The National Register.
London, England, 1815-10-08 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL RECIST

R.

6 ,(3

original warrant • but had been erased without the kuowl.4:!e
of those who haSsigned the in.trument. He now asked Ali. ltlck-
nell, who had drawn the warrant from the rough draft tirat epatcd;
if he had erased the word several?

Mr. Bicknell answered—" Certainly not."
Mr. Constable—" Then we understand by whom it was done"
(looking at Mr. Williams).
Mr. Williams—" You said, I had altered it atter the signatures
were put to it."
Mr. Constable—" I never held out any such thing. A warrant
to be legsl ought to contain only truth. 11-re is a palpable falsehood.
of which the Magistrates who signed this warrant ought to be
ashamed. It asserted that the grievance was viewed by all, when it
was viewed by none."
Mr. Kinnaird—" This is certainly fatal to the warrant. It is too
bad. It is disgraceful thus to rob a fellow.creatiire of his liberty,
without information upon oath. I am only surprised aentlemen
could have lent themselves to such a transaction."
Mr. Constable—" Oh ! Mr. Williams pretends to more knowledge
than falls to the lot of fifteen such men I Ile is the greatest egotist
Unit ever walked the earth !"

Mr. Smith—" If I could have supposed that the warrant was vi-
tiated by any alteration, I certainly slioillil not have signed it ; awl
if that is the case. I must decline per.isting in pressing it further.
however, repeat, I still do not think 1 have acted improperly."
Mr. Kinnaird—" The erasure of any word in a warrant rendered
it corrupt. In any civil proceedings, if a forgery is discovered, the
whole must be quashed—so with a warrant."
Mr. Williams—" You don't mean to say there has been any for-
gery practised here?"
Mr. Kinnaird—" Yon could not have understood me, or you would
not place that constrnction on my words. What I mean to say is,
that if the averments of an instrument are not true, it must fall to
the ground. The averment here, " that the warrant was issued on
the view of all the Magistrates, whose names are mentioned," is
false. and consequently, by parity of reasoning, the warrant is il-
legal."
Mr. Ellis—" The averments have failed completely."
[Here Mr. Williams was observed to smile incredulously.]
Mr. Kinnaird—" I did not expect Mr. Williams would have
laughed at that which, if lie had but cousidered, he must have ad-
mitted."
Mr. Williams—" I did not 1000."
Mr. Constable—" Oh ! no, it is only a sneer! II there is any thing
•
funny shout Williams, it is a smile qf rep rff farce.'
Mr. Williams—" Those who hear you, know how to appreciate
what you say."
Mr. Constables-a" Those who hear me do know how to appred'aie
what I way—and so much the worse for you."
Mr. Kinnaird—" I am only aurprised how spy man could put his
name to such an instrument."
-Mr. Williams—" Suppose all the Magistrates who signed the
warrant joined in the resolution upon which it was founded ?"
Mr. Smith—" As the warrant is false, we must stop all further
proceedings. I beg to declare, however, that I had no personal
enmity to Wilson, and would have done him no intentional in-
jury.',
Mr. Constable—" I am very certain you would not."
Mr. Smith—" I have acted on this occasion as upon all others—
with perfect independence."
Mr. Ellis—" It is quite clear that Wilson was walking hi the
most hatmless manner ; lie never committed any breach of the
peace—and, having walked 750 miles, the booths, which were the
real nuisance, being removed, I think he might have been permit.
ted to finish his undertaking."
Mr. Mason—" I must say the averment, on the face of the war-
rant, is not correct. I did not see the alteration silica I signed the
warrant; I only saw the original draft, and did not read the copy
when I signed it.:'
Mr. Williams—" The alteration was made in the warrant to
make it correspond with the original resolution of the Bench, at
which all the gentlemen *hose names are mentioned were preseut."
Mr. Smith--" I did not see the erasure alluded to when I sigetd
the warrant, or I would not have put my name to it, as 1 could not
but admit its incorrectness. My sole object in %%hat I did was to
abate what I conceived to be a great nuisance."
Mr. Constable—" Come, let us have no trifling, but saddle the
right horse. Mr. Bicknell, I ask you, did you make the alto aticu
in the warrant ?"
Mr. Bicknell—'c I did not."
Mr. Williams—" There is no set which I have done that I am
ash.nued to avow. When the warrant was brought to rue to