The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-08 00:00:00

SPECIAL COMMISSIONS.

STAFFORD, WEDNESDAY.—The close of our last
information on this trial left Mr. ALLEN addressing
the Court on behalf of the prisoners Edge, Harris;
Millington, Cartledge, Williams, and the two Hursts.
The Learned Counsel, in concluding his address, re-
marked upon the evidence in the case of the other
prisoners, pointing out the features of doubt and dis-
crepancy that presented themselves in each. He
would remind the Jury that the charge did not carry
with it the punishment of death; but that should not
prevent them from weighing every point of the case
with the greatest caution an accuracy. They stood
there as fathers, husbands, and sons, liable at the ver-
dict to be pronounced by the Jury to be torn from
their families and friends—they stood there with all
the wealth and influence of the Crown arrayed against
them, with nothing but their poverty and the weak-
ness of the evidence to defend them. :limier these
circumstances he left the case in their hands, with the
fullest confidence that they woald give it, in all its
bearings, their calm and deliberate consideration, and
that they would, should any doubt arise in their
minds, give the unfortunate per.oas at the bar the full
benefit of that doubt.
Mr. HUDDLESTON then addressed the Jury on be-
half of R. Wright. The Learned Gentleman com-
mented at some length upon the evidence against his
client; and concluded by submitting that there were such
circumstances of doubt and suspicion connected with
the evidence of the two persons who had spoken as to
Wright, that the Jury could not possibly find a ver-
dict upon it.
The CIrIEF JUSTICE inquired whether the other
prisoners had anything to say in their defence?
Saunders declared his innocence, and said he had no
means of obtaining legal assistance.
Wagstaff, on being called upon, said there was a
gentleman in Court who, he had no doubt, would
give him a character.
Sampson Whitehouse had some witnesses as to his
character.
Thomas Cotton declared that he was stopped by the
mob, and when he got to Dr. Vale's the windows
were all broken. Ile had got amongst these fellows,
and they rushed him into where the liquors were, and
forced him to drink. He was a hard-working man,
and had been forced off from his work by the mob.

Samuel Eaton said he was forced from his work at
Lane-end. That he ran and concealed himself in an

ash tree. He was afterwards sent by a clerk of Mr.
Shepper's to go and assist in putting out the fire.
William Bradbury, Josiah Gilbert, Thomas Banks,
John Owen, and John Powell declined saying any-
thing.
On behalf of Winston, Mr. Price called
Mr. Owen, who knew the prisoner for 15 or 16
years, but had not heard much of him for the last
three or four years, as he had gone to reside in an •
other part of the district. He had never heard any-
thin; against him before.
Charles Hackney—Knew him several years. He
was always a sober steady man, and a member of the
Methodist connection.

Mr. Pool gave similar testimony.
Mr. Nathan, of Point, innkeeper ; Samuel Swann,
police constable ; and some others, gave Toft a good
character.

Phillips and Smith also received good characters.
Thomas Hartshorn, Esq., Magistrate of the county,
gave Shaw a good character.
Jackson, Dimmock, Edge, Joseph Saunders, Cart-
leclze, Millington, Williams, Powell, James Hurst,
Richard Wright, Whitehouse, and Bradbury, also
called witnesses to character.

The. examination of these witnesses on the part of
the several prisoners lasted from three in the after-
noon till half-past six o'clock.

The CHIEF JUSTICE inquired of the Solicitor-General
whether he would then proceed with his reply,
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he was in the hands
of the Court.

Th 3 CHIEF JUSTICE said it was not his intention
to sum up the evidence that evening. He did not
train': it right, in a case which involved the interests
of so many prisoners, to go over such a lengthened
examination at a time when the attention of the Jury
mist be completely exhausted.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL would leave it to the
Jury to decide whether he should address them then
or in the morning.
The Jury were unanimous in favour of an adjourn-
ment.

The CHIEF JUSTICE did not think the interests of
the Learned Solicitor-General would suffer by a
postponement to the following morning.
The Court then adjourned till half-past eight the
following morning, and the Jury were again com-
mitted to the charge of the constables for the night.
In the course of the day the Grand Jury came into
Court with a large number of bills which had been
found by them ; among others, true bills against
William Ellis (whose case was referred to by the
Learned Chief Justice, in his address, as having been
committed upon a charge of high treason), for sedi-
tion, and against Arthur O'Neil, another Chartist
orator, fir sedition. A bill has been also found, for
the same offence, against Cooper, of Leicester.
it is understood that the three Judges will preside
in different courts to-morrow, and that one of the first
cases taken will he the burning and demolition at
Lord Glanville's, in which a large number of persons
ara implicated, and which is said to present features
of a much more serious character than that of Dr.

Vale's case.
THURSIY iY.—The.Tudg•es took their seats this morn-
ing at half-past eight o'clock.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL proceeded to address the
Jury in reply, at great length, and went through the
whole of the cases of the prisoners consecutively, I-e-
-n-Larkin.. upon the evidence as it affected each. He
concluded by remarking that he had no doubt, what-
ever the verdict might be that should be given, it
would be a verdict of justice.
The CHIEF JUSTICE then summed up to the
Jury. The prisoners were. indicted for riotously as-
sembling and beginning to destroy, and for de-
molishing and destroying, the dwelling-house of Dr.
Vale. It was not necessary, in order to establish the
guilt of the prisoners, that the act should have been
fulfilled; but if they were proceedinc, in the work of
destruction, and were interrupted in their wicked de-
sign, that would be sufficient to establish the guilt of
the prisoners. The evidence was clear that as early
ns twelve o'clock they were in the town, near Dr.
Yule's, and, after committing some acts of violence
there, proceeded to his house. The first question
they would have to decide was, who were the parties
who combined and acted in concert for the purpose of
committing these acts of destruction. They (the
Jury) could have no doubt that but for the inter-
ference that had taken place, the house would have
been utterly destroyed and demolished, and he did not
think the Act made any distinction as to the mode in
which that destruction was effected—whether by fire
or by pulling down was equally within the meaning
of the Act. They would say whether all or any
of the prisoners were engaged in that demolition
and destruction. Had the mob contented themselves
with destroying the furniture and burning it in front
of the house, it would be difficult to say that the
offence had been made out ; but if with that original
intent, they had, when on the spot, changed their
minds and proceeded to destroy the house, then
all who were present aiding and countenancing that
act were guilty of the offence laid in the indictment.
It was for them to say how far the parties who were
engaged in feeding the flames outside the house were
to be taken as participators in the guilt of those
who were destroying the house and setting fire to the
furniture within it. He would make one observation
with re,ard to the evidence that had been called as
to the character of the prisoners. Their guilt or inno•
cence was to be, in all cases, established by facts ; but
in some cases there was so much of doubt and un-
certainty in the evidence that the scale could not be
said to incline either way. In such a case, where a
man had borne a good character for integrity and
honesty through life, that would be of some weight
with the Jury; but where the evidence of guilt was
clear and incontestible, the evidence of previous good
character could be of little avail in their eyes or that
of the law. He would now proceed to consider the
cases of the several prisoners separately, and would
ask the opinion of the Jury upon each case separately,
which would very much lighten their labour. The
Learned Judge then proceeded to read over the evi-
dence of the several witnesses, commencing with that
of Mrs. Vale. After referring to the evidence of
Mrs. Vale, the gardener, and servant, he observed
that was the evidence generally as to the conduct of
the mob, and the object they had in view, and they
would form a judgment whether the mob were
riotously assembled, and whether the object was to
demolish and destroy Dr. Vale's house. The first pri-
soner to whose case he would direct their attention
was John Harris. The Learned Judge then read over
the evidence of the several witnesses who had spoke,
tc; the part taken in the proceedings of that day by
Harris, and after referring to the evidence given as to
his previous character, asked the Jury to turn round
in the box, and consult among themselves whether,
.supposing llarris was the onlr prisoner to be
tried, they would be able to say if he was guilty of
the charge or not. [The Jury havire, consulted for
a few minutes, turned round again, having privately
pronounced their decision upon the case of Harris.]
The next case he should take was Richard Wright.
The evidence having been gone through which af-
feeted Wright, the Learned Judge said it would be
for them to weigh what the value of character was,
taking into consideration the evidence that had been
given as to the part he had taken in the proceedings.
One of the witnesses had indeed pointed him out as
having been the very origin of the fire. [The Jury
deliberated for a few minutes, and again resumed
their seats.] The next case was George Colclough.
-After the evidence with regard to the prisoner had
been gone through, the Jury in a similar manner
consulted for a few minutes.] The Learned Judge
'then took the cases of John Williams, Jervase Phil-
lips, James Saunders, Joseph Whiston, Hamlet

Jackson, and James Millington, in the same manner,
and was proceeding with the other prisoners when the
train left.