The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-01 00:00:00

EVP,NING EDI rioN

rvMOB MOUTH SPECIAL
CO NI

MONMOUTH, Tri• sDAY NIGHT.

This being the day to which the special ComMissi..:ii
stood adjourned, the Court was opened at an early hour
with the usual formalities. It may be remarked that it
was yesterday preceded by the greatest bustle prevailing
about the town and neighbourhood. This bustle was
caused principally by the constant arrival of vritnessis
from all parts of the country, but especially from Newport.
Not the slightest effort was made to molest these witnest,ev,
or to hurt their feelings, even by a harsh expression: Ar
personal outrage, there appeared to be not the sligh cwt
idea entertained of attempting it. That it was apprehended
by the authorities was, however, plain from this—that
small parties of the Lancers were sent out at different tiros
in the day, for the purpose of scouring the country.
There were also to be remarked, what is not usual in so
great a town as this, post-chaise pouring in after poor-
chaise. and carriages following, it might be said, in a con-
tinuous line. This accession of strangers was also to be
remarked this morning, so that by the time the Court was
opened, Monmouth was filled with hundreds of the middle
and upper classes; while the addition to the numbers of
the poorer classes was not such as to justify any remark,
in such a time as this, as to its being in the slightest
degree extraordinary.
As at the opening of the Commission, it had happened
that a man, in pressing forward to see the pisoners alight
at the Court-house, was accidentally wounded by a sol-
dier's bayonet, it was considered right to have wooden
harriers made outside the Court, which would be suffi-
ciently wide to admit the prisoners from the prison van,
without the possibility of any such accident again occur-
ring. In the interior of the Court itself several alterations
were made by order of Lord Granville Somerset, Major
accommodation to the wEsq., the object of
Marriott,hieh wasartiod
givet e Nilnacyrocra.sedT . Dyke,
repor-
ters. Those connected with the London Press have had
especial reason to be pleated with the attention paid to
them, and the facilities afforded to them.

Shortly atter nine o'clock the• bugle sounded, and
Lancers were seen advancing from their several quarters,
who, with the infantry stationed in the vicinity of the
Court-house, were reviewed in the square by their several.
officers. The infantry filed off and returned to the guard-
room, while the Lancers continued mounted and under
arms. A section of the London police, under the com
mand of Captain Marest, marched up to the Court, r;ney
were stationed along the avenues and stairs leadirg to the
Court, and beyond the outer iron gates. At this hour
applications for admission became haras'alugly numerous.
The police discharged their duty firmly but respectfully
towards all, admitting none but such as were provided with
tickets.

At half-past nine the van- for conveying the prisoners
from the gaol to the Court-house left the Beaufort Arms,
followed by twenty-seven Lancers, under the command
of Lieutenant Bernard. Mr. Ford, the Governor of the
Gaol, met the van and its escort at the avenue leading tq
the gaol, and having received the authorised order for ti.le
transmission of his prisoners, he directed the offrer to
turn out the Rifles, who were on duty in the !-aol and
having enfiladed the passage from the gaol. gate to the
which lv
spot where the van was drawn up, rs a distance of
,
about twenty yards, and Lieutenant B'.rnard having so
surrounded that portion of the road '',tthe vicinity of the
van, as to render all access by 9", rangers impossible, he
returned to the gaol for the purpose of bringing out the
prisoners, who had been previously handcuffed and secured
by chains together in twc separate parties of six each,
Frost was in advance of the first party, escorted by
the gaoler. He walked forward with a steady gait,
and a firm, fixed countenance. Although he did not
evince the least shrinking, yet lie showed a strong senst
of the awful situation in which he was placed. There
was no alteration in his appearance when he was ar-
raigned, with the exception that he was somewhat emae
ciated, the effect, no doubt, of his long imprisonrarat.
Mr. Frost bowed most gracefully to a gentleman wb-0 was
standing under the arch leading to the gaol. His appea,.-
ance, and that of his fellow-prisoners, elicite.4 fiom %he
bystanders a general expression of regret anycompasuote
That expression appeared to have reac.hr.:(l their eats, as
then, for the first time, there was a'sible alteretiou in
their s asa
pif e
dtheir
e `oused by it. Not a
single
countenances
expression
escaped
s all the tune, but oxen
prisoner seemed anxious to lesr,en the pain or annoyance
which might be caused to hi r, fellow-prisoner by the hard
bolts or chains. As soon the first party of prisoners were
secured in the van, Nlr. Ford returned for the remaining
prisoners. Zephaniah Williams and Waters were the first
two of this party. Williams has rallied wonderfully. He
appeared quite unshaken, and without the slightest symp-
tom of bravado; both he, Waters, and their canparie.„s
evinced a manly bearing; they, as well as the
exhibited a consciousness of their truly serious ai'uatiou.
Williams,' Waters, and Morgan saluted the fel', persons
permitted- to remain within the yard of the cool. The.
van having been secured, and the several tun nkeys havii
taken their places in the front seat, it war, surrounded by
the Lancers, the advanced party of the 'Latter having %heir
lances lowered for a charge, and thtrs guarded it re Ached
and Court
in a few minutes. At thri entrance to the.cours,
and in that part of the street 'oetween the van atnd the
entrance, there was placed P.-large temporary 'palisadieg,
formed of strong timbcre,, and consisting oi two sides,
which completely preteted the prisoners 'from any en-
croachment by the. spectators, who anxiously crowded
around to have e. view of them.
On their reaching the Court The same expression of
regret f';ir their situation, as was made on their departure
from. The gaol, was also manifested, and with the same ef-
feet, on the feelings of the prisoners themselves. Fee
some time after the prisoners had entered the Court t'je
Lancers continued to patrol in front of it, and then re-
turned to their quarters.
The Judges arrived in the square in front of the
house about ten oclock. The carriages were 1). receded
by two of the London police with batons, two jay.elintncn,
and two trumpeters to each. Having robed themselves,jourt-
their Lordships, preceded by the Mayor, Hi gh Sheriff,
and other officers of the Court. Dearing wr,nds., followed by
train, bearers and gentlemen, ushers, and, a small force of
the metropolitan police, entered the Court.
Long before the time appointed tear the Judges com-
mencing their proceedings, ttlaose for whom seats had
been reserved, in the Court were seen to enter, anti
take their respective stati'ins. Amongst the earliest, „f
these were the Counsel "for the Crown and for the pri-
soners. The counsel for the Crown took; their place op
posits to the jury-box ; those for the prisoners sat with
their baeks to their clients, and immediately frontin
the Judges. The Counsel for the Crown were the Att
ney and Solicitor-Generals, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, M.. p.,
Mr. Sergeant Ludlow, Mr. Whiteside, and Mr. T aneot.
The Counsel for the prisoners were Sir F. Pollock., at P.,
Mr. Fitzroy Kelly, M. P., and Mr. Thomas. At the
barrister's bench, and next to the soliciteme
far the pri-
soners sat Mr. Feargus O'Connor, who c.eiterrid the Court
a few minutes before the Judges. In 'ere
early part of the
day there was no recognition between M. O'Connor acid
Mr. Frost.
appear to be much affected by
Mr. O'Conncr did not a
the situation_ of his friends; at least he came into Court
with a s".eile upon his face , with which he frequently in-
dulc;ed those who looked, at him.
At a quarter past t.en o'clock the Judges, Sir Nicho',es
Tindal, Baron Parke, and Sir John William;, took ',heir
places on the, bench.

Mr. Bellamy called on the High She'riff to ret'.irn the
grand panel of the county. The usuP:L proclamr.tions for
the attendance of the Mayor and tb.e Magistra',:es in the
county was then made. The Gra'ad Jury was 'next called
over.

At half past ten o'clock it ".;as directed by Mr. Bellamy
that the prisoners should 'Je placed at tee bar. As so
many were to be arraign'al at the one time, Mr. Bellamy
suggested to the go:Ace that some of them should be
moved out of the pr'isoners' dock to the small space besie,,e
it—that which belongs to the gaoler himself. Thi& was
done; the consequence was, that Mr. Frost an Mr.,
Waters stood in •,,he gaoler's box. The names of the pr:i,
soners were t;nen called over as follow :—John Fr ost,
Charles W;iters, John Lovell, Richard Benfield, John
Reece, e/corge Turner alias Cole, Zephaniah Wi..iiiams.
Edmor,d Edmonds, Jacob Morgan, Solomon Britton,
WiP.iam Jones, James Aust, John Reece, and Dr...vld Jones.
, .
'The Clerk of the Arraigns then addressirre: Mr. Frost,
Said, " John Frost, hold up your right hand. ..
Mr. Frost, before complying with the '..equest, took off
the black gloves which he wore, and then held up his hand.
. to read the indict-
ment,as it has been already
The other prisoners having also }-,eld up their bands,
which
little attention to i' , .
published.tl eC l Clerk of of ArraignsDheurdinid wordthtel i etori
:oinrlerpow,cfetyre
dbdue
itsdt
being read, the pri-
soners at the bar seemed., to
They were of course al,iful fully ,
* aware of its contents. Scrno
of them were obser Jed
.io speak to each other ; au,
only one who was engaged in conversation was Zephaniah
Williams, who was engaged nearly all the time with his
solicitor, Mr,
ot standiti4 . Owen, to whom the facility was affe,rded
Frost t=in in the deck in company with the prisoners,
generally either resting his head upon V.is right
ll'in(l.. (his usual attitude), or in locking about th
.e Court.
Pie seemed to watch with peculiar interest th e box ap-
propriated to the London reporters. The dr;meanour of
1 all the prisoners was extremely proper and 'quite suitable
to the awful situation in which t'aey r,cre placed. They
were all respectable and very in:Lellig,entiooking men, and
all dressed in the garb of gent:iemer, with the exception of
Richard Benfield, John R'cece, and George Turner alivs
Cole. The prisoner Z,,phaniali Williams is exceedinc4ly
like a person well knowin at the time of the Irish rebel:lion,
and who was commor:ty called " Natty Cox,"—th,J pub-
lisher at a subscquiAt period of a very clever and 'satirical
magazine.

Upon the e,onclusion of the reading of the 'indictment
the Clerk Arraigns said, " How say you, .John Frost,
are you guilty of these treasons or not..
Mr. Frost, in a very firm tone of voice), replied " Not
Guilty."
Chavles 'Waters, in reply to the swine question, made
the snore answer in a firm. tone of vr,ice. The reply of
John Lovell was scarcely audible,, Richard Benfielsk,
when his name was pronounced, t'.,rned red, replied, r,nd
then looked up to the ceir.mg. The answer of John r.eece
was given in a strong to•-,,e of voice. George Turaer said
" Not Guilty" before The question was put to Wan. The
answer of Zephania',l Williams was strong a',d decided.
nond Edmone,s said " Not guilty" in
very subdued
tone. Jenkins. Morgan gave his answer with a rather
careless exP..cssion. Solomon 13rittoe. turned deadly pale,
and then repeated " Not guilty, not guilty," in a hurried
manner.. Jones and Aust muttered forth their replies in
such a manner as to give the Court and the, W public the
.ea that they looked upon the questions
put, to them ag a
Mere matter of form.
The Attorney-General then. rose and said—My Lords,
the prisoners having been tp7raigned, having pleaded
Not guilty, this is the ti".ae in which my Learned Friends
will perhaps have 'no objection
'„o state whether their
clients will sever 'er join in their challenges. What they
docasist of co arse guide my
proceedingsmu on. the present
ocon.
Sir '
Pollock—l cannot answer for what other
'T,ners will do :
t appear for only ooze, Mr. Frost, cf"
sevMr' ers on
challenges.
with m
T.
y e y..itzro K 11•— I ant likewise engaged y