The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-18 00:00:00

KING'S BENCH PRISON.

A very extraordinary scene took place in this
prison on Monday, arising out of the mock
election, of which we gave some account in yes-
terday's journal. That statement was generally
correct, with the exception of one or two facts.
The person who appeared in the character of
Clown. (not Pantaloon), met with a simple frac-
ture of the leg, from a fall, while dancing on the
racket-ground, and did not break his thigh by
falling from the hustings. A liberal subscription
was immediately set on foot for him, and the
proceedings instantly put a stop to for that day
(Friday.) On Saturday the " election" was re,
sumed, and carried on throughout the day with
perfect good humour, the candidates, the com-
mittee, and other official persons, occasionally
parading round the building, with music, ban-
ners, &c., sometimes for the purpose of bringing
up voters to the poll, and at other times to give
eclat to the visits of the candidates to the respec-
tive apartments of those who were somewhat
backward in giving their suffrages. No violence,
no disorder of any kind took place ; merriment
—and that strictly within the bounds of decorum
—prevailed, and those' who were not personally
engaged in the affair, were highly amused spec-
tators of the same. The proceedings closed at
seven o'clock, with a speech fl om each of the
candidates, and the announcement from the
" High Sheriff," that the election would filially
close on Monday, when the successful candidate
would be chaired in due form. In the interim,
the " Committee" were actively engaged in ar-
ranging the plea of procession, procuring addi-
tional flags, decorations for the chairs, and other
paraphernalia; and on Monday morning they
assembled for the purpose of " swearing in" an
additional number of" constables" topreserve the
peace ; and they also issued an exhortation to
their fellow collegians to conduct themselves in
an orderly and peaceable manner. A pro-
gramme of the intended chairing was placed
upon the walls, and an abundance of good-
humoured squibs were circulated in the course
of the morning ; and, in fact, the whole affair
was an admirable burlesque upon a contested
election for M. P.'s, and with this pleasant ex-
ception—that none of the acrimony prevailed
which sometimes exists at contests of a more
exalted and important kind. Just, however, as
the " committee" were about to commence ope-
rations by escorting the " High; Sheriff" to the
hustings to open the poll, some surprise was
created by a message from Mr. Jones, the Mar-
shal, requiring the presence before him, in his
room in the outer lobby, of the candidates,
Messrs. Stanton, Meredyth, and Burch, who
immediately attended; and having been inform-
ed by the Marshal " that he would have no dis-
turbance in the prison," they were ordered into
close confinement in the strong-room. The in-
telligence of this step, which was considered a
most extraordinary one by the prisoners, created
a strong feeling throughout the place, and a
meeting of some of the .g collegians ' was forth-
with held on the racket-ground, for the purpose
of considering the best mode of protesting against
such an act on the part of the Marshal.. Before
any measures could be adopted, however, the
Marshal, who had obtained the names of the
persons acting as " High Sheriff, Committee-
men, &c.," sent a message to the former, and se-
veral of the latter, requiring their attendance be-
fore him. 'After some conversation amongst
themselves, this answer was returned :—" That
the gentlemen who had previously gone up, had
readily attended, because they expected no more
from the Marshal than a caution to be orderly and
peaceable in their proceedings; but, after the very
extraordinary manner in which they had been
treated, they (the committee, &c.) must decline
seeing Mr. Jones, unless he chose to come
within the walls, or pledge himself that no unfair
advantage should be taken of their attendance
upon him in his own room." In a few moments
the turnkey brought a peremptory order for the
attendance of the individuals before the Marshal,
and the answer was that they would not go ; they
had created no riot, had committed no offence,
and they would not run the risk of being treated
as their three fellow-prisoners had been. At this
time there were not more than 60 or 70 persons
upon the racket-ground, and certainly not the
least indication of not, unless the refusal to go
before the Marshal, expressed in respectful lan-
guage, and in a determination evinced by those
assembled to support each other, could be so
called. A rumour soon found its way into the
prison, that the Marshal had applied for the aid
of a large body of the police, which had been
refused, and that he bad determined to call in
the military to his assistance. This latter part
of the report was considered perfectly absurd,
and was laughed at, no one supposing for a mo-
ment that the Marshal would venture upon such
a step. About four 'o'clock, however, a cry of
" They are come, they are come !" drew atten-
tion towards the gate ; and, to the utter astonish-
ment of every one, a party of soldiers, six in
number, of the Grenadier Guards, with fixed
bayonets, headed by a Sergeant with his halbert,
marched into the prison, accompanied by some
of the turnkeys, It is impossible to describe
the Sensation created by their appeara )ce.—
Amow.,rst the male inmates, one universal feel-
ing of indignation seemed to prevail—with
those of the other sex, including the wives and
children of the prisoners, great alarm was
manifested ; and women and children were
seen running in all directions, screaming and
crying, appearing to apprehend some dreadful
result. It was known that more soldiers were in
waiting outside, and no one could tell where the
matter would end. The turnkeys pointed out
two of the individuals who had been required to
attend the Marshall (Messrs. Murphy, " High
Sheriff," and Holt), and they were seized by
the soldiers and conducted before Mr. Jones,
after the manner of deserters or other offenders
against martial law. A Lieutenant Newman
was the next person seized ; and, having shown
a disposition to offer resistance, the sergeant
presented the point of his halbert towards him,
and he then went quietly along. Mr. Rooke, a
gentleman well known as holding an official situ-
ation in a county not far from London, was the
fourth person whose presence in the Marshal's-
room was required, and, he having retired to his
own apartment, with a determination not to re-
move from it except by force, was fetched down
by the soldiers, and conducted in the same man-
ner as the other persons before Mr. Jones.—
When the four individuals were in the presence
of the latter, he took a written paper from his
table, and called upon a turnkey named Walker,
and a man who acts as a watchman, named Wil-
liams to sign it. This was done, amid an order
instantly given by Mr. Jones to conduct the gen-
tlemen to' the strong room. Mr. Rooke said.
" Am I not allowed to make an observation, Mr.
Jones ?" To which the Marshal replied: ,6 Go

along into the strong room, Sir, or .you will he
taken there by force ;" and at the same moment
the door was opened, and the.soldiers again
ap-
peared. The four gentlemen were then locked
up with the other three in a room twelve feet
square, and remained there all night This room
is in a miserably filthy condition, and has a privy
in one corner near the fire-place. ' Mr.
Rooke was loud in his complaints of this
treatment, and insisted upon being allowed
to send for a gentleman of the legal profession,
but this was not permitted. He then asserted
his right to lay a complaint upon affidavit before
the Lord Chief Justice instanter, and demanded
that a messenger should be sent to procure the
attendance of his Lordship's clerk, in order to
take his affidavit ; but this was not done. At an
early hour yesterday morning, Lieutenant Mere-
dyth,4 who is an eccentric individual, and sub-
ject to occasional nervous attacks, was seized
with strong convulsions, and continued in a
dreadful state for several hours, occasionally dis-
charging a quantity of bloOd from the stomach,
and exhibiting other very alarming symptoms.
A surgeon attended. him, and pronounced liiin
to be in some danger, but he was kept in the
strong-room until the afternoon, when he was
suffered to be taken to his own room within the
arison, where he now lies in a precarious state.
Mr. ROoke was informed in the morning, that
if lie would make an apology, he would be libe-
rated ; but his answer was, that having coin-
!pitted no offence, he, of course, could have
nothing to apologize for, and he would remain
there for the rest of his days rather than do so.
About one o'clock he was conducted before the •
Marshal, who again asked him if lie would make
an apology, and again received a decided nega-
tive ; and, after a few moments' conversation, he
told Mr. Rooke he might go inside the wally
for this once." The remaining five were still
in the strong-room at the time this statement
was written. Mr. Rooks describes the heat.
end stench of the.stron,g-room as truly horrible.
He told Mr. Jones before he left him, that the
matter would not rest thus : he had been treated
as a vile criminal without the shadow of a
cause, and he would have redress from the
laws of his country, if it could be obtained:
The soldiers, fourteen in number, remained in.
the prison the whole night, and the turnkeys,
and Mr. Gibbons, the chief tip-staff; and hip
men, were also on duty ; but not the slightest
manifestation of disturbance took place. The
public coffee and porter-rooms were cleared by
ten o'clock, by a constable and the sergeant of
the guard, the former ordering those who hap-
pened to be there to go to their own apartments.
The latter 'part of this mandate, however, was
not obeyed by those who were inclined to walk
the parade. When the soldiers first seized
Messrs. Holt and Murphy, there seemed a strong
inclination on the part of some of the prisoners
fo molest them, but Mr.- Holt urged them
strongly to be quiet, and they acted upon his
suggestion. The " election" had gone on for
three days last week without interruption, and
during those days the turnkeys themselves enter ed
and polled one by one, and seemed highly to enjoy
the fun. We understand' that instructions have.
already been given to a legal gentleman to pro-
ceed against the Marshal on behalf of the seven '
individuals who were put into the strong room.
It was stated in the prison that the Marshal failed
in an application for the assistance of the civil '
power outside, and that a man named Colwell,
who is what is called chum-master of the prison,
made an affidavit that the prisoners were in a,
state of dangerous riot, and had set the authority
of the Marshal at defiance ; and upon this affi-
davit being taken by the Marshal himself to the
Secretary of State for the Home DePartment,
a sergeant's guard was ordered from the regi-
ment on duty at the Palace, to go to the prison.
A petition to the Secretary of State is now in
the general course of signature throughout the
prison, praying for an inquiry on the spot into
the transactions above described.

• This gentleman is Joshua Paul Meredyth, Esq., the
proprietor of large estates in Ireland, whose successful ap
plication to the Vice-Chancellor to have his affairs taken
out of the hands of an attorney named Wilton, was detailed
in our Law Report about a fortnight ago.

THE SILK WEAVERS.

A turn-out of the weavers in the employ of
Messrs. P. and S. Walker, of this town, has re-
cently taken place, under circumstances so peculiar
as to call for some public notice. The following,
we believe, is a pretty correct statement of the fact;
of the case :—A few weeks ago, an advance was
made in the prices of weaving certain descriptions
of silk goods, in which advance the whole of the
manufacturers concurred. About a week before it
took place, one of Messrs. Walker's weavers had
taken out a warp, which, of coarse, be had engaged
to weave at the price given before the advance ; hut,
on the Monday after the advance, he brought back
the warp to the warehouse, and insisted on having
a promise of the advanced price, before he would
begin to work upon the warp. The putter-out,
however, refused to make any such promises, and
told him that if he did not work up the warp, legal
means would be taken to compel him. The man
then went away, but returned in the afternoon with
two men, representing themselves to be deputies
from the Silk Weavers' Union, who peremptorily
demanded that the advanced price should he given
to the man. Messrs. Walker, of course, refused to
pay any attention to these demands ; but, before
they could get rid of the deputies, they were obliged
to procure the assistance of a police-officer. In con-
sequence of this refusal t ) acknowledge the right of
these deputies to interfere is the matter, Alessrs.W.
appear to have incurred the anger of the managers
of the weavers' union, and they were not long in
feeling the effects of it. A demand was made upon
them for a higher price than they were then paying
for a certain description of Persian silk, the price of
weaving which was determined by the width; and
the demand was made under the pretence that it
was the width, not of the cloth, but of the reed im
which it was woven, by which the price
was
ascertained. Messrs. Walker at first demurred to
this demand ; but, as their weavers were all bring-
ing in their geers, they consented to give.l the ad-
e. Concession on their
but in this supposition
part led only to
thatto tbhyesodolls hostility, with
g,tothbeywe
aol cl
ed
daetmoanndeeed, supposing
n n
which they were assailed;
they were greatly mista-
t,n
fresh demands on the part of the
union ; and a deputation waited upon them, on Tues-
daynn
last, for the purpose of informing them, that,
they would not be allowed to carry on their business
toilers they paid fifty pounds to the union, as a pu-
nishment for their contumacy, and a recompense to
the union for the trouble in calling meetings on their
account. We scarcely need add, that Messrs. Wal-
ker indignantly rejected this most impudent pro-
posal ; they therefore remain under the ban of the
union, and their business is nearly at a stand.—
Their own weavers are, almost to a man, desirous
of working for them, but dare .not encounter the
hostility which they would provoke by eo doing
The consequences of such proceedings as these to
the workmen themselves, cannot fail to be most
disastrous; and, if we mistake not, the effects of
this instance of their misconduct, will produce effects
which they will not aeon forget.--4.lfaxelicsicr