The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-21
General Miscellany.
LOCKED UP IN NEWGATE

4 I'rsoIaW Erpcricnce.*
This Is the true story ofmy experience
H. q prisoner nj NeWgate. and Of all that
placed me under lock and kew there. II
Is story only three days old a. | write
Ihis-it viii have occurred bur three OF
four weeks when it finds its way into
print With the exception of a very
natural desire to keep my identity as faI
IN the background a. possible by chang
ing few names for the present. every
line herein is true to the letter; devoid.
l hope, of all eXaggerati0n and setting
down naught in malice. The editor Of
this Magazine has my correct name and
address, the date of my examination and
committal, and the name of the case still
dragging its slow length along through
the courts Of justice and the newspapers.
To begin, then. / am a steady man.
foreman OF works in my brothers fac
( Tory, where forty fifty hands are kept
/ an busy seasons of the year Iworll from
1 SIX IL The morning till seven or eight AT
night six days in the week. and / earn
a fair amount Of wages. To be handy
10 my business, and to look after my
brothers interest IL landlord Of some
/ property in the same street, | live in one
/ OF my brothers houses adjacent to the
factory which entered AT One-and-twen-
4 ty, wherein | am still AT work. middle
aged man. With a wife and Il large ia
mily 10 support, | took in a ledger for
my first dOOr, man and his wife, whose
name l viii write down as Wiltshire.
Ii was these dodgers. and these dodgers
friends and acquaintance, that sud len
~ changed the aspect Of my surround
ings, and gave me an idea OF criminal
life which never expected to obtain,
and which | could have readily dispens-
ed with.
/ was working in one Of the upper
floors of my brothers factory, ten days
since, when "A message arrived from my
wife that I was wanted at home for a
few minutes. / pat on my coat and
went neAt door, o. hud NY VIE CRY Ing,
my children amazed and crying too, nay
front parl0r in an extraordinary state of
disorder. and no less than four gentle
men hanging about the passage and this
front room.
Before I had recovered from my own
amazement at this novel appearance Of
my house, I was informed that my wife's
visitors were members Of the detective
police, who had been engaged for the
last three-quarters Of an hour in search
ing the house from its cOck-loft 10 its
basement floors, IN opening drawers,
turning out cupb0ards, and ripping up
beds.
The principal spokesman of these un-
invited guests opened proceedings by
asking me if were the landlord Of the
house, and then If 1 knew that Mrs.
Wiltshire's brothers were in prison UNI
der remand, and ca a charge Of being
connected with great robbery in the
city.
was landlord of thc house, and i was
aware of the arrest, for it had been a
great trouble 10 my dodgers, the Wilt
shires ] had known these brothers
whom I viii cali Messenger sight,
before their arrest, a. dodgers in a house
in the same street; gcntlcmanly-lOokin
men, who had once or twice in their
lives nodded al me, and said good day
when passing me on the stairs, in going
to their sisters room, but had never in
their lives stopped to exchange further
conversation.
said that I had heard the Messen-
gers were in prison on charge OF being
participators in the robbery.
"Do you know anything of this, Mr.
Blackwell ?' was the next inquiry put
TO me.
And | was shown large quantity of
umbrellas, some pieces OF chintZ, and
other articles, which | had never seen
before. ! knew nothing Of these goods,
and said so.
They were found in cupboard with
out a lock-an old lumber cupboard,
which had not looked into since Christ
mason the basement-fOor ofthe house.
and were part of the goods for which
long search had been made by the pol
ice. 1t had been discovered that my
lodger's wife, Mrs. Wiltshire, was sis
ter of the men under suspicion, and a
careful search of the house in which she
lodged had resulted in the discovery of
these goods.
"This is your fioor?" said the detec-
tive
"Yesu
And the Messengers would haye no
right here?n
Not any"
Have you ever seen them down
here ~
"Never. If / had, | should have
wanted to know their business"
"Then I'm sorry to say that, as you
are the owner of this house, and these
goods are found in a cupboard on your
premises, YOU must consider yourself in
CUSTODY
/ had scarcely expected this to follow
indeed, / was thinking how close the
links of evidence were fastening on the
Messengers, but | took a great gulp OF
air into my throat, and looked at my
wife, who had already broken down with
grief and establishment. Ihaveno doubt
that | turned pale enough, for / am not
a strong man, but | felt more surprised
than disheartened, being conscious of
my own innocence, and sure that few
hours must set me free again. There
was an odd piece Of evidence against
me, which it was difficult to disprove,
and there was no establishing ones cha
raeter on the instant in the eyes of men
inclined to believe the worst. Let me
say here that there was no undue seve-
rity used, and that / knew afterwards
there was a certain amount of doubt as
to my guilt in the mind of one, and that
the principal of the detective officers.
There was certain amount of kind
ness shown also, for which | am CRATE
iul, now that i am cool enough to lOol,
back upon this history.
Is there any occasion totake me awa,,
/ out OF the house like this, and make on
/ exposure OF this disgrace to all my NEIGH
bors ?' ] asked.
The detective took time to consider
No, there is not, - he said at last. "a
cab shall fetch away three of US and all
the things, and will wait for you and
me in the main roaG.n
As the above paper contains grave charges
against those who are responsible for our pre-
sent system OF treating accused persons before
ti1al, the writer thinks il proper to assure the
reader that all the facts arc 40 statad IN The