The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-04 00:00:00

FUNERAL of SAMUEL HOLBERRY,

THE CHARTIST PRISONER.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin—The sad news of Samuel Holberry's death in
York Castle will have reached you through the local
Rapers.
ilolberry is the last victim of the refined tortures of
our prison discipline ; and the second who has died in
priori out of six Chartists who were taken in 1839 from
Sheffield.' When taken away he was in the prime of
iife, of athletic stature, and full of health. One shOrt
year of close confinement on the tread-mill, under the
silent system of Northallerton prison, sufficed to take
away his strength ; and the second has completed
his death.

His friends repeatedly called the attention of the Se-
cretary of State to his case ; and in March last Mr.
Duncombe brought it before the House of Commons,
but nothing was done beyond removing him from
Northallerton to York Castle, which in the end only
proved worse. The reply from the Home-office, through
some official subaltern, was, "The Secretary of State saw
no reason to interfere."

After an inquest had been held over his body, his
remains were removed by his friends to Attercliffe, a
small village one mile from Sheffield, where his discon-
solate wife resides. The news of his untimely death
caused a deep feeling in Sheffield.
His funeral took place on Monday afternoon, at the
Sheffield Cemetery. The authorities of the town seem
to have been alarmed at the public feeling in his favour.
The military were brought out, and paraded through
some of the principal streets with their swords drawn,
in the morning, as if it were intended to intimidate, by
this unnecessary display of physical force, the Chartist
bodies. Everything, however, went off in quietness.
At noon, hundreds began to wend their way to the
places where the Chartist Associations were to assemble.
The members of the Political Institute met in front of
the Corn Exchange, and the O'Connor section in Para-
dise-square.. The funeral left Attercliffe about half-past
two. A brass baud preceded the hearse containing poor
Holberry's remains; playing the "Dead March in Saul;"
then ftillowed two mourning coaches, containing the de•
ceased's friends ; and after them the councils of the
Chartists and their members in-procession; accompanied
by a large number of spectators.
It reached Sheffield aboult three o'clock, when thou-
sands poured out of every street and avenue to join the
procession and throng. The crowd was so dense that all
the shops had to be closed in the streets through which
the_ procession passed, and by the time it reached Sheffield
Moor from twenty to thirty thousand persons were so-
lemnly accompanying the remains of Holberry to his last
resting place. _ _ _

After the service for the dead had been read by the
chaplain, addresses were delivered over the grave by
Mr. Thomason, from the Vale of Leven, and other
Chartists. The vast multitude afterwards gradually re-
tired.

Next to the indifference of the Home-office in this
case may be placed the local Magistrates. The worthy
vicar of Sheffield had heard of Holberry's sufferings,
and kindly exerted himself on his behalf. Through his
influence the Magistrates had consented to sign a paper
for his release, but foolishly delayed signing it until
after some Chartist meetings about to be held were over,
thus holding the dying prisoner in York Castle account-
able fur the conduct of parties over whom he had no
control. B. M.

[Another correspondent informs us that collections
are being made for the distressed widow, Mrs. Holberry,
whose unfortunate situation has greatly attracted the
sympathy of those in Sheffield and its vicinity.]

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY MORNING, JULY 4, 1842.

an arrangement had been entered into between all the parties
as would enable the insolvent to be discharged.
He was then ordered to be sworn and discharged forthwith.