Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-01
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF DocKYARD INcEND-
 IARY.

Very few Americans are familiar with an incident during the Revolu- tionary War that created a great
 amount of excitement in England, and which led that nation to believe that Benjamin 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 Portsmouth, Eng.
 4 fire was discovered in tho dock yards on the night of Dec. z, 1776, but as it did little damage no atten- ton was p$d to it. On Jan. 15, 1777, there was Wound evidences of an at temnt to burn the yards and much alarm was created. Several persons were under suspicion but especially painter who had been about the yards and had mysteriously disap- peared the night the fire was dis covered.
 In the meantime other fires broke out which otherwise could not be accounted for than by suposing that American agents were employed to spread fire and devastation throughout the kingdom. Finally, in February, John the rainter was ap- prehended at Portsmouth for eXau1ina- ton. Nothing c0uau pc found against him at the time, but later he formed q friendship with another painter by tine name of Baldwin, to whom he stated that he had been in France and there had talked with Hon. Silas Deane, the American ambassador, and that the latter had given him some money and encouraged him to set fire to the docllyards at Portsmouth, 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, TIT. at Winchester. 4 true bill was found against him by the Grand Jury. Many eminent men appeared aS counsel for the Crown, but the prisoner appears to have been compelled to act for himself.
 The three charges against John were. first, setting fire to Q quantity of hemp and ropes in the dockyarCs with the idea of destroying the place; second, for setting fire to q certain building in the doci1yaTds, and third, for firing His Majesty's naval stores.
 The testimoney against the prisoner that John had told him he had taken view of most of the English dock yards and Notifications, the number of guns that each ship in the navy had, and likewise the guns in the Notifications, the weight of their metal and the number of men, and that he had carried this information at two different times to Deane in Paris. for which he was we'll paid.
 The only piece of evidence, be- NO1u the prisoners own statements, by which the Crown could throw out any inference that he was tempered with by foreign power, was the French passport produced; but as at it's date England was not at war with France, such a document might have been secured as a matter of course.
 After the accused had made 8 ram bling defense, impugning BaIdwin's veracity. the judge summed up and the jury almost immediately found the prisoner guilty, and he was sen fenced to death. On the morning a desire to make a confession which he did on March and on the 10th he was taken from Winchester jail to Winchester, where he was executed at the gate of the dockyard, the gibbet being made of the mizzenmast of the Arethusa frigate. He hung for one hour and was taken down and on Blockhouse Port, at the mouth of Portsmouth HarboT, where his body remained gibbeted for sev- eral years.
 In his confession the prisoner, who gave his name as James Aiken, stated that he had visited America, landing in Virginia, later going to Philadelphia, Annboy. New York and Boston, after which he returned to England at the outbreak of the Rev olution. Upon reaching home he se- cured all the information possible re- garding the dockyards and English navy, which he carried to Paris and laid before MT. Deane, and Dr, Franklin.
 He stated that he had told these gentlemen that he had a plantation in America and that he was an utter enemy of Great Britain and that he had contrived a scheme which, if properly carried into execution, would destroy the power Of the and throw the kingdom into the greatest confusion, if not into the hands of America He further stated that MT. Deane had given him a, letter to a friend in London to supply him with money, whereupon he left to carry out his project, with the result as already noted. After the war that pr. Franklin or Silas Deane or the French court had aught to do with the crime was not in the least credited by the British nation.