The Sun.
London, England, 1812-05-12 00:00:00

ASSASANALLON OF MR.

'cVe never felt a heavier weight of sorrow than
are sualt at this moment, under the melancholy
necessity of announcing to our readers the 'dreadful
event •of the Murder of Mr. PERCEVAL, one of the
most upright and able men that ever assi,ted in
direeting 'the "Councils of this great trnp:re. The
loss to the Nation 'would have been severe in jtself,
if he bad 'fallen according 'to the Ordinary course of
human life, but r:: it'be -rendered muci) more poig-
nant under the circumstances which deprived the
country of a Characier so eminent in virtue and
ability. We forbear at present 'to say all we think
of the high merirssof Mr. PERtEVAL, because we
are persuaded that all the wiser part of the Con-mu--
pity hold him in the highest estimation, and be-
cause we are persuaded, also, that the more his
measures and principles are nnderstOod, the.more
will his charaCter be admired and his memory re-
vered. Nut only Great Britain, but all Eu'rope.,
must suffer under This heavy and uneYpeaed cala-
mity, since the wisdom of his counsels, and the vi-
gour with which he supported them, promised, in
due time, to rouse mankind from the yoke of op-
pressive usurpation, and to restore the blessiogs of
commerce and the relations of social intercourse to
the contending nations of the earth.

We shall now proceed to the melancholy task
of submitting to our Readers all the circumstances
attending a transaaion which will be a stain upon
our annals, though, we trust, from the general
ohara6ter of our countrymen, that they will re-
volt
with horror from a deed so atrocious and af,

A few minutes after five o'clock yesterday after-
noon, Mr. PERCEVAL proceeded on foot and alone
from his residence in Downing-street to the House
of Commons. On entering the lobby, a man, who
had been some time there, held a pistol over him on
his left side," fired, and shot him through the left
breast, near his heart. Mr. PERCEVAL walked for-
wards for three or four yards, as if nothing had hap-
pened, and had reached the midway between the
door of the lobby and the immediate door of the
House, when he staggered,• and sank on his.knees,
exclaiming in a faint voice, " I am murdered,—
murdered !" Lord FRANCIS OSBORNE, and Mr.
RtDLEY COLBOUREE, who were passing front the
House at the time, and Mr. PE.AN CIS PHILLIPS, a
a Gentleman from, the neighbourhood of Man-
chester, who happened to be in the lobby, in-
stantly rushed forward, raised, and support-
,ed him. - Mr. PERCEVAL groaned twice very
deeply, and was carried into the Speaket's Se-
cretary roorn (the door heading to whiCh is be-
tween the fire place in the lobby, and the Vote
Office), where he bled profusely, both from the
wound and from his mouth, and in about five
minutes, without uttering a single word, expired
in the arms of Mr. PIIILLIES. The lobby was
very thin, not above twenty person's being in it.—
The assassin, as soon as he had perpetrated this dia-
bolical ael, made no attempt whatever to escape, but
retreated to a bench near the fire-place in the lobby.
A Gentleman, of the name of JERDAN, who had
followed Mr. PERCEVAL into the lobby, immediate-
ly seized him, and never quitted his grasp until he
was taken into the House of Commons. While
held securely on the bench, Mr. BURGESS, the Soli-
citor, of Curion-street, Mayfair (who was also in
the lobby), wrenched the pistol which he had just
discharged, and which was yet warm, from the right
hand of the assassin. Soon after this General Gas-
COIGNE entered the lobby-trona above stairs, and
on seeing the assassin, and hearing 'what a
dreadful occurrence had taken place, was sit ith
difficulty prevented from• shooting hires. The Ge-
neral, and ,a Mr. VINCENT DOWLING, who had
entered the lobby with him, proceeded to search
the villain. Mr. DOWLING took from his breeches
pocket an opera glass; and a loaded pistol. Gene-
ral GASCOIGNE drew from another poAtt a bundle
of papers which he. handed to Mr. HIJNIE, Mem-
ber for Wicklow. Mr. BURGESS (whom we before
.!2
mentioned) also took from him a guinea in gold, a
one pound note, a five and sixpenny token, two
eighteen penny tokens, some keys, and a penknife.
By this 'time the lobby had become a scene of the
utmost confusion. The alarm had been circulated
through every adjoining part. Members came
rushing in from the House ; Peers from the
House of Lords, strangers from the Gallery,
and witnesses from the Committee Rooms; and
loud expressions of horror, grief, and indignation
resounded from every side.—Two of the mes-
sengers proceeded to drag the assassin into the
House, the occurrences in which our readers will
find in their properplace. In the mean while all
those persons in the lobby, who knew any thing
of the transaaion, were, requested not to withdraw.
When the prisoner was condOled to the prison-
room (which is at the top of the House of Com-
mons), he was guarded by the Serjeant at Arms, end
several of the Messengers, preceded and followed
by Mr. A'derman COIII3B, Mr. M. A. TAYLOR, Mr.

r

WHITBREAD; Mr. TigllNgt, Mr. Rosa, Lord
CASTLEREAGH, Gen. GASCOIGNE, Mr. HUMS, gr.
A. COLBOURNE, Lord F. °sacraria, Mr. C. Loco,
Lord FOLKESTONE, Mr. P. MOORE, Lord Si'
Mr. WILBERFORCE, Mr. \V.WYNNE, Mr. Moitat4,
Sir J. C. HIPPISLEY, Mr. WHARTON, and a Olt
tinny other Members of the House of Commons
On special application, Earl GREY was permitted to
be present. The depositions were taken
Alderman CC/tang and Mr. M. A. TAYLOR.
EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES.
The first wi,ness examined was Mr. BueGessr:
of Curzon-stect, May-fair, the tenor of whose de'.
position was as follows :—He ivas, in the lobby 01
the House of Commons a few minutes after 6v4
o'clock waiting to have an interview w itii one 4)t
the Members. He heard the report of a pistol, Wg'
Mr. PencrtvAL walk for Aard towards tie HO-156
door, and, abOut the centre of the stagger
and fall. He observed the prisoner, at the
moment, with a pistol in his hand, move to'A'3l'l3
the bench near the fire, whither he followed
and took tire pistol from his hand, or from cinder
his hand, on-the bench. Ttre barrel was warn) 06
if just discharged. He asked the Prisoner :what
could have induced him to commit so vile an net;
ai'd he said he was an unfortuna;e man, and I)3j
S 11,ht redress froM Goveinment of hi 3 grievaoes
in. vain, or wyrds to that effect He confessed th_at
he was the man guilty of the deed. tVitress the°
put his hapd into the waistcoat pocket of t!o rfi'
soner, from which he took a guinea in gold, a pout, i
[tole; a Bank tok,.n of ss. C.I. two of i; 61. a slo' i
pen-knife, and a bunch of keys. He 81.0 observe
another person take from the person of the pris""er
a pistol similar to that which he had liirtiielt fahent:.
from his hand, together with soine.papers;
were taken from him by General 'GAscorosE.;
e
The deposition hating been read to the prif°l)",,
he was cautioned by Mr. Taylor not to say an}' tbo6 .
to et-in-finite himself, and asked, if he Md any cl 6
tions to put to the witness ? He said, " erb"i
Mr. Burgess was less agitated than I was, hut
think he took the pis!ol fwm my hand, sod /I('t
from the bench under me."
Air. ST-EFAEN here entered the room and file'
tionecl to the Chairman a ci!cuinstance,wl'relt lie
considered to be very important. He had been /t
formed by Mr. Spottiswood, a gentleman Brea
respedability, that he-(Mr. Spottiswood) saw' tw.d
tall men running through Westminster-10 '4t
0,,
time which must have been immediately COn
tIJ6
quest upon the shot-being fired, and who, 6'031
rapidity of their course, he conjectured et the Ott'
•
merit were escaping from bail, or from some'14'
on
or other res!r4t. No proceeding took place
this information.
. General GASCOIGN"2 was the next with
es's-eo'
°
mined. He deposed, that, shortly titter five D%l ac
bOr
as he was writing in the smoking room, be .A
aJtYI
the report of firearms—he I,tatted up, and tr •
(tie
" That is a pistol ; what can it mean ?",
rushed down st.4lrs to the lobby, and was I° .
e
the way, that Mr. PERCEVAL was shot: -°terl"P
el/
the lobby, he found the prisoner on the bye
cured, as we have already described. ge
assisted-in securing him, and searching his P`'''');lll.
from which he took a bundle of papers tied to
red tape, ,which the Prisoner seemed! tiowiliji
part with, and which lie held abAve hi' :ore
to prevent him from recovering. The preys„ldt,
was extreme
.at this time ; and, apPr"-
voe,
from an apparent struggle- which was r
that a rescue was •atternpted,, or might te
Ott;,
tempted, he delivered up the papers to Mr. lag
and held the prisoner with additional farce, aodn'
ter lost sight of I:im till that moment be w. 01,4)
under examination. He thought it necessary'
to observe, that he recognized the person oftlie
soner time moment he sAw him, but did not
recoiled his name, which he now knew to be
ingham; lie was also aware,,that he was fot"e
merchant at Liverpool.
,'cl#
Mr. Hume, Member for' the County of
low, the Gentleman allndcil to by Geoe"
f.l os=
coigne, deposed, that he rushed from the
sa''
e
time lobby, on the alarm being , given ,
crowd -culletted about. the prisoner, and saw v Ge
itt-
tr
ral GASCOIGNE take the papers, which he t 1,02
duced, from his person. I-le also saw another 1)
br ,:„.4 •
son draw a pistol from the prisoner's
:nark•
pocket. These papers Mr. HUME then
separately, with hi, initials, and having.
them in a sheet of paper, which he sealed tr
Togo
CO Lord CA$
own seal, and delivered it over

REAGH.
A Messenger was now dispatched to the loded-
pf the prisoner, No. g, New IVlillman-street, 13eld
ford • row, to secure whatever papers or Prat' Se
might there be found. A TVlessenger Was 1°4°45
dispatched to procure a pair of hand-cubs, acrd 11
),

attendance of the Police Officers.

foci

The prisoner, on being asked. whether he i
any thing to say upon the last depositions, 't°teict'
that when General GASCOIGNE seized him, be
tje
Wm with so much violence, that be was •apprel'ej