Arizona republican., 1914-07-01
Trial of Dockyard Incendiary

Very few Americans are familiar with an incident during the revolu- tionary war that created a great amount of excitement in England which caused that nation to believe that Ben jamin Franklin and Silas Deane, our minister to the French court, had been in league with an incendiary to set fire to the famous dockyards at Ports mouth. England.
 A fire was discovered in the dock yards on the night of December ', 1776, but as it did little damage no attention was paid to it. On January 15, TIT. there was found evidences of an at tempt to burn the yards and much alarm was created. Several persons were under suspicion, but especially a painter who had been about the yards and had mysteriously disappeared the night the fire was discovered.
 In the meantime other fires broke out which otherwise could not be ac- counted for than by supposing that American agents were employed to spread fire and devastation throughout the kingdom. Finally, in February, John the painter was apprehended at Oldham and was brought to Ports mouth for examination. Nothing could be found against him at the time, but later he formed a friendship with an- other painter by the name of Baldwin, to whom he stated that he hal been in France and there had talked with Hon. Slas Deane, the American ambassador, and that the latter had given him some money and encouraged him to set fire to the dOckyards at Ports mouth. Plymouth, Woolwich. etc, as the best means of distressing Great Britain.
 Thereupon John the painter was committed and his trial came up on March 6, 1877, at Winchester. true bill was found against him by the peared as counsel for the crown, but the prisoner appears to have been com pelled to act for himself.
 The three charges against John | were first, setting fire to a quantity of hemp and ropes in the dockyards with the idea of destroying the place; | second. for setting fire to a certain | building in the dockyards, and third | for firing his majesty's naval stores. The testimony against the prisoner was overwhelming. Baldwin testified | that John had told him he had taken g | view of most of the English dockyards and Qualifications, the number of guns l that each ship in the navy had, ant | likewise the guns in the Qualifications | the weight of their metal and the num- | Der of men, and that he had carried l this information at two different time: | to Deane in Paris, for which he wa: well paid.
 | The only piece of evidence, beyond the prisoners own statements, by which the crown could throw out any | inference that he was tempered witl by foreign power. was the French passport produced: but as at it's dat, | England was not at war with France such a document might have been se- l cured as a matter of course. | After the accused had made a ram
 bling defense. impugning Baldwin's ve ] jury almost immediately found tn,
 prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced | to death. On the morning after hi! l condemnation he expressed a desire tt
 make a confession, which he did ol
 March : and on the 10th he was taker l from Winchester jail to Portsmouth
 where he was executed at the gate O
 the backyard, the gibbet being made O the mizzenmast of the Arethusa frigate He hung for one hour and was takeI down and suspended on Blockhous'
 Port, at the mouth of Portsmouth
 harbor, where his body remained gib
 beted for several years.
 In his confession the prisoner. wh'
 gave his name as James Anken, stated
 that he had visited America, landing il
 Virginia, later going to Philadelphia
 Amboy. New York and Boston. afte
 which he returned to England at tn outbreak of the revolution. Upol reaching home he secured all the in formation possible regarding the cock yards and English navy, which he car
 
 ried to Paris and laid before MT. Dean and Dr. Franklin.
 He stated that he had told thes gentlemen that he had a plantation il America and that he was an utter en
 emy of Great Britain and that he hal
 contrived a scheme which, if properl
 carried into execution. would effectu
 ally destroy the power of the ministr
 and throw the kingdom into the great
 est confusion, if not into the hands o America He further stated that MI
 Deane had given him letter to friend in London to supply him wit
 money whereupon he left to carry ou
 his project, with the result as alread
 noted. After the war that pr. Frank lin or Silas Deane or the French cour had aught to do with the crime wa not in the least credited by the Britis nation.
 ! Tomorrow-Trial of Titus Oates.