The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-12-19 00:00:00

THE LIIERPOOL STANDARD.

CROWN COURT.—YESTERDAY.
(Before Baron .Alderson )
THE QUEEN V. CONSTANTINE AND OTHERS

ASHTON CONSPIRATORS

conspiracy under the act of last session. Pre-
viously to the case proceeding, Mr. Pollock applied to the
Court for the postponement of the trial as regards some
of the prisoners, on the ground that having been origi-
nally included with others in an indictment for murder,
and since the indictment had been changed to the charge

large 0

of felony, they had not had time to prOvide themselves
with the depositions and fully to instruct counsel. The
Attorney-General objected to this postponement, and his
Lordship stated he could not agree to such a course with-
out the consent of the Crown. Mr. Pollock next applied

for a copy of the indictment and depositions, and the At-
General consented as a matter of favour to give a

torney-

copy of the indictment

Joseph Constantine, Thos. Ke

Jonathan Walker, James Stott, John Napoleon Sefton,
and Thomas Tassiker, were then arraigned, and the in-
dictment, setting forth assembling in arms, drilling, com-
passing to depose the Queen, and other counts, having
rco t ietisa-, I been read, the prisoners all pleaded not guilty. Sefton
,ent of was ordered to stand down.
inlay. I The ATTORNEY- GENERAL in a very perspicuous speech

stated the case aga

John Latimori, of AshCon-under-Lyne, examined by
'Was a member of the National Guard,
whose organization he described, and swore to the pri-
soners amongst others being members. They used to
meet in the Chartist-rooms in Bentinel,

Ir. Weisby

,t, where

they were drilled, sometimes by a man named Milligan,
and sometimes by Constantine and Stott. Had seen all
the other prisoners being drilled except Kenworthy. The
witness proceeded to detail the proceedings of the Guards
at their meetings, &c., the evidence being nearly similar
to that given by him in the Ashton murder case, reported
and fully proved the arming, the making of
lg all

elsewher

the prisoners with one or of

her of these practices. On
/ewers', and se-

the Sunday before the 14th July was
veral of the prisoners were present.

Iheir objeCt was to

o " manage" the cannon in
Mr. Hindley's park. They were to get horses arid draw
the cannon, four in number, to the Mosley-road and plant
two each way. His section was to stand a little higher up
and when the soldiers came up to retreat and let the can-
non give them a volley. The other sections were during
this to form barricades with bales of cotton from Pick-
ford's warehouse. The Districtßank wa3 to be barricaded
~,k_ as a place for them to retreat to and fire through the win-

dows. The magistrates were all to be taken into custody
and the police caught. If they resisted they were to be
run through. The entrances to the town were to be bar-
ricaded after they had beat the military. They were told
at the meeting by Milligan that all other towns would be
up on the next day. The day was fixed upon by a man
from London, one from Halifax, and Milligan. Met next
day at Bowers's, on the forenoon of the 14th, Constantine
and Stott, Ratcliffe, Winterbottorn, and Bowers were
there. Milligan came to them at 5 o'clock, and told them
n to be ready t-

' character from his minister, His Lordship having inti-
mated that that was a question for consideration in a
higher quarter, addressed the prisoners in a very impres-
sive manner, congratulating them that they were not
placed in the same position as the other unhappy men,
upon whom he had just passed sentence. He urged them
in earnest and feeling terms to discard such associations
as those with. which they had been connected and which
might have led them to stain their hands with blood.
What would the charter—what would universal suffrage
do for men in their sphere ? What they would most be-
nefit by was universal work, universal virtue, and uni-
versal temperance and sobriety. Any good which they
could expect must come from themselves. They must
improve their minds and become virtuous men and good
citizens. There was no man in this oountry who could
not obtain property and advance his position ; but the
sure way to effect this was by the paths of industry, virtue
and sobriety. Again he would impress upon them the
fact that all the advantages within their reach must come
from themselves. He observed that Wm. Winterbottom
had been proved to have been in company with two of
the murderers, although it was fortunate for himself that
he did not appear to have participated in, or been privy
to their crime. He should be imprisoned one yeas, and
give bail himself in £lOO and two bondsmen in £2O each,
to keep the peace for am year; Edward Harrop, having
been employed in drilling, 6 months imprisonment. and

ins own recognizance for a year; Edivrd Tetlow, who
had drilled, 6 months and ditto; Jepson, who had not
drilled, 4 months and ditto ; Bolton, who had drilled, 4
months, haying been in prison •, Thomas Huntland, not
drilled, 4 months; and Healy and Jas. Harrop, 3 months

kNCIIESTER CONSPIRACY.
William Grocott, Edward Clark, Cropper, John
Mxon, Thomas Rankin, Michael Mc Donough, Daniel
Donovan, James Leech, George White, and William
Chadwick. several of whom had been out on bail, now
snrrendered to take their trials, and were indicted for a
misdemeanour, in conspiring to incite to sedition, violent
and inflammatory speeches, and calling upon the people to
arm fcr the overthrow of the government. Upon the de-
mand of the prisoner West, the indictment was read over,
and they pleaded not guilty. On Chadwick's name being
called, he demurred to plead at all, but subsequently
pleaded not guilty, as did the remainder.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that he had entered a
nolle prosequi as against John Downey.
The prisoner West stated to the court that he was not
prepared to defend himself, on the ground that he had not
had a copy of the depositions, and did net know what evi-
dence was to be brought against him.
The prisoner White made the same complaint, and

entered into a legal argument on the subject.
His LORDSHIP replied that he had no power to order a
copy o the misdemeanour. The prisoners would be in the
same position as others, and would have a fair trial.

The prisoners, George White, John West, James Leech,
Clark, and M'Donough, applied to have leave to sit at the
table, which was conceded. The Attorney-General and
Mr. Pollock prosecuted. Mr. T. Atkinson appeared for
Grocott and Rankin, and Mr. James for Macdonald.

The ATTOIMEY-GENERAL opened the case,—which he
said, was of a very serious character, and which he de-
scribed as one of combination to carry out certain objects
by violence; and shewed that one portion of their scheme
was the hiring of cellars in various portions of the town,
which were to be filled with gunpowder, and connected
by trains, the firing of which simultaneously was to have
produced universal confusion, so as to paralyme the local
authorities and the government. The learned counsel went
on to trace the formation and progress of the• confede-
racy, and read to the Court and jury extracts from several
speeches made at their various meetings, which were of a
most violent character. At fine of them an Irish' speaker
said that he would advise them to have "the first cut at
the queen;" but the prisoner Chadwick maintained that
they ought first to attack Kennedy, and such like cotton
lords.