The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-25 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.

OLD COURT.
CHARTIST TRIALA.—At ten o'clock this morning Mr.
Baroa Platt took his seat upon the bench.
The case of George Shell was immediately Called on. The
indictment charged the prisoner with having in the presence
and hearing of divers subjects of this realm uttered certain
seditious, scandalous, and inflammatory words concerning the
then present state of Ireland and her Majesty's Government,
the tendency of which was to alienate from her Majesty the
Queen the affection and loyalty of her subjects, and to excite
them to tumult and insurrection against the said Government.
The Attorney-General, Mr. Welsby, Mr. Bodkin, and Mr.
Clark conducted the prosecution.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, in stating the case for the
prosecution, observed that he had hoped that the clear and
lucid explanation of the law which was then given when he
last appeared at a public prosecution in that Court would
have deterred persons from following the example, and thereby
incurring the responsibilities of those whose conduct w as then
brought in question. He regretted, however, to say that
the hope he entertained had not been realized, and that he
was obliged to appear again in his character as a public pro-
secutor and as a law officer of the Crown against other in-
dividuals. The cases that would be brought before them
were precisely of the same character as those he had re-
ferred to, and they
on would fearlessly discharge the duty they
were now called up to perform, and would not allow the
invaluable rights of the people of this country to be so far
abused as to become an instrument in the hands of those
who made it a pretext for the dissemination of disloyalty,
and for exciting tumult, disorder, and probably insurrection.
The Attorney-General then proceeded to state what
amounted to the crime of sedition as laid down by Chief
Justice Tindal at the special commission at Monmouth, in
1839, and by Mr. Justice Pattison in the month of June last,
and other learned functionaries. In judging of the crime of
sedition the circumstances surrounding the commission of
the offence ought always to be taken into consideration ;
because, what under one set of circumstances, would not
be sedition—would, under another, amount to that crime,
and would absolutely demand the intervention of the law for
its suppression. He should therefore call their attention to
the circumstances under which the crime in question was
committed. It would be recollected that a person of the
name of blitchel, whom the prisoner in his speech
called " the patriot John Mitchel," was convicted of
felony in Dublin, and soon after that event the
state of Ireland became alarming, in consequence
of the fatal doctrines which had been promulgated
and urged by that person. A telegraphic dispatch, which af-
terwards turned out to be a scandalous and wicked fabrica-
tion, appeared in the different newspapers, stating that the
troops had been defeated, the railways in the possession of
the people, and the whole of the south of Ireland in a state of
day a meeting was held, at
speech of a seditious character.
rnygsaonwas elected chairman. The
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meeting was held at a hall in Webber-street, Blackfriars-
road. The prisoner made a speech, in the course of which he
proposed a resolution condemning the conduct of the Go-
vernment in suspending the Habeas Corpus Act,
expressing a determination to assist the mob—who
were then supposed to be in a state of open
rebellion—when.the hour of trial should arrive, commend-
ing the conduet of Feargus O'Connor, and those who opposed
the measure in Parliament. The prisoner, in his speech,
which was of a violent character, abused the Government,
and insisted upon the right they possessed to assist their Irish
brethren, who were struggling against their oppressors. He
termed the convicted felon Mitchell an honest patriot, but
was it honest patriotism to call upon the God of Battles and
of the Barricades to assist the people in their unlawful pro-
ceedings? Was it honest patriotism to incite the people to
erect barricades in the streets, and to defend them with the
risk of their lives ; to incite the people to strew the streets with
broken glass, to cut and maim the feet of soldiers and of
horses; and to exhort women to pour vitriol from the house-
tops upon the military and authorities below? The patriotism
of Mitchel was the advocacy of a system of spoliation and de-
vastation, and of anarchy and bloodshed, and yet the prisoner
at the bar held it up as an example for his hearers to follow.
The meeting consisted chiefly of Irishmen, who
appeared to be very excitable, and the pri
soner exhorted them to act like men when the
time arrived, and told them if they did not do so they ought
to go howling through the streets like a cowardly race of
men, and he prayed God Almighty to grant them victorious
over their enemies, who he hoped soon would be compelled
to hide themselves from the indignation of the people, whilst
the people who had been so ievig oppressed would be free, and
would be able to live in the enjoyment of that liberty they
had been so long struggling . for. Thank God (said the
Attorney-General) that juries in this country were not to be
deterred from fearlessly discharging their duties, and whilst
on the one hand, he hoped they would protect the invaluable
privileges which the subjects of this realm enjoyed, he trusted
that they would show by their verdict that those privileges
should not be used for the propagation of doctrines which
were calculated to lead to disaffection, tumult, disorder, and
insurrection. The Learned.Attorney-General concluded by
stating that the jury would take into their serious considera-
tion the whole circumstances under which the prisoner de-
livered the speech, and if they were of opinion that the
motives of the speaker were such as had been attributed to
him, namely, to excite feelings of disloyalty among the
people, and hatred towards the government of the kingdom,
thg_ would find him guilty, of the crime of sedition.
William Counsel, examined by Mr. Wets/y-1 live in
Camberwell, and am a short-hand writer. I was present at a
Chartist meeting in Webber-street, Blackfriars-road, on the
evening of the 28th of July. There were about 200 present,
and they appeared to consist of working men. A person of
the name of Bryson was elected chairman. The prisoner
Shell spoke at the meeting. Three persons spoke before
did. I took a short• hand note of Shell's speech. A person
of the name of Kean spoke at the meeting.
Shell moved a
ernment
resolution, condemnatory of the conduct of the
Go
C usvAct, re
in proposing Corp
turning the suspension of the Habeas P
turning thanks to Mr. Feargus O'Connor and to other Mem-
bers of Parliament for their opposition to the measure, and
d assthistance in
pledging the meeting to give every support an
throwing
off e thral-
its power to the unfortunate Irish in t
then read the speech
dom of English misrule. The witness
in detail. Kean proposed a resolution to the effect that the
d a t e measure adopted
meeting viewed with distrust anan
dlarm considered that the Irish
by her Majesty's Government,
ought to have a free and independent Parliament, and that
n
they offered their Irish brethren their
cordial sympathy.
The prisoner, who was undefended, asked no important
question of the witness•
police-constable,said he apprehended the
Mainwaring,
prisoner on the 2d of August as he was coming out of a
Chartist meeting in Webber-street. He searched his lodgings
in Southwark, and found a hook which he now produced. lie
also found a ltter upon his person.
Mr. Law said he was the landlord of the house in which
the prisoner lived, and proved the finding of the book in the
prisoner's room.
The ArrouNEy-GsNsuar. read the following extract from
the book :—" Proposed by Mr. Coffey, that every district
should send four men to Cartwright 'a coffee-house to arrange
a plan of communication."
Richard Dennis produced a copy of record of conviction of
John Mitchel, which was read.

Ilaydon, the well-known City policeman, said he was ac-
quainted with Cartwrigbt's coffee-house, and was one of the
witnesses at the last Chartist trials. The evidence of this
witness was not proceeded with.
Thomas Cope, the publisher of the Times newspaper, pro-
duced a copy of the paper of July 27th, containing the
report received by the electric telegraph, stating that the
troops had been defeated, and that the south of Ireland was
in a state of open rebellion. It is needless to remark that
this report turned out to be untrue.
This being the case for the prosecution,
The prisoner proceeded to read his defence, which did not
at all attempt to deal with the subject matter of the charge,
but was a mere resume of Chartist doctrines and professions.
The AITORYEY-GENERAL briefly replied.
Mr. Baron PLATT summed up, and having read over the
evidence, stated the law in detail as it affected the prisoner.
The jury deliberated for a few minutes in the box, when
the foreman stated to his Lordship, that it would be neces-
sary to have the speech handed to them in order to convince
one of their body.
A copy of the speech was then handed to them, and the
jury retired, the proper officer of the Court having been first
sworn to keep them under his charge.
The jury returned into Court, after an absence of a little
more than half an hour, and the foreman stated that they
had found a verdict of Guilty.