness favoured the escape of Many of the wretches, and the dreadful skirmish ended in the capture of only nine of them. These were instantly handcuffed together, placed in hac kney coaches, and brought down to 'the Police Office in Boon-street under a strong military escort ; and Mr. Birnie having arrived at the same Moment, instantly took his seat upon the Bench and prepared to enter into the examination of the prisoners. They were immediately placed at the bar in the following order : JAMES INGS, a Butcher, JAMES WILSON, a Tailor, RICHARD BRADBURN, a Carpenter, JAMES GILCHRIST, a Shoemaker, _ CHARLES COOPER, a Bootmaker, RICHARD TIDD, a Bootmaker, JOHN MONUMENT, a Shoemaker, JOHN SHAW, a Carpenter, avid WILLIAM . DAVIDSON, a Cabinet-maker. • Davidson is a man of colour, and a worthy co adjutor of Messrs. Watson, Thistlewood, and Co. upon many occasions. At the meeting in Fins bury market-place, a few months ago, he was one of the principal speakers. Ings is an hoary ruffian, a short squat man, ap parently between fifty and sixty, but of tnost de termined aspect. His hands were covered with blood, and as he stood at the bar, - manacled to one of his wretched confederates,, his small fiery eyes glared round upon the spectators with an expression truly horrible. The rest had nothing extrao►dinary in their appearance. They were for the most part men of short stature, mean ex terior, and unmarked physiognomy. The Office was crowded with soldiers and of ficers, bringing in arms and ammunition of va riot's kinds, which had been taken on the ptemisii; muskets, carbines, broad-swords, pistols, blunder busses, belts and cartouch-hoxes, ball cartridges, gunpowder (found loose in the pockets of the pri soners), havresacks, and a large bundle of singu larly constructed stilettoes. These latter were about 18 inches long, and triangular in form ; two of the sides being concave and the other flat the lower extremity being flattened, and then wrung round spirally, so as to make a firm gripe, and ending in a screw, as if to fit into the top of a staff. Several staves indeed were produced, fitted et one end with a screwed socket ; and no doubt they were intended to receive this foimi deltic weapon. The depositions of a number of officers, most of them wounded, and several of the soldiers, having been taken, their evidence substantiating the fore going narrative, the prisoners were asked whether they wished to say' any thing. Coo-per and Da• vids O n, the black, were the only ones who re plied, and they merely. appealed to the officers and soldiers to say, whether they had not instantly surrendered themselves. Ellis, the patrole, who received the murdered body of his comrade Smi tilers in his arms, replied that Davidson had made the most determined resistance. At the moment when the lights were extinguished he had rushed out of the place, armed with a carbine, wearing white cross-hebs. Ellis pursued him a consider able distance along John-street, and., having caught him, they fell together, and in the deadly struggle which ensued Davidson discharged his carbine, but without effect, and Ellis succeeded ih seem ing Captain Fitzclarence had seized and secured oue or two of the prisoners with his own hands, and be was not only very much brnizcd, but his uni form was almost literally torn to pieces. At ele►en o!clock, the depositions having been taken, as far as the circumstances of the moment would permit, the Magistrate committed the pri soners' for fUrther examination on Friday ; and they were then placed in hackney coaches, two prisonets being placed in each coach, accompa nied by two police officers, with two soldiers be hind and one on the box, and the whole cavalcade escorted by a strong party of the Coldstream Guards on foot. It - )w-street presented a singular appearance at this moment. The Police-office surrounded by the military ; their arms gleaming in the glaring light of the torches; many of them carrying mus kets and other spoils taken in the alit ay ; the roar of the roaches, in consequence of the Theatres having just closed, and the confused but of the multitude, drawn together by the appearance of the military, gave altogether a very un-English appearance to the night. There was not, how ever, the slightest political expression among the assembled crowds, and in a quarter of an hour after the escort had left tha street, there was no complexion of any thing extraordinary having happened. At half past II o'clock, the whole of the prisoners were safely lodged in the House of Correction, Coldbath Fields. [New Times] We received late last t►igttt information, whick K e columunictite to the Public witiA the strongest feeling/I of horror. The existence ° f treasonable conspiracy of a most atrocious ct' raster his, we understand, been for s ome I'', known to the Gove rnmen t. Th e fi rs t . blow W a s to have been struck y es t er d a y by th e Assassigatw of his Majesty's Ministers, when assembled st 'Cabinet- dinner. About sevewo'clock in the eve r " ing Mr. Birke, the Magistrate, under the dire °. tion of the SeCietary of State for the Home P i e ; pawl:tent, proceeded . to. the 'rendezvous of (1 , Conspirators on the Edgw a re-road, with a 08 ' .,) . rant to apprehend them. They were at the li t , upwards of 20 in number, with Arthur Te l wood at thieir head. They were armed, and on being required to surrender , refused to do 10, ° es commenced a desperate attack uPon the Pes,,, Officers, one of whom, named Smatters, was sta b by 'fitistlewoocl, and instantly fell dead; oth e . , l l " of them were severely wounded. Thistlete°7 effected his escape, hut,eight or nine of th e C° l3- 1 spirators were finally secured by the assistance a .party of the Foot Guards, who were called ' 0 liy - the Magistrate, to th e su pp or t o f the &lc , Officers. [British Press.) Mr. Birnie, the Chief Magistrate of Bow-stree t Office,, received private information that a fortil l• (fable party o f di sa ff ecte d persons w ere to We yesterday, at a h ouse i n th e Ed gware-roa d , w here they .had provided the m s e l ves w i t h arms o f va riots' kinds, consisting of pikes, cutlasses, arid pist° l 3 l : VVe understand th at th e i n f ormat i on f urther sta te that they meditated some immediate act of s*. ( 1 1 1 fence, and the ho us e o f one o f t h e Mi n ister's, Downing-street, has been mentioned as the ° O f ject of their meditated attack. A large body constables was therefore dispatched to the silt; who surrounded the h ouse , an d procee d e d to 12% the patties into c u s tody. Th ey met, h oweve r, most desperate resist anc e, i n w hi c h we regret a - state that a constable, of the name of Smither s° well known at Drury-lane Theatre, was killed ° t the spot. A c c or di ng to one aecount lie was tin through the body ; anot h er account states til l he was killed by•the stab of a pike. Salmon, I T; other constable, was tvounded on the side of It' s head Ilya pist o l b a il. S evera l ot hei- s o f t h e constBble were wounded in the contest. They finally su c .: ceeded, however, in making ten of the party Pr ( soners, whom th e y carr i e d o ff to B ow - street 01c" where, after having undergone a short exona„t• tion, they were comm i tte d to t h e H ouse of L'"; rection. The whole p art y amounte d to a b o ut° - persons. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FEB. Q 4. SEDITIOUS PUBLICATIONS. On the Sitting of the Court, and it being knot that only six of the num b er o f persons chtsig e t with vending Seditious Publications would be on their trial, the ATTORNEY7GENERAL rOSe stated, that having understood that the Court h i ll fixed the trial of six of the defendants to come ti o to• day, it perhaps might be_cotivenient for biro state, that in conseqnenee of a most lamenta t % occurrence, which it w as not requ i s i te f o r ba h ; more than to advert to, one of the witnesses ts „ should have called was no more. The Gentletne— of the Jury, in that case, therefore, need not tit in attendance. The following case was then call THE XING against WATLIN. The following Special Jurors were then Wa al Edward Payne, Esq. John-Carrick, Esq. Thomas Adams, Esq. William Pill, Esq. Edward Merrick, Esq. Daniel Jones, Esq. John Reader, Esq. Edward Mason, Esq. Richard Gregory, Esq. George Read, Esq. James Saunders, Esq. 1 William Roberts, E - 99• - • Mr. RAttge opened the pleadings. ft The ATTORNEY-GENER AL s t ate d, t h at no o of his duty was more painful to discharge-, 11514 4 to notice any thing that in any way i n terfef e A with the Public Press, but he felt he should t o eischarge that duty, if he bad not brought L defendant before the Court. The defendant ' 7l charged with publishi ng a Pa per , ca ll e d The P - 0 „, ; publican ; this he called a libel, and it would At , for the Jury to say if it was so . (H ere the • torney-General read the Letter which appeal, in The Republican, addressed t o L or d Siduangt„; signed " Richard Cartile," commenting on tu i proceedings at M anc h ester , on t h e 16 th A ug ust:, The Attorney-G enera l sa id, the Jury would 7 their verdi c t su pp ort t h e ex i st i ng order of tiling in suppressing seditious publications. The defendant said, be was not t h e aut h o r ; i r t sold them together with Newspapers, to supe his family honestly. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied, observilt that poverty was no excuse for committing crib , 4 The CHIEF . JUSTIC E summe d up , an d the immediately returned a verdict of Guilty. yr tr This is Swithers, who was killed in the aborui o transaction recorded in another part of our Paper to-daP FEBRUARY 43. THE KING V. WAY: t 1 This was a prosecutio n aga i nst t h e d e f e nwl for leaving a sailor, named Itoyle, at Pernarnb°r l ; contrary to an Act passed iti t h e re i gn o f Ki l William, which rende rs ever y M aster Matin e e e subject to fine anti impri s o nment wh o s h a ll le fj- i airy seaman behind in a foreign country iv" willing and able to return a c cor di ng to co ntr B4 `, The seaman, in this case, sailed with the fie te o r' fi dant in tire New Minerv a , f rom Li verpoo l. ""„ his arrival at Pernambuco, he went On shore , the hospital, in consequence of an accident for some time - Made hiin incapable of doing led duty. When Ire recovered, the, Captain reft' s ; o to take him on board. The man applied to t ./ d j British Consul, and this p ros e cut i on wa s c a :" tneuced.—"fire inry found the defendant Guill.Y‘ BEATY V. COPELAND. This action was brought by Dr. Beaty, e° e ; tor of the last will an d testament o f an Ow -e named M Killick, against the defendant, a .; licitor, to recover 14001. lost to the teostore, estate by the omi ss i on o f the d e f en d ant to " veral things professionally, which he bad recei' instructions to tran s a c t. O ne was t h e paY rng'l , of premium for a lite insurance. The defence that due ins , ruction had not been g iven.- - eg Jury found a verdict for th e plaintiff —.Mo24- 14001. 141 La th e hay, 'l ry lo de` vio„ te rm Viy t ta e II tel e trk ti lititi t th e the ter s 1 10 vvt is vri t or 1 they tau t): 4 Ser l it)1 1 1 ef till tio►► t ake i l'ullli C o Li; liod bi Ith3t tho trt "nft i , sub nli vv e 412 Ip titce th e NJ„ 10, b y e 1 'Conn: ' , A ces hte orn which and lb the t * elit , .‘eti tu t to is he 44 d lii,„ k , e have 4 fig s Ar t. lat '', is tr war , ! th e " tt avh, d th e 14ws of `cur Or A~ e'l Alt.., ' 4 F jo e l:elt 2 °• I tz, tl ic The i 4rtuti ti it I.qu rtit 1