The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-18 00:00:00

Ioi,wPATA-i r

'amity of breach of faitlrld these persona, that a Bill
of Indemnity bad beet panted on all former occasions.,
Vas 110111, were Magni, to the ntegbitt for stiguiryg
ft could lead to no satisfactory mesh. *oat thw
Petitioners the Committee. Would receive genetal de,
olkof their RoJit., sad assertions of tba •beadshipa
they bad suffered. As to the bardeltips,:they had
mined, if these Wee any thing tebigX wag;
werranied tower& persons in their eiteatiosteehe
Indemnity Act would not prevent thedifiell tlnt
their remedy. This .class of complaint Anti imeal
Made theAsehject of misrepvesentatios
House, and misrepresentation whitest. Illuttreils,
tions had bete presented ondtat subjectlaii,Seesise
some not signed by Maureen, whose Pathless they
purported to VC; others complaining that the Peti.
tioners had been immured ie dungeons, when it had
been intidslialtedshat they were in rooms which MIND.
here of the Heise would not think it a hardship tell
dwell Jo. Preeisuly to every Bill of Indeessity22
merit threamerceerse bed been pursued. In 1804.
*a many Petitions had been presented, coheir:log es
tied& asautiows as in the present year. He coiled so.:
art; however, that never ware soy misrepresents.,
*torso flagrant as lo the Petition of
'he Petitioner, Ward, wall first apprehended, POO
Wu warrant from Lord Sidmoeth, bet by a warn*
from the Megistratn, on suspcion of being cancers.
elk the Luddite meragesin 1816. Derbigthe time
he had been in Custody ender a charge of Many, it
was not matter ofeereplaiet that be was dealt whit as
other felons. He had an affidavit from the Jailer of
Nottingham, Philip &hey, who stated ibaten
itt which Ward was mafiosi!, was one of tee best
the prison ; it bad a bed in it, a stone floor arderch-
ed roof ; the walls were dry, and the smell of which
the Pedtinoer complained arose from the &mi.
gation of the prison. Ward never made a cos.
plaint to the Deponent, and apparently was not
injured in his health; that no irons bad been pet
on him. He was shortly after removed to Osford.—
To show Ike temper in which the Petitions ware pre-
sented, be should mention that what he was at
Osford, Ward wrote to the Secretary of•Stato to
desire some chews to be made in his treatment,
which were all granted; and be had written to Lord
Sidmoutb to express bit gratitude. On the Ist of
August, this person, in a letter which be wont* his
wife, complained that he suffered much from being'
deprived of the benefit of Divine Worship. Lord
Sidetootb wrote to the Jailer to know the rsuon of
this, who said that be should bare allowed the State
Prisoners to attend Divine Worship, if they had
desired it, at the chapel of the jail, in his own
pew. They were then accordingly allowed to at.
tend Public. Worship at the regular times.—
Ward bad complained that he had been impro-
perly treated on his way to town. The two officers'
denied any ill-treatment, and the man to whom he
was fettered had *sprinted great gratitude to them
100 their treatment. Ward complained of solitary
confinemest, and that the room was unsuitable In
which he was confined. The incenvenieece of the'
room was, that it smoked daring certain winds.—
The jailer offered to make any alteration in the chim-
ney which should be mutated, and an alteration
was node, end no complaint was afterwards made.
Ile sea showed also, on Ms request, to live with
another prisoner. He left prison appaseelly hi as
good health es-he mitered It, though Ids constitution,
especially as to his lenge, was defective. It was
painful to say aoything against individual character,
but the prisoner bad pot himself forward as a man
of excellent repute.—(herd -Cmitierriegh here read
some passiges of Ward's Petition.)—ln opposition
to the praise of himself, he could not bring for.
ward the information which had lately been lodged;
against him- cot oath, but he should bring the ;
testimony of two individuals, who bad since suf."
fired for their crimes, John Mitchell and noises
Savlige. These men, previously Is their eaecutiou.
bid Made a ion confession of the guilty scenes in
v/hich'they had been engaged, part of which he should
lead to the House. These men suffered for the etre.
chins felonies committed at Loughborough, in 1816,
by the persons who took the title of Luddites. Lord
C. then read the deposition of Joho Mitchell,
*hick he stated, that Francis Ward urged him to go
to Lotighbortmgh to destroy the m3chities—that the'
Loughborough men were to pay loot. if the business
was done to • their mind. He received between 31.]
and 41. from Werd, for his put in that besineli;l,
that Ward paid 101. for the destruction of some'
frames in Nottingham; the money wag not pad,
bilweeer, by Ward himself. Ward plotted the Ou-
trage at Castle Donnington: Ward was Treasarer of
one of the Luddite Committees. Some persons told
him that Ward had given them 4f. to shoot a man—.
bat they did mot know him, and wished to enquire
who he was. The deponent (Mitchell) petweaded
them not to do it. On one occasion when' men had
been convicted at Leicester Ward had made great'
efforts to persuade Mitchell and others to do oil
(kill) the Judge. Thomas Savage also, the other
person who bad suffered, aid that the plan of one
of the operations of the Luddites was laid by Ward,
and that Luddites; was connected with polities.—'
Lord C. conflated, that though it might seem incre.
dible, it was perfectly well authenticated, that among
these persons a regular price bad been filed for us
ussination. He bad said enough to preterit the
louse from being run awry by any statements, which
inlet be made se it by individuals, whose crimes bid
theettrned thwetate. He conclued by oppesitig
mitten. • •
Mt. J. SMITH slid, when Ward's case was-folly
k*oWu, no• individual coeld believe a' word con.
tideedin hit( Petition. He then adverted to certain
falithivedeennteitied in the Petition, and proceeded
to state, that he had received information, which In
visitl fdlly depend on, that Francis Ward was one
ofithoett•whe plotted and perfected the borriblb
...trig/ that took place at Loughborough. One
circeentence he wished to state, which the Noble
Lord opposite had omitted, mutely, that previous
td Mitchtdiss-triel, he lad disclosed to the Solicitor
by whom be was defended, the pert he had taken is
vedette .disterbeetes—whiek communication, after
his erecenion, the &Mellor matte koewn to the
proper setharity..—( Hear) hear !)—Thilv disclosure
agreed, In sebstance, with what the Noble Lord bed
sated.—(hear!)—Tittt Gitetlegan then pldd
a high compliment to Lord Slates* for his ho-
Invnitivel suggested, that thanes his Lordship
would hot antbutize !wittily. to' be hated toward!

•- ~• r.

say priblishir, seem dl 'these who acted endier 111111_i
iN nundailib. aka Ktiepiesuef Prisons, ertaht
tkp theme good • feeling*. Now, sof
Illtotingo of imProPir 0nT1164, .f*
:have takes place ender AS bliPagikOn. ;PI
U. ought to enquiee -tit. it. HO opsll not. •
I tberelofe, opposethe niodois, iiihredivg. •s if tra;
the cases of orreteCrpetsone whose childiclers **in
'net states! :to be similar to that at Meardt•-. Wdle
respect to; that gnat ,crintinel, he newt,. that km
bad not bleu rarglyibt to judice--sad, he hoped o'l.
dense 5011011111 wnild yet be found to Oriel him to
condign. tilsiiishtneet.
Me. GOLDING, in mend* lteillited Allegation
coatained in the Perking of John 111414 iw.wbitdt
he complaised of boring been staltreated chile
Reading jail, by Mr. Elwell', the jailer, read a letm
ter from that individual, in which be se forth, that
the kindest attention was paid to Knight, and 'Kis
compadioes, Nathaniel Hutton and Jam* Sellers,
'while they were ender his .care. Sellers mod Halton
had written a letter to the Maelstrates of the county,
in which they thanked Mr. roma& for his kind coo-
duct, which letter the Hon. Member also read.
Sir W. LEMON said; that, although be beliersd
neither the Noble Lord at the bead of the Home
Department, nor any of his Majesty's Ministers,
would use the powers granted to them, for s bad
perpnae—yet it was a* so dear that others world
act with the same propriety. And, as Petitions,
complaining of grievance' were laid before the
Reese—although one of !bens was. not berm out,
aced perhap. none of thein' would be—he conceited
thn Members of that House were directly required to
Baseline. Wick .

Mr. GORDON spoke in defame of the keeper of
Gloucester jail, Mr. Ceasinglsam, who bad been
accused, by John Segoley, he his Petition, with
baring caused him. to be placed in a cistern of cold,
water, in consequence of which he contracted a fever
The fact appeared to be, that be bad been placed,
not in a cold, but in a wares-bath, to refresh him,
after the fatigue of a long journey. He wasiimpri.
coned in Gloucester jail, on the itth of April, and
was not taken ill till the 20th of May, so that
the warm-bath could not be supposed to be the
cause of his indispositiou. &gutsy bad a sitting- ,
room and a sleeping-room. He was allowed a geiiiea '
par week for provisions. Aod Mr. Cunningham,
who anxiously wished for enquiry, permitted, out
merely the visiting Magistrates, bet any Megistratß
of the county Pr. have free access to him. Stiff,
however he conceived enquiry ought to be granted,.'
Sir W. GUISE corroborated the statement Of tbil
last speaker, as to the care and atteatioo- bestowed.
on &gutsy.
Sir F. BURDETT regretted that he could not
come to the di icessioe of this question with a mind
quite so sabot...if and unprejudiced as thew Gentle.
men bad professed who had delivered their teatime's
before him. He could not but call to mind, that when
he first drew the attention of the Heise to the coo.
duct of the Governor of the Cold Bath-fields Prison,
when be was charged with crimes of the blacket dle
(of which be, Sir .Francis Burdett, possessed the
fullest evidence, but was never permitted to bring it
forward)—he repeated, he could never forget, that
at that time, jest as on the present occasion, Cana-
lisation rose up in various parts of the House, some
declaring on their own knowledge,.. ethers ea state"
melds made by Aria himself, that btwas a. man of
the most kindly and benevolent disposition ; that
he bad never been guilty of any cruelty or oppression
whatever, sod that the prison was conducted on a
system of uniform mildness. The.-Hon. Member ,
for Yorkshire, in particular, had stated that nothing
could equal the attention paid by Aris to the prison.
ens; that be wit, a pattern of humanity, told indeed
too good for his station : but the House would pro-
bably recollect that story, which at the limit was
told seemed to seats very little Degauss, in the
House—a story which was paralleled only by the
history of the prisoner in the Beadle, and his com-
panion the spider: tat prisoner, in the cosine of a
long and solitary confinement, by way of same. els.
jest to divert his weary hoar', had attached to him,
a large spider, which, by degrees, became so intimate.
as to visit. Mm et regular Murals, and receive its
food ; it served es a compa,liont and gave an interest.
iog occupation to the wretched prisoner. So (orlon
and hopeless was this wretched man's condition, that
when the spider perished, he declared he had lost
the only tie that rendered existence supportable.
The story he bed told of Ark was much of the same
descriptiou: he had confined a prisoner for fifteen
months in a solitary cell. In the course of a bard
winter, a robin had flown into the window; it soots
became a favourite with the prisoner, and his only
solace. After a long interval, Aris, who very sel-
dom visited the cell, entered one morning, and seeing
the bird, crushed it iii his hand, notwithstanding the
Moat earnest entreaties on the part of the prisoner
that its life tonight be spared. The agony the poor
man suffered was that of one who had lost his dearest
and most valuable friend; so bitter had bare the
infliction of solitary -confinement. Aria neverthelesst
represented himself as the most humane of mankind
—a man whose foible was benevolence. .and ahem,
fault always to relax the' discipline of the prison..
!leanly mentioned ,this to say that the House ought
sot to be surprised if he was not quite so ready to
believe whet Gentlemen or what Jailers themselves
stated in proof of their own good qualities. Ile
had no doubt that .the Gentlemen who made these
statements meant well, and themselves believed all
Ike? bad advanced; bet be could not avoid beim.
himself a little more sceptical on the subject. With
respect to the Hoe. Member for Nottingham, he
begged pardon, bat he ("old not avoid sayieg, that.
all Ms speech relating to tfie business of. Word ,
was .nothing to the peeps', The question whether
be was a bed man or net was.nothitis to the Wyse •
e
the reel qesistios was, whether he bed been jostly.
duniud with High '['rearms, whether be had,.
ateamittsti. ard,PhotOr. 116,. had bas 004
'treated under that commiteseet; tut wa:4lo F
end not 0013":11.6
164YfeCOt. ithsod4. W OW, 1r
.41patismen. who
.said they lerilmed these P'
sin d ;et celled fee a 4 fletefeY44l44 sack
444 I)°.inotPoto,(l4 "'ANA goelllep
ifitiligrigotitpublic, es z
eetr
for gtieviisceevied yet refuse to
cise was breoght forward? The Noble
polite had left very...lktW.6u bits today..

_ •

, •V 07 • ---.oirrn 1T1T.7-4 INTIII :431,11T
OSA ,UPt 11111 ReftfirfigiPt QUAMPlMittiiitof-EM- li!
agents of the Noble Mager; aad though :kw, cant-
- - - -

Ig&WA that it wasidAussibiaisauglidisaacia
ntol ist?;ftlert„ Myterichk tpril lust to
rgi*i 70' ,P lid` 411Wir AMP. _
into lolit thltuiliwas, • _which note ;PyClattli
•
lever be ,wmallip;itlf krwtf lite:p9elycinao *VA'
to thp appip candoor of tinft.,,LlAtet,
and he would ask' could any person be biusell
•

lirtlefillitellitednif a jailer lb' ors .. -
It bad. bees amid, and it might be treor,that a
great needier of jailers had not even been ac-
cused of harshness; if. so, the expression cr.f.
;Ger Foots, that " the steeled jailer was ieldriiii
the friend of man," silohld be now applied to
the steeped Minister; and W. any misoondact had
bees committed by any under the Noble Lord's an-
thoritm, be should
.tiny that the Nohle Lord was
•
lie*, even though he was not prity.to such saiscria-
dict. ft was a maiiiii of the tommois lite; Wet
edit feet per ethos fad! per se, tend the 'Noble'
m.d wee aosweiabie for the act, au ail who wart
placed aadevAlts. The Noble *oral.' cltaractesiethe
!tilde's: and beaevolence had bete used air Am ar.l
gemeot for obtaining eatraordinaiy power, and the
same character was new thrust forward as a grout
for atilliog all enquiry : so that thir individial chi.
rester WU to supersede the principles of the Ciw-
stitotioe, and sat at o Might the ordinary coarse
of jostle*, when the power granted to Wm badbeets
so slmeaddlly, disgracefully, cruelly, and illegally,
applied.. Some of the jailers bad themseleds Jutted,
~
that they were sorry they riete ordered to precept
more harshly Ilan was necessary, and that they '1
.thotegket there mild be so use of irons to snare tho.ll.
whet mere isamored la .11 solitary cell. A Giallo+
I man bad said, that many of the statements made
were false; they might be so, but there were
many of them which called loudly for enquiry.—
He should be glad to be informed why Ogdees case was not is
'be investigated-a as 74 year. old, es fad suffer. d musk,
severely, and like wavy ethers. tranef eras
from owe jail kr'
another. mg exposed as a spectacle to their coustryoreu. it '
oaseseerted, e.nd was sot cootrudieted. that two eta had bees 4
*liaised tugeber. eves in bed, mad were besides, leaded with
heavy item, wacre there mold exist no pretesice of ssfe cus-
tody -why was ant this to betnquire.] iota? Sam o.gs from
raid :tad Monser made bet little are ups* paper , het they
were great eateries to eadure, and whethey they had !.een jealy
fee aajtutiyeseered, it became the Home to ascertain. Wus k '
any mower to the racial class, for a Menthe, to produce ie
his place, a letter from a jailer, who stated :hut the waiter is
oh
ch the bad bees plumed we warm, and .au It 1
iw eas eery I r
and comfortable. when the prisoner himself
defied i water was cold. nod .but the consequence of It ti
wos a fever. Innis which he with ditlicalty recevered 1 'nit
fact showed that enquiry was necessary; and though in one or
two cases it had ***admitted that lie keepers of the prime
had belayed with buemanity and Modest, yet there were seer
ethers where complaists were least of a treatment diet*
the ream. Nis doubt. however. the House womb decide
ageism tbe motion, and many Members would bottlihst the siate-
meets lo the Pelages were all fake. Wirs ?-became the Kohn,
Larii bed se esseestel. Ale Sable Lord had real ceeddeme
(far too great and sea well founded. for the interests of the Nee-
pie) hi the dieceepanot Of Partiaaseat, at least wife, us respect-
eil is. .ewe anapests apd weenies. Hg. (Lord Castleresdh)
was sere Hon. Weathers would think with bias that all Wrests-
; gatim was seedless; and is He even conlideace Cleat all be rigid
would be implicitly credited, be lead gate ou to state, that mi-
nisters rte Med Ito Bing lodesouity, sad required no protection.
The House Meld ant fail to recollect la what slaw ribs Noble
Lord lied ialltedat the time the Habeas Corpus Sosperisiou was
Irst hesewat Seward s he had spokes of the heavy respeasibi-
My awguites be throe e upset Ministers, as.. be tad the, had ap-
peared show Si lament that so riesoes a burden was about o 0
t ieeztitymo dom. Of course he (Set F. Burdett) never be-
t word d it t be knew it was a mere pretence, and he
had plaphied wend asotioto to lighter the weights dm that
it shield be followed by it, Bill of bedewed, ; and next to ob-
'Mkt sOrelarstlea by the House, that it was out Its intentioa salet
sager ea Bill torture stiould be inflicted by loading
the with Wavy Irmo, tie cusanhig thee 111 seistery
disavow What was the metier given on me other sldet The
charaelet of the Noble Secretary ut State fur the Home Depart-
ment. Is was istparible to suppose these** 11nd-hearted can
asLord Stamm* weed consent to such practices, and the leo.
lion was an unnecessary imputation upon hit character. Matey
Gaallairee thought that it was impossible that Such things could
have 4 ea doped but had do", Rut been done? or if the as-,
beaked of the seiterers were disputed, why was en enquiry to
be meet TM Majority of the Hume undoubtedly ewers:used
high notions of Miamters ; they could be guilty of no misers&
due as bog al they were bliwiesen; and because they weed
Meister), untied sot hese (Gilley of any misconduct in this
Whence ; the bare swathe of 'misconduct ott their part, was
,emsega to &gait them, in the House. bat sot out of it ; formed"
notions did tent extend beyond the walls of the place %nee they
werissupetese. The queer* wet, tithe bathe the law I- Mat-.
rth„„,,,,,,aalwared, she Noble Lord had hes friends; bat esti
satires would sot satisfy the Country, sad the jailer of Oleo.
coact himselfwitched serestigatiun: the eleaden. if swill
they were. were anxious fur trial. even at the risk of their
,direr. iliaisten alone resisted it, sisakitaialog that the timed'
dif now wool by waded, sesliesidearames.degraded. Me (Sir '
F. Burdett) should be &Aden know what a flame of 4. woman,
was to do, if not to enquire. The Nook Lord bat said, that
it could not take evideucs upon oath, and so forth; anal wee
for completely destroying it. iugaisitorial Method*, formerly
esteemed of such value mad imturiaoie• Tits Noble Lord sees
a perfect Protests in argument ; he could .• confute, change
*Wei, and still confute." When he wished to shield his owe
arts and those of his colleague. rheer and be. stolsSisi a CZ
mittee ; but a Committee of his own selection, or which he
blieelf a !teethe' I where Waivers sat to be heir own judged,,
and who were aided by those swim would ask fur nothing ail
Oat the Noble Lord was pleased to show them. But, midi
the Noble Lord, it is a geotsaimake to suppose that Ministers
want an indemnity ; what they wish Is, to cover their Meths.
Oliver, hi- fellow spies,-net accomplice eaforseen ; in sheik
the Bill of hideosity was admitted on the other side to be
fur the pretectiou ut those secret sad iefainous sources if
Ogee steamiest, whose parpose was to destroy -the
pities and reputation of every booest sea. Was is
that at this dee of day arab as avowal should be raldle-.
;that in England it ;head be professed that ineetest men should
be solitarily emitted, trielly teetered, and unjustly greased.
and should never hareem pseporspoity of discovering se whole:,
they were Indebted for all Blest delineations and sufferings I -
;The ilfegallity elate' Mere itafortseale aura out of prisoh
with the ridicujossnesesmery of their owe recognisance, was as
' eat as the Ukgeity al their Ent commitment. He (Sir F.
40 did am rent Ore (pest)s spas the Merits or dedierkie.
tenie
bard; t had bees already answered. at least as far as
`was ' or a fair dseifi-si upon _a swim which diesel'
Impel Ms, foe meter"; and he could ma help espies. that
when Gieleinen eahtidered the Melee serittikly (more especial.
IY those who bad WWI far the dosfeetioa), wises they saw
what hod been doe* under it. world feel themselves *mad in
husasui, and for their own mike, to vole for an esquirs. Tlwy
ought to recollect, that this eery subject of aritithen latiltwoo-
meet on susplci(ss of troikas, had occasimeed some of theliventod
dietetic struggies this conatryitai ever known; they eight to
erialkei-theibe wordsjil the great Charter were. luau **fedi- '
num asittietyi firmness fautiliam ; yet now the answer was,
rergetoir, 'afar, *dm was delayed sad &wird to.
Mote who, sa the c e of Whir own innocence, had
clamoured id a 'Coat" Jounce for trial by the Uwe of
their oustry.—Thollajared men were refused a trial. apt
I,firom the seeder mereimAst Movers:ace. bet because they knew
that the evqtrittal of the henocest would leder 4:sweetie...at
' the guilts. Magna Meta had begrime obsolete of laltheo--
, It alight not' be mess if Geodes= woad refresh their itimie:
Fries. anteaters' their minds a little. lay eecostiag to the olooleri
!some laws of Henry N. and Edward 111.. by all of which it,
eras provided. that seem greed -be imprisiaell *Whom kraals'
dslrbesigbe OVAL ThaaAh Pat quite so old. the Petitionsof
Bights seemed equally to have esceped refollection : it consists of
Meese - k ei:taa shalt, • ireeemil without toenail
_ _ ...

u the qp-
roer.pans--iii* bas dealt loyeeed without
i gemmed
kapti De. eordtt woot,lingooelubittnat2irkeipiridiestemeab
d -.1116 :aiiptly. thetthe so; Pe gegersed by. shalalktw ;
etetembstlis, feett,h precision he did not retabither, but they had al bees
%at% ing"itikti hwlty
61°16'4'111,1p, g4i4L'lfieciaillreailara'''"itio.l.l"t4l4.od";
P tit
it it Were wbe karingre; r ew.ter wield it Mist k
I gat pfdripi be skew ths 'Uhl thee Homen. ries Tool
Mae the
this film te e npoa
whentveg: "PiairtescMdu tto :if the Mott: IlPitla
le Lord Oft. the kiNd, the Cesemitits uniol be retorted to, bet is anal bees
r Imam he uptkrty to sprit' ta the cummeas ?PP forme tiptoes Its obta