The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-01-18 00:00:00

" The Cause fw ueltich HJIMPOWN lett be Me fI.M,

L.4IV INTV.I.IGRNCE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, J•ti. li.
WARD P. CLIME4I".
This 1,114 an action brought agiiiist the proprietor
of the .Vbserrer Newspaper. Tue libel complained
of spoesied in N..tember, 1817, in the Nlnntlay ins-
pressiu., of that raper, and was as fol:oses:—
" Ihni:v.ittue 1 sturtitrertors.—We shall pro-
ceed to give our readers a mute authentic as well es
more minute account of the tile and progress of the
insurrection. connecterl as it *as with almost all the
menufactutin4 towns in the kingdom, thin has hi-
therto born published ; from whence thejrublic will
be enabled to floras a correct estimate of the real
character of the longer by which the country wet
threatened, and the absolute necessity which •.s is-
posed upon the Uinister of the Hume Dtpartsuille
to determine rpm the appointment of the Commis-
sion at Derby. The sources of oar milhorily though
egwork(' over a considerable part of the disturbed
counties, are highly respectable, anti we CAM pledge
ourselves for time correctness of every fact that we
shall state " _ _ .

" The 17th of May, Bailin acrompanied Oliver Culd.hetb.freldt Prison. ironed and cite, _
to Notting..am, and introduced him to the secret Mr. ticaslett complimented Isnot Sideeteth open his
Committee assembled there, among whom were humanity, and stated that his Lordship had Intl.
Hey nes, Holmes, Grosvenor, Henson, and Frank mated to the Plaintiff, that he should hair fiery ed.
Ward." Tentage a person in his situation required.) Es oioCold-
Ag sin, "Itis a singes, fact, and int', here be bath-Gelds Poison he was removed to the County Jail
stated, that at the marline of the Luddites who I of Geoid, where he remained till the 13th of Nov.
were tiled et the Fprieg A est., thew unhappy men' 1817, its confinement almost solitary; and from
confessed that a plan had been formed for inserter-1 thence, without being informed of the close of so
lion end rebellion, and that roil Ned (meaning Ned ' Surprising a change, Oat removed to the booms of his
Led) was to command. Some of t . =no &iv...delft/nil,' ill his native town. But he rrreinsd with a
of these had been pouted out to storm the barracks, broken spirit, to a mother reduced to extreme wi-
sed to perform other dangerous duties. Flank. wry, to • wife broken hearted. Hit conscience a as,
Ward, Grosvenor, Heiman, and Hoene', were all hosteler, void of offence, end he looked forward to
appointed to command, and had proceeded to their ierreased indsatry for the meets of diminishing the
several stetioos." calamities inks which he had been pledged. The
The damages were laid at 5030:. I Jury would be surprised to hear, that what had beers
Mr. CHITTY opened the pleadings, I ' kept a secret from the Plaintiff was published to all
1 Mr. Sr samerr stated the case. Ile should, he; England by the Editor of a Newspaper, which as-
said, show a claim to • verdict upon the great pejo-lassoed in its tone to derive its authority loom •
Odes of the Ceeatittioti, and only touch inciden.l source of unquestionable truth. Aed litre, the
taliy upon other poinuts, which so naturally suggested . Learned Counsel said, he would state, that he be-
theuiseives in a case where so much personal injury honed Irani his soil, there was latish in the In.
was sustaiiied. The Plaintiff was now • poor, a I structions belied received, declaring that his Client
ruined man. He had commenced life in the town of . was w h illy innocent of the crimes with which be was
Nottingkein, in me hemble way—ss a journeyman the charged. Ile was not • member of any Potiti.
manufacturer of lace ; and by his integrity and in. I cal society, nor did he take a part in the pulitics of
iivotry became much respected. le a few years het the day. Ile lived retired with his family; mad all
).
od that the fruits of those habits for which he lio knew of politics was derived from the daily
Was reimarkelde enabled him to emptily ethers.— I mantes of iatelligmece with which the Public were
He became a master, sisal added to the favourable i supplied indieeritninately. He novel taw. Oliver,
inserted.. of Ms character, by creditably soppersin. Ise .id be know, incept fees rummer, that each a
an sped mother, a wife, sod children, to Magee se. I person elided. He aspect's'', on retersting iJ Net.
del) he devoted himself. Temperate, and retired, I tingham, that his former good character would re-
slid frugal, he permitted the security he enjoyed In move any bad impression that might have been made
the bosom of his family to be ilistethed by no tooliti- by the disgrace of imPrisouroonts mod that • future
Cal discord. Ili. ensile), for the ernsperite of those investigstien would prove that he bad been prose.
whose 'iterations resembled his, induced him to be. I cutest. What then must have been his feelings, upon
come a member of a society for assessing the price of folding the raper new; in Court containing an attack
work ; mud such was the idea entertained of his intr. j upon him, wlikti had been citcolated while he was in
, glity sod worth, that the members elected him their litisont rakui.iird to Poison 120 ()dud 01 erory 0110
I minister. • situ scion which he filled to the soisfec• in whose ear the name of (faro was 'wielded, and
lion of all. At that unfortunate period of distress
',novo the jeurneyinen, on shirt, dissensiees itioutilreiosteler vidii,ith,estioecthiainatitiptic-teiice of so.b.iitkity pa
its circumstences impossible.
arose, !tie ho runty of the Plaintiff Was wooly di,., What would the Jury think upon hearing it proved
enverahlt ; for it was soon foetid that he hail not I that a i despicable number of Papets were i-sued from
kept pace with the more opulent manufacturers in I the Observer Odice each with a blank side, without
reducing th• wars of 0.1. workmen. Ile had been l any St ivy, on Mosiday the lush of Nosernber,
;r•or himself, end he pitied the poor ; he had known I pefetshig to give an securate history of the 'battle's-
what ise..t was, and he chose rather to check the sneer, and of all list se scenes which imi to slit mm•
pregre., of his own accumulation than to diminish pension of the 118I•PaS (;upon Act ; 31 if the 06.
Cu c.ii..thi is of those by who.* Ishaur he had sttaiu. server hail been ins.'e the organ of Government ?
IA his superiority. The einisequenre of this deny. Was not this calculitiel to alf,ct the tribune' of
roes feeling was the rall)ing round him of itemisers justice, sod to ds.tort the public opinion ? Under
of workmen, and the je.los•v of tit .e who bed *hit reboil. bad Mr. ( lenient presumed to publish
acted c; • mote interrsted system. Na one this raionnierattti to insismate that he had so authutity
dosb'e 1 his integrity, and he centime-d to pursue rot to be shaken for its insertion ? The Leareed
an orsdeviatitig cools,. content with the edesionees Counsel would say, for be looked without prejudice,
resulting from industry, and hippy its the commen• that lie considered the Observer a respectable Paper ;
dation of his na n heart. At leegili those dissension.' but that character tendered it the more formidable,
with %hick several pars of the country were agitated where character Ira, attacked. It was worthy of oh.
broke out into a formidable shape, end here the pro. ',ovation, that tl.is Paper, which was i uhlistied on
piety stamped upon the Plaintilra general conduct the Mends', did not contain in its Sunday edition a
was stet bark ward in eahibiling itself, Ile emoted tittle of the article which was the subject of the pre.
himself to the limiest to check the progress of those sent action ; and that the Paper Ise held in his hand
unhappy ebullitions. Government thought it neer... was gratuitously circulated through all parts of the
airy to Wean', for oorrages were committed which country without a stamp, under the pretence of being
moire,' the iiiterposition of a stronger authority i a sperimen of the type. Mr. Scar:eft read puts of
than that of individuals. Several of those who were the litA, and asked why Mr. Clement had not come
presumed to Lime been implicated were apprehended ; forward wish his boasted poufs that he was justified?
and as it was supposed that some might have been The twirle was well composed; it was well done,
imprneetly su.;•ectioi, a subscription was set no four sod traced down a detailed series of circuiestences
to obtain for the accused the advantages of an able upon a regular systemji entered into • visdiettiss of
defence—a thing the more necessary, as under such Government, and was in fact • Government meld-
circumstarices a difficulty might arise its proctor. fest... 'l. be Plaintiff was described as gradually ad-
leg an unbiased Jury. The subscsipsinoe were I eiticing in sedition, until became armed before them,
made in the most ripen manner, and none of i treated with encomend, and actually about to wife's,
those who subscribed labeored under the slight• is signal act lif tresson, by storming the barracks.—
pc, insporatien of distoyaby for the part they hail . Here then lie stood, ilesersiog to be banged, drawn
taken. 'l're Plaintiff was applied to to recelve those land quartered, and to be visited with those other to'.
subscriptions. Ile refused, but on brier, pressed,' Wiens which the law indicted open with's. He
consented te peiforw the oflise. and ;tried in this was convicted by the Observer, of being connected
such vpicity in the ostisfaction of all. It was worthy : with Oliver ; of being rine of the desperate Ned
if semark, that of all who hail boob acrunsil but one: Letts; of making war against the King and his Go.
was cnovictet!—• 14104 times the Plaintiff was iliSiie I earthmen% and of taking his station mope the most
fi. it in his r;-minus that his own comfort was deserving (le( ideal enemies of his country. All this was stile.
of nurrpreh•ns. . Ile, hoarser, tocsin, an object bused to a matt who was wholly unconcerned with
of wily( ion ; at.d upon the stethensien of the Hemel i political matters, and who was deprived of all means
Corous Art wis cosi•i Nord a pPr..on of such for. of remedy, 'wept that of daiitig his accuser to I ring
iiiiii,.ble rise ar'er by t! I. Magis'rates, that they I forward his anther'. y. a defiance nom which Mr.
thouz,..t it slur to their own chatarter for activity, ti, , Clement alsrenk. If this rivrisrinn wire viewed oh-
. a•tui -0 5:•• paw•r whir!' sr 4 4 joo gison, moil issue I stesctinhfroie all political cott-itlerations, at-at world
‘UCh Iti'" ‘i.".s 1";'""ng him, as a (lige, of poll I he the opinion of its metes, etooill merely with re.
mire red intemp-tate perhaes by their suspicions, die. fermiers to that Constitutimi by w Lich England hod
ts.o.i. On the itch of Juste, 1817, white with his ! 'monied such • Isis.' dreier of 1 '• ie.l glory us ass
fivs.iiV, see Or lis .s.liP constables voted-1 his Itroop•, 1 eliVied by all Eurrca. at 41 valued by ii'l who valued
aud without a sill:11A proceeded to stalth it Item i order and liberty ! T!,,, persotol libel,: ef au Eog.