The National Register.
London, England, 1809-11-26 00:00:00

756

entered the Theatre at the time when half-price was taken were
admitted, from which time nothing could be heard but shouts of
*4 Off! off ! off !" " Old Prices for ever !" accompanied by the
sound of watchman's rattles, dustmetes hells, &c. ; many of
these persons who were mostactive in the riot, bearing the let-
ters 0. P. on their hats or breasts, making mock fights, push-
ite; persons out of the theatre, whom they imagined to be ini-
mical to their designs, running up and down the pit of the thea-
tre, and mixing among the constables who attempted to inter-
fere, sad beating and thrusting them forcibly ont of the theatre;
that when these persons quitted the theatre,. theylpok the lets
tees O. P. out of their hats, that they might
.ndf.he known to
the Police Officers.;--that placards were also nigh $l5 exhibited,
in order to feed the riot, and call upon the Proprietors to re-
store the old prices of admission to the theatre ;—that several of
the rioters had been apprehended and taken before the M; gls-
trates, by whom they had been committed, and that they had
since been indicted, but notwithstanding this, the riots still con-
tinued;—that advertisements had appeared in the newspapers
(encouraging these riots, by inducing persons to subscribe to-
wards the support of those who (as they termed it) had been
unjustly prosecuted ;—that in these advertisements many reflec-
tious were made upon Mr. Kemble : and the present Deponent
snore positively that he believed a conspiracy had been formed
by those persons who bore the letters 0. P. in their hats (which
the Deponent considered as the signal by which they knew each
other) in order to compel the Proprietors to restore the old
prices of admission to their theatre. The Attorney General
held in hi 3 hand another affidavit, stating several instances of
these riots by the persons thus distinguishing themselves by the
badge of 0. P. and plainly pointing out the object of their
riotous conduct.
He then proceeded to read several of the placards which had
beam exhibited in the Theatre; such as—
" A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether," &c. &c.
from which he drew the conclusion that certain persons had
entered into, at least, an implied agreement, to bring about
their great object—to compel the Proprietors to admit the pub-
lic at their theatre at the old prices. The Attorney-General
then proceeded to state the substance of the affidavits, which
pointed out the persons against. whom the information he moved
for would he flied. On the 31st day of October, and on the
4th, Tth, Rah, and 14th. days of November, a person, whose
Mine the Attnrun.y-General mentioned with regret, and could
ha.se wished that he was not obliged to place it first, because
that person .s; as of the same profession with himself; but when
it was considered that the public had been in some degree misled
by the exatnple of a professor of the law, he hoped he should
sunlit excused. lie meant Mr. Clifford. On the 31st day of
October the 0. P.'s were collected together as usual, when Mr.
Clifford made his appearance in the theatre with the 0. P.
badge in his hat, and was joined by his brother 0. P.'s. The
Attorney-General could not fix upon Mr. Clifford any parti-
cular act of violence; hut he wore the badge, and thus coun-
tenanced those who 'were violent; and that he was considered
to countenance the rioters, was evident from what happened on
the 4th day of November following, when he was hailed by
them as their leader, and saluted by shouts of " Clifford for
ever," " Three cheers for Mr. Clifford." That Mr. Clifford
owned himself their leader, too, was not less apparent from his
addressing the rioters—" That's right go on, persevere, and
when you leave the house disperse."
The other persoAs against whom the Attorney-General's mo-
tion was directed were Messrs. Winholt. Savage, Scott, and
Ridley, of whom it was proved, that they appeared at the
Theatre with the letters.o. P. in their hats. Mr. Ridley was
indeed there but once; bat when he was brought before the
Magistrate for being there, he owned that he had the letters in
his hat, and said he meant to place them there again the next
night. Mr. Winholt was at the Theatre with 0. P. in his hat
on the 91st day of October, and on the Bth and 14th days 'of
November, each time taking a eery active part in the riot, en-
couraging the rioters to proceed, and on one occasion assisting
in turning out of the pit a person who bad torn a placard in-
scribed '• We'll conqueror die." Mr. Scott, and Mr. Savage
were also very active in these riots; but it was not necessary
for the Attorney -General to state the particular acts of each.
Ile trusted he had proved a sufficient understanding between all
these persons, to fix on them the characters of conspirators, to
effect by unlawful means, and to compel by riot, the reduction
of the prices of ad mis,:ion to the Theatre. There was no question,
but that the Proprietors of that Theatre had a right to demand
what prires of admission they pleased; and though they might