The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

MR. HUDSON'S EVIDENCE AT YORK

" A Revised and Complete Report of the Recent
Trial for Libel, Richardson v. Wodson, pub•
usher of The Yorkshireman," with preliminary
Observations, 6-c." London, C. Mitchell, 1850.

2. " Report of the Evidence of George Hudson, _Esq ,
ALP. on the Trial of the Cause, Richardson
v. Wodson, York Summer Assizes, 1850.
Edited by a Barrister." London, John Hearne,
Strand, 1850.
The tact that Mr. Hudson was subpoenaed as a
witness for the defendant in the action for libel re-
cently tried at York,—to be subjected to Cross-,
examination in a court of justice in respect of all the
heavy charges brought against him in relation to the
York Union Banking Company, the York, Newcastle,
and Ber wick Rail vvay, and the York and North. Midland
Railway, and to be placed in a position where the
truth, and the whole truth, would be extorted from
him, whether he would or no—naturally excited an
extraordinary degree of interest in York and the
northern counties. He was, as it were, to be publicly
put upon his trial, with this difference, that whereas
in ordinary cases the accused stands passively at the
bar, listens to the evidence brought against him, and
hears,his accusers attempt to make out their case,—he
was to be compelled (if he were guilty of the enor-
mities laid to his charge) to criminate himself, and
out of his own mouth to supply facts for his
own condemnation. No wonder that his friends
and his enemies, and these who were neither,
but who wished to see fair play, and who
thought it hard to condemn a man on ex-
pect* statements and anonymous newspaper para-
graphs, without hearing his account of the transac-
tions, should feel curious to know how he would pass
through such an ordeal.
He appeared in court on the:day in question ; —he
appeared under circumstances calculated to make the
strongest nerves quail. Public feeling in the city
was heated by the vehement diatribes of the journal
interested in the verdict of the day, which endea-
voured to prejudge the case by creating a public sen-
timent in its own favour; and Mr. Hudson was called
as a witness after the jury had heard directed against
him one of the most forcible rhetorical efforts of the
greatest Nisi Prius advocate on the Northern Cir-
cuit, or, indeed, at the bar of this country,—whose
thrilling tones may be said at one time to resemble
" the thunder," at another time, "the music of the
spheres." And how did Hudson bear himself after
ail this storm of invective, after all these withering
sarcasms ? He stood in the witness-box cool, col-
lected, like a man of business prepared to give infor-
mation on every point to R hich hisattention might be
called ; and then Sergeant Wilkins commenced his
examination. As the editor of the second pamphlet
above mentioned, remarks,—" All the consummate
skill and practised ingenuity of the Learned Sergeant
who cross-examined could suggest Ras with masterly
dexterity exerted to elicit every point which could
appear to make his conduct censurable, or throw a
suspicion on the purity of his motives." The ease
and frankness with which he answered every interro-
gatory, and the apparent reasonableness of his expla-
nations, struck everybody, and, as those who were
present.at the trial testify, produced a powerful sen-
sation in his favour.
The pamphlets before us both purport to contain
the evidence given by Mr. Hudson on this occasion;
and because it is important to the cause ef truth,—
important to the character of a public man, who is
admitted even by his most envenomed peresnal op-
ponents to have achieved no inconsiderable amount of
public good, and to have promoted great public works
which will last for generations,—who was, only
a few years ago, by the _ public voice, recog-
nised as one who ;had promoted useful enterprise,
who had assisted in developing the resources of
the country, and supplying employment to thou-
saads,—and because it is important to the national
character, which has suffered in the eyes of Europe,
who have seen a large portion of the British public
turn round and assail with indiscriminating obloquy
the person they lauded to the skies as long as railways
were making large profits,—like Actaeon torn to
pieces by. his own hounds, mistaking him for
a Stog,—that we invite particular attention
to the two pamphlets at the head of this article.
The first is printed at the office of the Yoik news-
paper, against wlich Mr. Richardson brought
his action for libel. It professes to be "a
revised and complete " report of the trial ;
but a most casual examination of it will show that in
the really important part of the whole trial, viz., the
evidence of .11Ir. Hudson, it is mutilated, garbled,
abridged,—not giving a full and fair report of Mr.
Hudson's testimony on oath, as it was, in common
decency, not to say common honesty and common
fairness, bound to give, but clipping his answers and
condensing his explanations! What will be theught
of the animus of the writer who, in a "revised amd
complete" report, can be guilty of such gross abuse of
the license of printing ? The charges against Mr.
Hudson are printed, literally, as the special-pleader's
ingenious pen drew them. The criminatory speech
of Mr. Sergeant Wilkins is reported, in the first
person, verbatim. The explanations of Mr. Hudson
are cut short, and the speech of Mr.
Martin, Q.C., in reply to the scandalous
aspersions on Mr. Hudson, is imperfectly reported in
the third person, in this style—" Having recapitulated
the facts given in evidence by Mr. Hudson, he con-
tended, tiec." The examination of Mr. Hudson by
Mr. Martin, Q.C., which in the York Herald and the
Yorkshire Gazette occupied half a column, and which
in the report of Mr. Hudson's evidence, as revised
by a member of the bar present in court, extends to
six pages, is cramped into seventeen lines of narrow
column ! Such a circumstance cannot fail to awaken
the public to the fact that there are motives of
malevolence in play against Mr. Hudson, which
snake certain parties desirous, if possible, of preventing
his explanations hiving their full effect, which par-
ties systematically circulate statements distorted by
their own prejudices or sinister designs to keep up
misconception as to his conduct. There is
and partisanship stamped upon the title-page of this
" revised and complete report ;" and no person can
possibly form a just opinion of Mr. Hudson's conduct,
without perusing the entire and correct report of his
evidence on the occasion in question.
Before we proceed to the consideration of the seve-
ral charges made against Mr. Hudson touching the
matters in question, and the answers which he gives
on oath to each of them, we cannot refrain from a
remark or two on " the preliminary observations,"
which are prefixed to the report of the trial, printed
at the Yorkshireman office, and published in Red Lion-
court. The pamphlet is anonymous—a fact not without
its significance. Surely, when such accusations as
are here advanced are preferred against an individual,
the public ought to know who makes them,—Quis
vituperavit? " Who is the instigator ?" Are these
charges made by a man whose own character can
stand fire ?—are they made by one respected for inte-
grity and respectability—for his position in society
—for regularity in his payments, and exactness in
money matters ? Are they the candid remarks of an
impartial public journalist jealous for the public in-
terests, or were they incited by some discarded offi-
cial, some disappointed speculator, some bitten share
jobber, some " obliged friend,"—
" Was it the squire, or parson of the parisb,
Or the attorney ?"
Who is this Jack the Giant-killer who moves about
in his " coat of darkness," and stabs unseen ?
If the charges advanced against Mr. Hudson in respect
of the York Union Bank, the York, Newcastle, and
Berwick Railway, and the York and North Midland
Railway, were, as they are represented to be, sub-
stantial and damnatory, it is obvious that they could
stand alone, and would require no support from dark
surmises, bodiless rumours, and idle gossip. In try-
ing the commonest felon in our courts of law all
knowledge of a previous conviction is studiously kept
from the view of the jury till their verdict is found,
in order that they may give a fair and impartial ver-
dict, and not be prejudiced by importing into the
ewe any circumstances not bearing on the matter be-
fore them ; but this writer studiously lays a
foundation of prejudice before he proposes
his accusation, and tries every expedient
to damage the reputation of Mr. Hudson before he
approaches the facts of the case ! He mentions that
in May, 1827—that is eighteen years before the rail-
way mania—a relative of Mr. Hudson, named Bot-
terill, bequeathed to Mr. Hudson the sum of 30,0001. ;
and he hints that there was foul play in respect of
Mr. Botterill's will, because Mr. Botterill left the bulk
of his property to Mr. Hudson, leaving little or no-
thing to nearer relations, nephews and nieces I Is it
to be borne that the character of men, public or pri-
vate, is to be dealt with in this manner ? Is it to be
borne that in order to sell off a one- bided report of a
trial, involving the character of ore who has three

times filled the office of Lord Mayor of York, and
who still occupies a seat in the Legislature, such a
viperous calumny should be put into circulation ?
" r will bc hanged if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some eogging, cozening slave, to serve ,ome purpose,
Have not devised this slander!"
That those who were overlooked by the testator
should be dissatisfied,—that less fortunate neighbours
should envy the man who fell in for such a fortune,
is probable enough,—but there were the strangest
possible reasons why Mr. Botterill should prefer Mr.
Hudson to the rest of his relations. He saw in him
an active, steady, indefatigable, and (as his traducers
themselve admit) exemplary and useful member of
society, and no doubt he felt satisfied that Mr. Hudson
would make good use of his property. Is it even
pretended that the will was impeached ? The
will was in the York Wills'-office, in Minster.
yard; it could be teen by any beefy on p,l.“nt:it
of a shilling ; thsre is a Prerogative Court
at Yo, I; fur the trill of test amentary
causee—tiw city contained ilia), as now, several en-
terprising attorneys and proctors,—the prize Was