Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-18
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF CATO STREET CON.
 SPiRATORS.

All England was in ferment of ex- citement in 1880 on account of the dis covery of a plot to overthrow the king, to murder every member of the cabi- net, to seize the public buildings in London and to proclaim a new gov- ernment. This is known in history as the Cato street conspiracy for the reason that the conspirators met in a loft on Cato street, London, and planned the outrage The plan had been suggested three years previous, but the conspirators lacked a leader until they at length found Arthur Thistlewood.
 Thistlewood was an ex-officer in the British army. He had married two rich widows. squandered their for tunes. and in his travels in France and America conceived the idea of forcing republican form of government upon England. He set about this by incit- ing riots and by other militant meth ods until finally the bigger conspiracy presented itself. -.l...a
 The conspirators knew that the cab- inet ministers sometimes met at infor- mai dinners at each others houses. Thfstlewood arranged to be notified of the next dinner; and with a picked gang of thugs he planned to burst up- on the diners and put them all to death. They were then to seize the Bank of England, the mansion house and the tower of London. After they
 
 ned to proclaim provisional gov- ernment" for the country.
 Edwards, one of Thistlewood's lieu tenants, was chosen to find out the time of the meeting of the cabinet. and he reports that they, would gather at Lord Harrowby's house on the even- ing of Feb. 22, 1880. So this date waS set for the wholesale slaughter.
 It was arranged that all the con- spirators would meet early in the o% laf4 rrar1 yx..% two, who were to watch the mansion and report when the party were all assembled When the watchers were satisfied that all sthe cabinet were pre- sent, they set off to Cato street to give the signal Before they reached had surrounded the house. As they swooped down upon the criminals they fought like cornereda rats, and Thistlewood and several companions succeeded in escaping.
 A big reward was offered for their capture, and the ringleader was caught the following day. The way the plot was discovered was through Edwards, who was government spy and had kept the government posted on every move of the plotters. And yet as 1t eventually turned out, he was probably one of the worst of the crim- inal lot, and upon his escape, when things became too warm for him, a ! reward was offered for his capture, but this was never brought about. On the Sth of March a special com mission was issued to the lord chief justices of England for the trial of the Cato street conspirators, against whom true bills for high treason were found | on the 27th and the trials commenced with that of Thistlewood on the 17th of April Eleven prisoners were in- cluded in the indictment.
 At the trial the history and details | of the plot were minutely detailed by | Adams, an accomplice. Four more 1 statements. Hiden, who gave the 1 warning to Lord Harrowgate, the two Monuments and Dwyer. an Irish brick | layer.
 | The defense attempted by the pris- oners' counsel was necessarily of 2 the intention to assasinate ministers | but urged that the whole evidence oi | high treason rested on the statementi 1 of the accomplices.
 When called up for judgment. This 1 tlewood declared that "he was murd' I cred, according to the etiquette of tn, court" because not allowed after tn, close of his counsePs speech to cal witnesses to prove what villRiI Dwyer was, and that Adams and Hi den were swindlers. At last Thistle Il wood became so violent in his address as to require the interference of thu | court. | Ings, another of the conspirators threw the whole blame on Edward l and denounced him as the real instiga | tor. Though the usual sentence fo
 high treason with all it's disgustini
 details, was passed on all the prison l CTS, the lives of those who had pleaded guilty were spared and they wer' Transported for life. and only Thistle wood, Inss. Brunt, Davidson and Tidt | were executed. When Thistlewood ol the scaffold was asked if he repented he smiled and said: Not at all.
 shall soon know the last grand secret. England was greatly excited ove this Cato street conspiracy, and became the conviction of a vast mum
 Der that the whole kingdom was un
 dermined by such plots and that onl. the most strenuous exertions coul, protect the realm from an outbreak o
 horrors-and q season of absolut
 panic sst inr