The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-10-07 00:00:00

EXCITING PROCEEDINGS IN THE LIVER-
POOL COUNTY COURT.

COMMITTAL OF THE EDITOR OF THE
LIVERPOOL JOURNAL.
Our last publication contained a report of the extraor-
dinary proceedings which took place at the Liverpool
County Court on Monday, when Mr. Whitty—for pub•
lishing a placard announcing the contents of the Journal,
and setting forth, among other items, the line, " Mr.
Ramshay's opinion of the people of Liverpool"—was
fined £5, for contempt of court, and in default of payment
ordered to be imprisoned in Lancaster Gaol for seven
days; for being guilty of contempt in consequence of the
manner in which he had addressed the officers of the court,
the defendant was ordered seven days' imprisonment ;
and for seizing hold of a paper knife, and attempting to
resist the officers, he had been guilty of an assault upon
each of those individuals, for which a further fine of £5,
or seven days' imprisonment, was inflicted in each case.
On the rising of the court, Mr. Whitty obtained leave
to return home to arrange affairs previous to his depar-
ture for Lancaster. He first gave a promise that he
would surrender at the railway-station in Lime-street, in
order to proceed in charge of the bailiffs to Lancaster
Castle. Mr. Whitty was at the station at half-past nine
o'clock, and there met a large number of his friends, who
came to bid him good bye. The bailiffs arrived with the
warrant for the unfortunate tailor, Brown, who had been
Fent e n ced to seven days' imprisonment for cheering in
the court; but the document authorising the incarcera-
tion of Mr. Whitty was not forthcoming, and the train
started with Brown alone. Mr. Whitty then left the sta-
tion for his home, amidst the cheers and congratulations
of his friends.
Shortly after ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, how-
ever, that gentleman was waited upon at his
office, by an officer from the Court, and served with
the warrant. for his committal. Mr. Whitty expressed his
readiness to take his departure, but no train leaving till
half-past one o'clock, the officer retired till that hour. At
a few minutes past one, an immense crowd assembled in
front of Mr. Whitty's offices in Castle-street. Soon
afterwards Mr. Stone, the high-bailiff, with a few of his
subordinates, arrived. A short delay arose, during which
the crowd had increased enormously ; a cab was called off
the adjoining stand, and in a few moments Mr. Whitt)
was seen emerging from the door. His appearance was
the signal for the most enthusiastic cheering, which was
continued until he entered the cab, and was driven off.
Mr. Whitty was accompanied in the cab by Mr. Stone,
and one of his assistants. Punctually at 25 minutes
past 1, Mr. Whitty, accompanied by Charnley, the
bailiff, who had been one of the witnesses in the case
on the previous day, appeared at the lower end of the
stone parapet at the London and North-Western Rail-
way Station. A whisper of the words " Mr. Whitty is
here" caused a simultaneous movement of the crowd—
which comprised from 5 to 600 of our most respectable
inhabitants—towards the door at which he had entered ;
and Mr. Whitty, passing through the throng, was greeted
on every side by shaking of hands and continued and
vociferous cheering. As he neared the train, three cheers
were proposed for him, which were responded to so
unanimously that the very to9f re-echoed the terrific
sounds. Three groans for Mr. Ramshay were then pro-
posed. All eyes were directed on the prisoner, who imme-
diately raised his hands and voice to suppress such an
outburst of feeling. The officer who had remained in
the rear, now came forward, and, in reply to a
question, said that first - class tickets had
been allowed for his prisoner as well as for
himself. In the few minntes that elapsed
from the time of the arrival of Mr. Whitty and
the departure of the train it would be impossible to num-
ber the expressions of sympathy and teeling that were
uttered. "The town will thank you"—" It's for the public
good"—and other similar sentiments were expressed. To
one, "Take care of yourself," the happy rejoinder, " The
officer will see to that," followed. The rope was attached
in the tunnel, and the train proceeded amidst renewed
cheering

MEETING OF MAGISTRATES.
A meeting of the borough magistrates was held at three
o'clock. in their private room at the Sessions.bouge, on
the subject of the above proceedings. After considerable
conversation, it was resolved that the Mayor be requested
to communicate with Sir George Grey (the Home Secretary)
and the Earl of Carlisle, putting them in possession of a
digest of the facts, and asking their counsel in the affair.