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Northern Star (1837-1852), 10th September 1842, Edition 1 of 4, Page 7, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      TALES "WRITTEN EXPRESSLY F « R THE "NORTHERN STAR . " BY CHABTU'S . NICHOLAS POSTGATE , THE OLD CATHOLIC

      PRIEST . " Sharp biting statues , That long have lain in dusty archives hid , He doth unmuzzle . ' * I was born in the church of England , and bred in all its B « lf-intereated prejudices against the Church of Rom *; but having lately read several sound expositions of Catholic doctrines , 1 have conceived a respect for the priests of that persuasion , both as men said as Christians , and am as prepertionably disgusted at the

      misrepresentations that have been imposed upon me by protestant preachers . In the wish , therefore , to atone according to my poor ability , for the wrong that I have unwittingly done to the Catholic Church by prejudices ¦ which , however , must have more injured myself , I hive ¦ written the following tale , founded » n historical and traditional facts , which occurred in the neighbourhood of my native place . I would dedicate it to any true Chartist Catholic minister , and beg him to lay it upon the altar of bis forgiveness , as a simple , but sincere offering of contrition .

      The English are said to be a people who think for themselves ! Were this really the case , would they be so easily and so often deluded by misrepresentation aid factious calumny ? In truth they are as credulous as they are generouB , —they delight in being duped by the marvellous , and in aggravating their own false impressions , especially if extraordinary false . Ring the alarm bell —cry out "The Church is in danger , " and instead of coolly considering the case , as becomes a nation of philosophers , they immediately exaggerate their groundless fears till a contagious panic is produced ; and , as nothing is more cruel than cowardice , woe to the innocent objects of their dread ! Whether it be a state of security that causes this sensitiveness to alarm , us siler . ee makes sound be better heard ; or , wheiher it arises from a love of indulging prejudices against supposed enemies , we will not determine ; but certain it is , this trait in our national character is a very disgraceful one , and never was it more shamefully exemplified than on occasion of the bugbear misnamed the Popish plot . '

      At the period of the Reformation whicn might be more properly termed the Deformation of religion in England , the popular mind or wind , veered against the Catholic doctrines , and many believers in them suff = red for their fidelity . The tide turned under the auspices of Queen Mary , and the cruelty of the Protestants was too readily retaliated by the exasperated Catholics . It was not a divine , but a diabolical spirit that prompted these outrages which , as long as human nature remains sensible to p&in , must be abhorred by human beings . The Protestant faith again ascended with Elizabeth * who was more sanguinary than her sister had been ,

      ^ . n Ad tf * mm A fclft * t * t ^ »* % 1 frw ** # ^ l * A ^ - » n ^ t 1 * -in V * A s \ » x Aft J «^ AAb ** # s-kY «* Z w * because the enmity of the parties had progressively increased . Not only were the Catholic priests persecuted , but their very religion was rendered penal . The terrible public spectacles in these reigns of rigour agitated the memories of men unto the third and fourth generation , and some weak-minded persons are still susceptible of the fear that shook their forefather's minds ; but a better acquaintance with the Catholic doctrines and with their believers would dispel thoae nnjust prejudices , and unite Catholics and Protestants in mutual charity .

      Conscious of the popular prejudice against Catholics , many politicians have taken advantage of it to increase their power . None did this more effectually than the Earl of Shaftesbury in the reign of Charles the Second . Shaftesbnry hated the Pake of York , on account of his religion , and still more on account of his influence over his royal brother . In the hope of lpssening that influence ( which counteracted his own ) and of excluding the Duke from the succession to the throne , Shaitesbury encouraged an infamous fellow , named Titus Oates , to publish a narrative of his discovery of an intended Popish plot against the King , the Government , and the Protestant religion ; aided by several singular coincidences , this forgery was remarkably successful—it greatly Inflamed the people against the Catholics , many of whom were brought to a mock trial and put to

      death- But this pretended plot recoiled upon the heads of the Inventors who ultimately met the retributive fate which they so richly deserved . Sinse then , there has been no . Popish plot In England , nor will there ever be ¦ another ; for though some of our present politicians would fain revive the once popnlar prejudices of Protestants against Papists , as they are called , the peopls will no longer listen to them—they will no longer suffer themselves to fce made the tools either of political or of religions faction , the most hateful of all ; the people are now disposed to view the Catholics candidly and charitably . They now turn npon those who would urge them against their unoffending brethren , and resent the imposition practiced on themselves by atoning the injury which it has led them to inflict npon the victims of ( heir misguided zeaL

      Among the many good men who fell a sacrifice to the Protestant plot ( for snch in reality it was ) Nicholas Postgate was not the least deserving a crown of martyrdom . He was above eighty years old , and lived in a little cell in the midst of a wide moor . I have visited that cell , for it still stands where it stood . It ia one of the poorest huts of the poor—a hovel like that which King Lear housed is from the storm—a mere caitleshe& in appearance—its little chimney alone denoting it to be a human habitation . There are two or three old ashen tree 3 ( probably planted by the old priest ) that be :: d their blasted forms and point with their bare branches , like the shrivelled witches on the heath , as if to indicate the spot to the bye-way traveller . Looking towards the North , the West , and the South , a black

      and bleak moor everywhere presents its desolate aspect ; but , on the East , a long tract ef cultivated land stretches itself like a promontory , before whose brow a small eeabay is visible . Vessels diminished in the distance to the size of sea-birds , seem stationary as they Ekim with white wings across . After the eye has wandered like a dove , seeking in vain for a green oasis to rest on , it dwells with pleasure on the fields , the woods , the park of Mulgrave , with its castle crowning tho ridge that bonnds the horizon , and lookiag over land and sea with the pride of its lordly owners who distinguished themselves on both—all but the present degenerate scion of that house who was rewarded for his servile adherence to the late Whig Government by the title of a Marquis —a good name for a cur .

      I stooped to enter the lowly hut , where pride must be put off with the hat . It consists of two small apartments , one emphatically styled " the house , " in which the domestic duties are done ; the other a place for rest ; both are on the ground , which is paved with uneven Btones . The thatched roof is just overhead ; the latticed windows are very narrow and deeply indented in the clumsy walls . There is a hearth for a peat fire . Yet piety dwelt peacefully in this humble abode , and the sunbeam that shed a ray of glory within was a heavenly halo round its head . I was shewn the spot where once " the garden smiled ; " but no garden flowers remained ; a few daffadils had long survived the rest , but the mistaken reverence of Borne visitors had led them to transplant those perennial relics into their own gardens .

      -No sounds , no sights now denoted that a reverend hernrithad passed his patriarchal days in this lonely cell ; and yet there was a time when he was seen and beard by all the rustics around , all of whom had received bis blessing . Many pions persons , wko clung closer to their religion because it was proscribed by the rulers of this world , oft came in secret pilgrimage to tnis cell , and revered the good father all the more because he was content to rerder himself obnoxious to persecution for their sakes . Not 5 shadow of his person—not an echo of his voicenothing remains to tell of these things ; but they have not passed away : tradition has treasured them up , and they were the treasures which the holy father laid np for himself in heaven , when , leaving the poor hut that was his earthly abode , he should enter an habitation of glory . Let ca go back to the time when the good father lived —let us enter his solitary hut ; let us do more : let us identify ourselves with him ; we shall find tk « chaage all the better .

      " Here am I , then , in a poor cot , which , poor as ii is , ' affords ma a shelter from the weather , and a palace could do no more . It is my home , aore endeared to me than yon castle to its lord , who , were he benighted j in this moor , would also acknowledge my sheltering , shed to be dear to him . The moors are bleak , but they supply me with fael ; and I have a little garden that exercises my body after my mental exercises , and yields me simple food . I have but few neighbaora , and ; those far between ; bat their society is more desirable \ on XhaA &ccoueA . I shouVl be lost in & large town , but

      here I know everybody , eves as I am kntywn . They are my spiritual children , adopted by me , for I found them orphans and outcasts ; bos , by GodJsgsace , they will be heirs of his salvation . I look at . the sheep on the moor as their emblems , and I feei myself to be their Bhepherd , 'Whose time is spent m going among th « m , comforting , advising , and m oorjaging them , both iu their earthly and heavenly ca ' .-eer . Tis true I am old ; but as the value of this w orli lessens the value of the next increases , and there I look for the reward of my self-denial here , and of rjy disinterested services to others . "

      Thus might the good r aan commune with his own thoughts when he had no other comany but that blessed band . Ha bad made & * / ow of poverty , and his path , of l 2 e , though so lowly a- ad lone , was a glorious path , for it led towards hoav j ^ . The alms which he received hs gave Jo those , p ^ penitents , w&Q bad con-

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      fessed to him that poverty bad caused them to sin . He imposed a heavy penance npon the guilty , but made it light by doing the greater portion of it himself ; and he was rewarded by witnessing the compunction of the sinner , who felt remorse on seeing the Innocent old man a voluntary sufferer for his sake . He encouraged the diffident by confessing to them his own sins . Those disagreeable duties which others shrank from doing , he did for them , and sometimes seemed to go along with the sinner in his ways , that he might insensibly lead him off into the path of righteousness . His crucifix was a better peace-maker than the constable ' s staff The humanity of the man overcame the prejudices against the priest , even , in triumphant and intolerant pretestant minds ; and he made strangers first friends and then Christians . Bad men he treated as though they were good—those who had reviled him as though they had praised him—and those who had injured hiai as though they had benefiitted him .

      This was his method of reclaiming them , and it generally succeeded . He regarded the persecutions against his church as judgments sent for the amendment of her children—that they might better consider their waysand he conducted himself with a more perfect resignation , because he was under the ban of the law . Being the victim of prejudice , be felt the value of candour and was particular in practicing it How happy the man who could smile in the midst of misfortune—who taw God ' s favour in his chastenings—who was proof against every earthly eviL A long course of religious experience had made him already a saint—he was truly a Jesuit , one of the society of Jesus , abjuring the world for the sake of heaven , and imitating the example of his great master as closely as a mere mortal can imitate what is divine .

      Father Postgate was born near Edgton , in a cottage called Kirk-bouse , which is now literally a cattle-shed . His parents had suffered persecution for their religious opinions , but that did not deter them from sending their son to be educated ia the Catholic College , at Douay . After completing his studies , he came over to England , and laboured many years as a missionary in his native parish and county . In those days the Catholics had no Chapels—their religious rites were solemnised in private dwellings . The priests wera either domesticated in some family mansion or hermitages , and went about doing good among the neighbouring poor . Of this latter class was Father Nicholas , and such was his benevolent zeal , that some say he made above a thousand converts . However that may be , the majority of the people in that district are Catholics to this day .

      One of the laws enacted in the reign of " good Queen Bess ! " doomed to death all English Cathulic priests who should be convicted of performing the rites of their religion . This Bevere law had not been enforced since the accession of Charles II ., who was an indulgent king and a secret convert Toe Cutholics had , in consequence , begun to exercise their worship rather openly ; and , therefore , the persecution that suddenly commenced under the auspices of the devil and Dr . Oates , was like drawing a sword that bad long been sheathed , and was thought too rusted for use . Nicholas Postgate was warned of the revival ef this obsolete law ; and though he cared not for himself , yet , for the sake of his friends , he removed at their entreaty from his abode on the moor into a cottage in the village of Llttlebeck , at the bottom of a neighbouring dale called I burn Dale .

      Excisemen have often considered themselves as particularly called upon to favour the prosecutions set on foot by Government A person of this description , named Reeves , at that time stationed in Whitby , hearing that a reward of £ 20 had been proclaimed for the apprehension of any Catholic priest , this hireling immediately sought out Father Postgate , as though be were a contraband article . The old priest did not take much pains to preserve a life that must soon end by the course of nature—indeed he did not pretermit bis pastoral duties , and was actually apprehended while performing them . It would seem that the statute law in this instance was resolved to aid the Gospel , by compelling the poor Papist priests to perform their acts of charity in secret . Out upon laws that never conform with Christianity except to frustrate Us Bpirit !

      Our old priest was taken to York , and tried—for what ? Not surely for visiting the sick , clothing the naked , feeding the hungry , and comforting the brokenhearted ! No , these are not crimes ; but a colourable pretext was needed , and , accordingly , high treason was imputed to him . He , an old man , who had lived the life of a holy hermit , was indicted for conspiring the death of the King ; for endeavouring to subvert the Government ; and for attempting to destroy all . Protestants . ' This , it may be said , was a mere form ; but it is not a form devoid of power . An ignorant countryman , on hearing such dreadful charges solemnly alleged in a court of justice , would conceive horrible ideas of

      the prisoner ; but no : one glance at his saintly aspect would dispel them all : in his tranquil demeanour he would read a silent refutation of the guilty charge . It is the usual practice for the accused to prove his innocence by the aid of counsel or witnesses ; but in cases of treason this rule is reversed ; and for no other apparent reason than that the charge is of the greatest magnitude . Prejudice is thus created against the prisoner , which , with the other extraordinary disadvantages under which he labours , it is generally found impossible for | him to remove . Does not the law in these cases , put on a Gorgon ' s mask to deceive , to frighten , and to mock justice ?

      Never did innocence more truly plead not guilty , than in the person of Father Nicholas , and never was plea less available . The lawyers maintained their wellearned reputation . Sanctioned by the law , they put away every sentiment of justice , and indulged the natural social inhumanity of man to man , heightened as it was by their zeal for the crown , for the law , and for their own credit as clever lawyers . They knew the popular prejudices against Catholics ; and took care to inflame them in the minds of the Jury — calling on them as true Protestants to preserve themselves and their religion by exterminating all papists and traitors . The Judge , like a scarletted huntsman , cheered on the pack , and their feeble prey was run down by acclamation . He stood like a victim bound to the altar , and never lost his composure but once , while hearing the evidence of one of his own converts- —one to whom his charitable hand had often been extended , but who now witnessed against him . ' His lips then quivered for a

      moment and his eyes shed tears ; for who can withstand the force of ingratitude ? His simple statement in his own defence did but vex his persecutors the more for its truth ; for they were bent upon his destruction , and by outrageous clamour they silenced a witness who had spoken in his behalf . AH the evidence of bis guilt was , that he had baptized a child in the C . itholic faith—its mother swore to the truth ef this . Surely the zeal of Protestants against Catholics is not a Christian , but an unchristian zeal . The Protestant cause is more indebted to prejudice and ignorance than to its intrinsic merits —to a prejudice which none but the ignorant can entertain . I am not a Catholic , neither am I a protestant , except so far as this , I protest against the illiberal usage experienced by Catholics , who have proved themselves as good citizens , though tried by much severer tests . " Persecution has taught them mercy . " They might now , in their turn , reform the State-religion of England . But

      11 A plague o'both their heuses ;" It is best to belong to neither—every man should be his own priest—let reason be his teacher , and conscience Mb spiritual guiZe . Whilst there remained a hope of his acquittal , for what human being could be thought so fiendish as to condemn him ? the old father felt a desire for justification ; bnt no sooner was all hope denied him by the verdict of the jury , than he resigned himself to hiB fate . It seemed a voice calling him from earth , and he thanked God !

      The lawyers left the court and went to celebrate their victery over a bottle of wine , while the poor prisoner was conducted back to his cell—not that on tbe moor which had been ao long sanctified by hit abode . He was visited by the woman whose testimony bad been most material against him—she came with remorseless tears to beg his pardon—he blessed her , and gave her money to bear her expenses home—money that bad been given him to provide himself comforts with , in this his hour of need . In due time , the holy anchorite was laid upon a sledge and rirawn to the gallows . With hands clasped and eyes lifted to heaven , the saint invoked blessings on the people , who crowded to ask them , and to bid him farewell , as h& was thus departing on bis upward journey home . He felt the vanity of their livts more than of his own ; for he had all his life been learning to die , and his death showed him perfect iu the lesson .

      Many would have died with him , could they have been assured that they would live again with him . He kissed the gallows , for it was his cross of martyrdom . He turned to the- populace , and disowned the bloody maxims imputed to his order , and begged tbe sheriff to assure the king that be had never , in all his life , wished him any ill , and that he jwayed for him with his latest breath . After he had hung for about two minutes , tho rope was eut , and bis body was hurried away to a fire kindled at a little distance for the pmrpose of burning his bowels . The keen knife of the hangman brought him back to consciousness ; but , just God ! what to see ? his own bowels thrown into the fire ! What did he do ? He forgave th « wretch with his expiring sigh I Hysterico . passio I

      Thus was added ene more name to the Catholic book of martyrs—a record more bloody than that of the Protestants—thus occurred another instance of the persecuting spirit of all state religions . The resary of Father Nicholas is still shown as a relic in the Catholic chapel at Wkitby . Instead of receiving the felood-money , Reeves received odium , which envenomed the stings of hia conscience . He thought he saw the old priest constantly looking at him with serene benignity , which was to him the bitterest reproach . He could not rest , night nor day . Ab if tbe purposes of retribntion shoald be strictly fmlfilled , he went to the very place where he had apprehended his victim , and drowned himself in a pool formed by tbe concussion of a mountain cataract that forces ont a basin where it falls , and ia called the Devil ' s Dump—a pool that has since been fatal to

      several anglers . The continual hiss of tho waters Mems to sound his reproachful knell ; bat few who visit the spot know of the wretch who perished there in his despair .

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      Cross-examined on behalf of the prisoners—I am a weaver . The deesased and myself both worked in the same shop , for my uncle , Thomas -Austin . I do not think the prisoners were drunk . The deceased had not given me any thing to go with him . I did not hear him say he would set a champion to meet the Briggs ' s . I did nothear him say he expected to meet tbe Briggs's . I did sot hear him mention the name of Briggs at all ; 1 am sure he did not offer to fight Briggs—he did not challenge him in any way . I never had any quarrel with the Brlgga ' s , or with Gay . I have not been mixed up in any way with them . I have been charged with an offence , but they were not witnesses against me . I was not convicted of the offence with which I was charged . Tbe deseased was a quiet man ; bat when he got beer he was jovial .

      Mr . T , P . Xeale—I am a surgeon in Leeds . I have examined the deceased since death . Externally there were braises and scratches in the following situations —In front of tbe left hip , on the left elbow , beneath tbe r ight arm pit , on the right eye and temple , the back of the neck , and en the back of the knuckles and fingers of both hands . These marks indicated Bevere contusions . In most of these places the skin was off . The jugular veins were moeh distended with blood , and the skin of the back , neck , throat , and face discoloured , not from violence , bat from transudation of blood . On dividing the scalp , and opening the stall , black blood was copiously discharged . Tbe veins of the brain were gorged with black blood , and blood was cxtravesated in the pia mater in several situations . The base of the skull was extensively fractured in various directions , tht principal lines of fracture extending through the left temporal bone and sphenoid bone . No recent disease

      was observed in the chest or belly . The stomach eontained a considerable quantity of solid food ; I should think the deceased had not been in liquor at tbe time . Tbe cause of death was tbe injury' to the brain . The brain had undergone severe concussion . The extravasation may have resulted at the time of the injury to the skull . The injury thus given to tbe brain was the cause of death , from violence . Had a man been knocked violently from behind , I should think the injury on the right temple might have been causedby coming in contact with the ground . The other marks on tho body have been caused by a succession of injuries ; the wound under the right aim was somewhat aingutar , and could not ha ^ o been produced by a fall ; the marks were all rece » t . It is possible for the man to have ran fifty or sixty yards after tbe injuries described had been produced ; he has evidently lived some time after the injuries had been inflicted .

      By a Juror—The marts under the arm I think would not be so likely to be caused by a kick , as by a grasp or scuffle . Reuben Lee . —I am a cloth maker , at Armley . I knew the deceased , and also know the prisoners ; I was in Stoney Top Lane , Armley Hill Top , about half-past two on Sunday morning ; I heard a great noise , and heard Thomas Austin shout" They are killing Jack Myers . " He was running whan he came to me , and I went with him to Bitter ' s house ; we called Batlcr up , and we three went together to the lane where we found the deceased ; he was laid on the road , with his head on one aide . Thomas Kogerson , the constable came up when we got to the deceased . I assisted Batter and Austin to take the deeeasad home ; we never let him fall . I did not see any thing of any of the prisaners at all . We found his bat about twenty yards from the body . Myera lived at Bailor ' s , but slept with me , and I was sitting up for him .

      Thomas Rogeraon . —I am one of the constables of Armley . I was at Winder's puS lie-house , on Saturday night ; I went there about a quarter before one o'clock . I did not go when the other two constables did ; I agreed to meet them there ; they were there when I went in ; the prisoners were also there ; they were sober ; they left about a quarter-post one ; Thomas Hay wood w&s with them ; I staid at Winder's till nearly two . I had not seen the deceased until he was pointed out to me by Thomas Austin ; the persons in the lane were , Thomas Austin , John Bstler , and Reuben Lee ; the deceased was laid on the- road on his back , with his head turned a little

      on one aide . Hi had no bat on ; he was alive but insensible ; I felt his puUe beat ; I thought he was dead drunk ; I tried to rouse him but could make nothing of him . I went to apprehend the prisoners the same morning in consequence of information I received from Austin ; I found Thomas Briggs at his father ' s bouse ; the prisoner came down in his shirt ; and James Briggs came down after him ; be was also undressed ; I took them both into custody ; I told them the charge on which I wanted them , they gave themselves up quietly . I saw no more of the prisoners after leaving Winder ' s , until I went to apprehend them . The deceased was a- very quiet man , but when he got a little drink he waa rather

      noisy . Samuel Stocks . —I am a cloth weaver at Moor-side , Armley . I did not kuow the deceased , nor do I know the prisoners . On Sunday morning , about two o ' clotk , I had occasion to get up and go but of doors , being unwell . I heard a great noise , which I judged to be at the end of tbe yard where I lived . I went there in a few minutes , and found all quiet , tbe noise appearing to have moved further up the lane ; I heard seme persons say In the place from which the noise proceeded , " D—n him , where is he V' Who the patties were I do not know .

      Reuben Lee recalled—When we had got the decease * home I ran off for a doctor , and when I got past Briggs ' a father ' s house I saw Thomas and James going towards home ; they were walking fastLsh ; I shouted to the father of the deceased , who was behind me , " see , they ' re here , " and they then got over a gate , and went along a back way ; they ran across the field in an opposite direction to their house . I saw no more of them .. I have never had a quarrel with the Briggs's ; I have never been on bad terms with them . Thomas Wheatley—I am a constable at Armley ; I

      apprehended Guy on Sunday morning , about three o ' clock , on the toad in front of this house . It would be between nine and ten yards from the place whsre the deceased waa found . Guy and the two Briggs ' a left Winder ' s house together , a little before ons o ' clock . I told him what I wanted him for , and he said , " Oh , very well , I am ready to go with you . " Ho was sober . This being the whole of the evidence , the prisoners were respectively cautioned by the Coroner , and then asked if they wished to make any statement They conferred with their solicitor , and then

      Thomas Briggs said—I left Winder's after one o ' clock on Sunday morning . We walked forwards , four of us , in company , till we came to , the new road which leads off to Armley . When we got there , there were nine or ten men knelt down praying ; it was a mook prayer . We stood on the causeway five or ten minutes ; they began to break up ; there were five or six men went up the branch road towards Armley ; two of them were Thomas Austin and John Myers ; Austin and . Myers bad bsen of the number of men who were knelt down . When they had parted and got up the road , I heard John Myers swearing , and saying what he would do to Jossy Briggs ' sons ; that he would pay them all ; he waa talking very loudly . We then turned np to go towards home ; Thomas Hay wood was with us part of

      the time when I heard what Myers said . I should have said that I knew a number of the men who were knelt down to be very bad chMaetejrs ^ . * Aj f cer leaving Hay wood , we met with them < $ wi ^ « A ^ ia joining . of the roads ; they were first about aix " yards * they went first till they came to Theaker Lane Top . They were talking so loud that we could hear them ; we passed by them at Theaker Lane , top , and directly they two came walking quickly past us ; thare were some men stripped to fight at Cqwcroft stile ; they stopped there , and we went forwards . They came sharp up to us again when we got to the Moorside ; when they came up , John Myers said "Thy father | or Briggs ) had £ 9 to pay , and we'll make him pay again . " He said "It was for calling his brother a rogue . " I

      said it was true . Taoma 3 Austin begun then of saying 1 was a rogue , and he would prove me one ; he told me it waa I and one of Austin ' s uncles who stole Matthew Moss ' s weft , some two or three years ago . We then went forward until we got to Miduloton's , when Myers said he had made us pay once , and he could make us pay again . He quavered his hands about before me , and told me if I stiack he would make me pay , and pay me , too , or words to that effect . We walked straight forwards up the middle road , still making the same noise , and calling one another until we came near to Mr . L 9 < ig < 3 r ' s house . Thos . Austin then came off the causeway , and begun of saying what he would do . Him and me then sparred a bit , and I attempted to strike at him ; he slipped down and I missed him ; be then tan

      ft way , and said lie would go and fetch some more ; I looked back behind then , and saw my brother rising from the ground . James Guy wished him to come forwards ; they came up tome thon ; my brdtber had been on his back , and we dashed bis coat ; We went forwards home directly . I ought to have skated that 1 was ten or twelve yards before my brother when I saw him rising from the ground . Whsta we got to the Hill-top Lane end , Guy and us parted *; we went down Heightlane , and said we would watch the potatoes , bat instead of doing that we went up our own field to our own home . Wo went round the house and knocked at the back door ; they let us in , and we went to bed directly . That is all I have to « ay about it . James Briggs and James Guy said nothing .

      The Corener then proceeded to sum up the case to the Jury , whose duty it was how to determine the cause which had produced the death of John Myers ; and with respect to that cause , he thought the evidence of Mr . Teale went to place it beyond a doubt , that death had been caused by violence . Their next inquiry was to ascertain whether the violence had been accidental or otherwise , and be thought there was no doubt that the violence had not been accidentally brought about , but that it had been inticted by some persons , by whom it would be lot- them to determine . The law , as bearing on the ease ; was . that if two or more persons suddenly happen to quarrel , and one

      of them received such Injuries aa wv-cause death , the offence would be manslaughter ; but if time elapsed sufficient for th * reason to cool , and for the person to hove time to , reflect what he was doing , and he then deliberately committed any injuries to another so as to cause hia 'death , then the offence would assume a more BeriouB f jpect , and it would became mnrder ; to constitute tb ' d 3 latter offence it was not necessary that any prenv , jditation should exist ; for the law said that if . tbe qW . rel was sadden , If a person had time to reflect , and de ' ath ensued , the person inflicting the injuries causi ' ag death would be gsilty of murder . The . Coroner then weBt enttrely ^ through the evidence ,

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      pointing out , as he went alon ? , such parts of the statement of the principal witness as was ; supported by other testimony , and making snch comments as the nature of the evidence seemed to require , " and put it to them to say whether in this case they conld go beyond the crime of manslaughter ; but if they had no doubt , they had no alternative , ( however painful the duty , than to return a verdict of wilful mnraer . The Jury retired at four o'clock , and after an absence of little better than half an hour , returned and pronounced a verdict of " Manslaughter" against all the three prisoners ; adding that . in their opinion the ) crime was of a very aggravated nature .

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      TO THE CHABTISTS OF SHEFFIELD . Bbotheb Democrats , —Permife me to oflfer to vote a few remarks relative to our present position , andthe « luty we owe the cause of freedom at the present crisis . The , " strike" manufactured by the " Leasuers" Is producing , and will produce , a fearful hmount of suffering . I can afford to smile tt the abuse heaped upon me by knaves and fools , having the satisfaction of knowing , that while I have saved you ftom sharing the suffering , I have kept yon in a position * to extend tbq hand of help to your unfortunate brethrea .

      The " events or each succeeding day cenflrm tho sonad policy of the step taken by you in the question of tbe " strike . " I am free to acknowledge that bad there been a . prospect of making the strike general—carried out voluntarily—I would have joined in it heart and soul ; bat no sane man could come to any other conclusion thin that the great mats ef the ShtfiWd Trades were decidedly hostile to any such scheme . Had the meeting in Paradise-square deeided in favour of a general cessation from labour , I feel convinced that only a few- would have carried out tuch decision , at the best & few hundreds ; these finding themselves not supported by the" voluntary turn-out of thpir townsmen , would have proceeded forcibly to eject from their employments the opponents of the strike ! this would not have been the easy task it has been-elsewhere : ife ia the conviction

      of all with whom I have'digtourBed on the subject , that a collision with the authorities would have . , been the immediate consequence , for , .. though our Magistrates have been exceedingly shy iu provoking excitement , and have wisely dona nothing' to" irritate the public mind , yet no doubt can exist that whether the Chartists ba # their machinery arranged , or not , the Shtjield magistrates had theirs ! Policemen's truncheons and soldier ' s bayon&ts would have been brought into play against the unarmed people ; some wounded , more imprisoned , the voluntary turn-outs intimidated and coerced , the men who had been forced out w « uld have returned to their employment—while thoso whs had pledged themselves " never to return to labour until the Charter was law , " would have been derided for their shoit-siehtedness and laughed at for their folly .

      And upon me would have rested , the onus of recom-Miending the strike , the curses of mmen and children would Imva been heaped upon my head nsthe author of their calamities ; the men who thoughtk-ssiy or knavish ' y charged me with a dereliction of duty , in nob urging upon them to strike ( in the teeth of tbe impossibility of any good resulting fromit ) would have been , the first to blame me for the bitter consequences of their own indiscretion . ... On the other hand , the press of the Whig and Tory factions " would have at once . denounced me as the author of all-the mischief . The Weekly Chronicle of August 20 th , predicted that Julian Hamoy .. and the O'Conncrita Chartists , would push their fortunes a la Lancc * shiic It may be well to observe that the Greenacre Journal of last Saturday , repeats the old lie of Holberry ' s plot to

      burn the town . No one knows better than George Henry Ward , that the so sailed plot was concocted , nob by poor Holberry and his'associates , but 6 y certain . parties who affected to bless God fur their providential escape from the horrible scheme of which they themselves were tbe authors ; and that instead ef being the author and director , poor Holberry was but the victim of the plot ; bu' this sneer—this lie comes well from the Hon . Member for Sheffield , who , while poor Holberry was yet living refused , though , repeaiedly appealed to , to do anything to save from a dungeon death the martyred patriot whose ashes mouldering . in the trmb be tbus dares to insult ; jt . is . certainly very heroic for the living ass to kick at the dead lion ; but if Holberry ia no more , there aro not wanting men to do justice to his name and memory . It may be , Mr . Ward , " Wo meet again at PMlippi . " _ ., ; ,.

      Chartists . mark tbe following .. The Grg&mcrc Journal , after telling its readers that " the dgKtfarr . eut ia strong against Turn-outism , ' Chajtisui , and Incen iiarism , because tho common sense of the ¦^ ujjtry . ia ^ itii them "which being ; . translated into 'Xtsbiiiriion cense , " means that the Government is strong becausejmpported by the rmddle-ciase , goes on tp . threaten , the ^ -pvernmeut with the fearful consequences whJchTareJa- xesult from any attempt the Government may . make to , pat down the practical men- —the " extension of ctKimierce" gentry , and very significantly adds , that " Cheap-bread men cmb handle a musket as well as d 6 ar-bread men , and have the advantage of being the majority" I A prfcioua scwuridrel this to prate about the " O'Connorite

      Chartists , " the " anarchists , " &c , setting himse-f up as . the moral regenerator of his country I Don't forget the musket argument , for depend upon it , it iathe uuintentional warning that the L « aguers mean to try their hands at another game shortly , in \ 7 hich the working men shall again be the victims , while these ' muskets devils will , as in the present strike , take- precious good care to . avoid the suffering , and using popular turbulence to further their own cursed ends , will , if the movement fails , again join the Gevernment in prosecuting their victims . . ' . ' . *¦ -: ¦ ¦

      The Sheffield Independent , of August 20 , told its readers , that the " real Chartists " , had that week preserved th « peace of the town , ' \ rhile only one cf the individuals thus described waa ii" '( so-called ) real Cbartisi , tho most active man npon "the occasion alluded to in preserving the peace of the town , waa a member of the Council of the O'Connorite Chartists ; but no matter , it suited the purpose of \ hx , Independent to describe the peace-preservers as real Chartists , and had the strike taken place it would cquaVly well have suited "the Whig scribe to have stigmatiz 3 d the O'Connorites as the peace breakers .

      Look at the conduct of these real knaves ; they had not tbo manliness either to advocate vi oppose ths strike , but while playing the part of skulkirg cowards themselves they sent their emissaries among the ignorant to excite an ill-feeling against me , and wind up by the following piece of villany published in the shape of a report in their fit and worthy organ , the Statesman , of last Saturday : — " A public meeting was called on Monday last to tr . ke into consideration the propriety and practicability of a general cessation from labour .. ' 2 & . i : Hamey moved a resolution that it was not desirabife * , and' wa 3 seconded by Mr . Parkes . Thiscauieda misunder 3 tandingbetwecn Mr . Hamey and the people , and so enraged were they ( justly or unjustly we cannot tell ) at not being culled out by him , that he has been in great personal danger , was compelled to close his shop , and report saya , to have the police to guard both him and it . "

      You . men of ShtfBeltl know that tha above 13 a tissue of Ues . irom beginning to--. en . U . ; .: £ » £ . , 00 isatter , tha author calculated that his lies rnightga down elsewhere . if not iu Sheffield . Mark how the anonymous slanderer tries to evade responsibility ; ' report says , " is the modo adopted of venting hia calumnies . Hs is a reporter with a vengeance . Brother Democrats , these are . tlie , base hypocrites who disturb your mettings < v ? ith their tre . icberoua appeals for " union "— these are the plotters that prowling on the out-ekirta of your assemblages , tcst . fy their desire for " union" by their unceasing calumnies against mm they dare not face— this " gang , " with hearts of gall and tongues of venom , eelf-9 tylit : g themselves " real Chartists , " ate indeed tho " real" foes of democracy , and the deadly enemies of all -who honestly advocate your cause .

      What ia oui duty ? Our first duty 13 to see that tha Association is saved from founderirg on the rocks of treachery , on which the storm raisui by our deadly enemieB i the " Leaguers , " ba 3 well nigh "driven us ; it is my calm conviction that tho " strike" was a hellish plot invented by our worst and bitterest , foes to damn Chartism and destroy our prgaujzitvon . . If I am not much , mistaken icflaenceB ate even nsw at work to base upon our hoped-for downfall the triumph of another party . Let us disappoint our avowed enemies . who have not

      and pretended but false friends . We shared tbe struggle , shall we be apathetic in rasing the rallying cry ?; If we have worked well bsfo-e , let us work doubly well new j let tbe labours of cash and all be cbaracterlzid by indomitable energy , ai > d unflinching devotion to the cause— " the good old cauae , " and when again our co-operation U demanded by our countrymen , we may then be In a position to render ib , and not be compelled to bold back , as we have recently done , through a consciousness of our weakness .

      Secondly , our duty is , and the task must be set about immediately ) to do all that ia our power lies , to save from the cruelties of tha law our unfortunate brothers betrayed into rta meshes . Remember that a Cooper ia numbered among the victims of tyranny / and what , though dastards in Shtffield Save rb&ed the howl or ' < Tory tool" against him—wretches that dared not face the intrepid patriot they calumniated ! --what , though disappointed , furious renegades have shouted " bully , w ith the view of depriving him of . the sympathy of the to hia

      people , that he might the mor& easiiy fall a prey enemies . You know hia worth , you $ an admire hia talents , and duly estimate his patriotisms-prove you do so by supporting him in the- hour of danger . Wmte , a victim of the cursed spy-system , ^ another man OMerj way worthy of the support of all true democrat * Leach , Skevington , Richards , Jones , O ' . Niel , and hundreds of our unforinnate . brothers look to yoa for help aud aid . Rally , then , to the rescue , to save ( if possible ) from chains and , bondage our noble brothers , Bufierera in the cause of freedom and of . truth .... ; , ,

      The false step which othewhava indiscreetly taken you have avoided , escaping suffirtiag yourselves . Show that you have hearts to sympathise with your suffering brethren . Subscriptions for the D sfenoo Fund must be raised throughout thf ^ wd . , Let Sheffield do its _^» . ^^ Bp&amN ^ kvN HaBNEY . Sheffield , Au ^^^^^/ jf v ^ A ' •• ¦ &' 0 *^^ % ' 9 zkJi V tfr : ¦ ¦ ¦ - '¦* V ' '•• J& ** mST : W- < # Sf ^

      Untitled Article

      WATKINS' LEGACY TO THE CHARTISTSXJiTBODCCTOBr LECTURE TO CHA . BTISH . NO . Tl . —PAST II . O ! all the points of the Charter the ' No Property Qn&li&catien" point is the most important , for it is 'to property or class legislation that the griefs of England axe owing . Our lapsided laws have been enacted by 82 lf-intereeted parties in the worst spirit of favouritismthey have caused that reverence for property which should always be reserved for merit A worthless man with the insignia of wealth , is sure to meet with consideration- and respect , while a man of worth in the , garb < jf poverty , is scorned and spurned even by the unworthy . And not only do our class-made laws cperate to exalt the worthless rich and to debase the worthy poor , but they absolutely treat poverty as vice and property as virtue . They feed the pride of the rich and encourage them to use their superior

      advantages , not to help but to farther oppress the disadvantageous poor . Rich men without the poor man ' s plea , necessity—commit untemptsd crimes and yet find the law a cobweb ; the poor are always wronged , suspected , and hardly dealt with . Prevented by law from obtaining a livelihood , they are next punished by law for not obtaining it Just like the Israelites from whom the gaaie quantity of work was experted after straw had Jjeen withheld as before—as if the doom of misfortune was not miserable enoujh of itself , but It must be increased by additional hardship and insult Pharaoh ' s heart was not more hard than are the hearts of our lords and bishops , who though thsy provoke God ' s judgments on the land , take care to keep themselves exempt What chance is ( hue of softening them to mercy—of bringing them to reason ? Nothing but fear can operate on their mean mind * .

      Considering that Government can rob us of foreign respect and of domestic tranquillity that—it can cause the very breaking np of society by convulsive distressthat it is not only the arbiter ol a nation ' s prosperity in peace or war , but also of itt character and of the spirit and manners of the people—considering these things , shall we not consider it to be of vital importance to us all that we have a good Government—that the laws which are to regulate our customs and habits be good . ' The aboripnes of this island lived according to naturethe Romans civilized them and then the Saxons conquered them—both Saxons and I > anes colonized Britain , ¦ yet there was room enough for the Normans , who introduced the feudal system , and mdae feut two classes in society—lords and vassals . Few arts were then known

      save those of agriculture and war : but foreign settlers came who brought with them trade and manufactures , and from them a middle dass sprung np which gradually brought its influence to bear on Government These were the burgesses , who at first were called into Parliament merely to vote snpplies , but finding their own importance they soon refused to do this until their interest * as traders and their lights as men were considered . The Lords having weakened themselves by conf '""* 1 wars and pageants , and being moreover weakened by a jealous monarchy which had ef ten been made to feel their power , tbe Cemmons led by Cromwell , were enabled to get the upper hand , and after expatriating the chief nobility they executed King Charles amid the tears of 2 . pitying populace .

      John Lilburne , the oracle of the people m the time ¦ of the Commonwealth , strove in vain to bring the Protector within the rule of reason , tbe palo of patriotism . "The necessary consequence was a reaction in favour of monarchy . Charles II . was called in by the glad acclaim of the very voices which had followed his-father to the block with execrations . In his dissolute and disgraceful reign it is disgusting to find that those whe , in bis father's time had manfully fought against bigotry and tyranny , - were reduced to plotting and scheming , by which their lives were placed in the hands of spies ; and thus basely fell a Russell and a Sidney .

      Religious and civil liberty , like two birds , had lived feegetber . Religions liberty brcka loose first , and was soon followed by civil liberty ; but tbe latter was again caught and confined , and the former now hovers o ' er the cage of its mate tempting it to renewed freedom , and unwilling to take Eight without it Strange , that a nation religiously free can endure a civil yeke ! Yet the Reformation » f Henry VIII . did but allow of Protestant freedom . It was reserved to the Revolution of "William III . to free Protestant Dissenters , and this was done more out of fear of the Catholics than out of love to religious freedom . The Plantagenets were despotic monarch * , who Beized property and took life arbitrarily . But more cunning trsre the Tudors ,

      " Who worked their wantonness in form of law . " The Stuarts were not more tyrannical than their predecessors had been , but the nation had grown less willing to submit to tyranny , and the Stuart w&s ultimately compelled to abdicate , while the Prince of Orange , chitfly because he was a Protestant , was caiied to fill the vacant throne . The Hanoverian line succeeded , under whose selfish sway the nation has rapidly dwindltd from a giant nobleness to dwarfish littleness . There was formerly some excuse for the submission of

      the people to their kings , for there was something manly , nay heroic , in the character and conduct of some of our former kings—but monarchs now have little power in England—ministers rule alL Hsrley , Walpole , Chatham , Pitt , Castlereagh , Peel , and Wellington , have all swayed more or less the destinies of Great Britain and with , perhaps , the singl * exception of Chatham , who was hated by the king because the people loved him , have all tended , by their pernicious counsels , to accelerate the decline and fall of the English empire .

      Now those who have the management of our public affairs , that is of our private affairs—for the well-being of our private aSairs entirely depends upon the right management of the affairs of the public—those in whose hands our Interests , our happiness , our temporal , and eternal concerns are placed—who have the very virtues m their keeping—should not they be men venerable for years and piety—men who had approved themselves through life the friends of ail mankind—beneficient , faithful men ? Yea ; but if there be any snch the people are forbid to choose them—the people are forbid any choice at all—property is the only qualification allowed ; it is the one thing needful in voters and candidateswhat wonder that its base influences , whether by bribes or b&ite , determines all

      electionsgives them all a false bias—and that , con sequently , Parliament is filled by those who , having fen bed their electors , are themselves ready to be bribed by ministers ? Sut base as onr present elective franchise is , it is wisdom , cempared with the hereditary principle : for whereas the one ensures a House of knaTes , the other ensures a House of fools . The education of our aristocrats is such as totally to unfit , them for Benators , or even to play the part of men . What ¦ wonder that under such a legislature industry starves , patriotism ig scoffed , and vise and folly are rampant . ' The solemn sanction cf law , the awful force of sovereign power , is given to acts which forbid the common offices

      of humanity—which subvert every principle of justice . Were the tables turned—were the aristocracy to fall into distress , and the people t » rise to prosperitythe nation might become " great , glorious , and free ;" for when France had rid herself of her ancient noblesse and priests , she conquered sJmott the whole of Europe . " When England , in the time of the Commonwealth , had , in like manner , vomited her aristocracy into the lap of France , she grew so great that the name of an Englishman was synonyiaous to that of a Roman , and America is now the foremost country in the world , chifcfly because she is the freest What are our lords and bishops but weeds , warts , fiiss that tease the noble animal whose blood they suck . '

      Now , it is very evident that the people want power to expel the vermin that corrupt the state , and to choose proper men ; the People ' s Charter will give them this power . All the sound and intelligent part of the population see tke remedy , < "ad are resolved to obtain it . They have nnited in a iational Association , for the purpose of bettering themselves , and of Baving the couutry—of obtaining jnstice by means of truth . The A £ K > c ! 2 tion is constructed thus : —Every man who takes B right view cf Jhe cause , acd is wisLfol to lend his co-optratioB to effect it , applies to the Secretary of the Branch Society in his locality , to have his name enrolled ; and takes out a card of membership . He attends the weekly meeting of tbe Society , subscribing one penny , and taking part , if he chooses , in the debates or business

      that is going on . The accredited organs of the Association are the Evening Star , a daily paper edited by Fearius OOnnor , and the SorO ^ em Star , a weekly paper edited by Mr . Hill—the former published in London , the latter in Leeds . The talents and capa- ' bilities of every member Lave a free field for exercise , and are scon had in requisition as lecturers , councillors , committee-men , &c- &c Every member has a vote . The fands cf the Association are applied to defray the local and general expences attendant upon it , and the surplus is voted to such other uses as the members think most conducive to tbe interests and honour of the cause , defensive or charitable . A General Council is nominated by the members of the Association , out ef which a Special Ceundl , consisting of five , is elected to serve « an Executive , with salaries ; all other officers are volunteers . The duty of tke Executive , which is chosfca anaually , is to watch over the general interests

      cf the Association—to direct its movements , and so on ; but they are subject to ihe censorship of the press , and their chief utility is u lecturers . The Association is strictly legal , and secresy is prohibited . Perhaps the most needful advice at present is that every locality ghonld attend first to itsel/—to the spread of Chartist principles in its own neighbourhood by addresses , by tracts , and by every other method of increasing its own members that may be thonght best adapted to that purpose . Iu surplus funds will be most usefully applied , whan applied to this . See how many each branch can bring into the field j and let the number be great before any attempt is ma 4 e to bring the whole together fcr any great design . There has hitherto been too much time and money sacrificed in premature national efforts : grand demonstrations are excitin g and attrac-*^ e ; bnt they are also exhausting whan , got up wi thout ffiatare means .

      " In great attempts tis glorious- e'en to fail ;" bat surely it is mnch more glfjrioTj * to succeed . Let us have no rash and ill-levied troops—no hasty and ineon-Ederate mustering—but let them be numerous and welldisci plined , —lei us make' gum Even in Chartism thezf . aro parties . A small minority « the Chartists are -9 ) aA may be termed middle-claa

      Untitled Article

      Chartists ; but the great majority are working-class Chartists . The Chartists can 4 o very well without the co-operation of the middle classes—society can de well without a middle class . We have seen what Chartism and what the Charter is—we have likewise seen what the Chartists are . They are men associated to obtain the Charter , comprising coldly the great bulk of non-electors . No one can deny the justice of the Charter , though some doubt its practicability , and others doubt the possibility of obtaining it Let those who doubt lessen or remove their doubts By joining in the cause . Who are not Chartists t The ignorant , the apathetic , the prejudiced , the proud , the malignant , the vain , the self-interested , the duped , the diverted . We will proceed to sh 6 ir who they are who ought more particularly to be Chartists . ( To be concluded in our next . )

      Untitled Article

      ALLEGED MURDER AT ARMtEY NEAR LEEDS . On Tuesday forenoon , an inqnest was held at the house of Mr . Jobs Riohardson , the Traveller' ^ Inn , at Armley HJ 1 Top , before John Blaokburn , Esq . coroner , and a Mspectable Jury , on view of the body of John Myers , a younj ? man twenty-four years of age , who was killed on Sunday morning last . Three nen U of Armley , named Thomas Brigge , James Bngfffl , ( brothers , ) and James Guy , were taken into custody on suspicion of having killed the man ; and aar . Booth , solicitor , of Leeds , attended to watch the proceedings on their behalf . The body of the nnfortunate man presented a shocking Bpectaole . As the whole circumstances of the case have caused the greatest excitement in the neighbourhood , we give the evidence of the various witnesses who were examined at the Inquest : they depaed as follows : —

      John Batler—I reside In Armley Hill Lane , and am a clothier ; I have known the deceased some years ,- I am his brother-in-law ; he was a spinner ; he was twenty-four years old last April . I Ibffc Armley with him-on Saturday night last ; we had been at Leeds . The deceased lived with me , but did not sleep at our bouse ; we were both sober when we left home ; we did not call at any public house on the road ; we went to a public house near the Central Market , and had three pints of ale amongst five of us ; there we met with his father , his atep-mother , and one of his brothers at Leeds . After leaving the Central Market , we all five camo together , till we got to Sam Winder's , the Rose d

      anCrown Inn , Armley ; the deceased was sober at that time ; the deceased stopped at Winder ' s ; we all went home ; this was about eleven o ' clock ; I was called up about three o'clock on Sunday morning by Thomas Hurst , and in consequence of what he said , I went with him to Armley lane . I found the deceased laid in the roadoppesite to Waininan's field , about three yards from the wall ; he was not sensible ; his hat was sff ; he was laid on his back , with his head a little on one side ; Thomas Rogerson came up at the time ; we shouted to the deceased , but he gave no answer ; it was not very light , but we could distinguish that it was him ; we got him up , and took him home as soon as we could . Thomas Austin and Rsuben Lee assisted

      me ; the place where we found him was about 500 yardB from his own house ; he was dead when we got him home ; he bled from the mouth ; I am sure he was sober when I left him at Armley ; he had not fallen at all then ; nor did he fall after we had taken him up . By a Juror . —We carried him with his feet downwards , and his head on our shoulders . On behalf of the prisoners . —His clothes were dirty with being laid on the road ; they were not torn ; it was a dry night He had on a pair of black treusers , a black waistcoat , and his blue smock . I did not see that there was a stone h ' -ap about where he was laid , nor did I see any loose stones on the road .

      Samuel Winder . —I keep the Roso and Crown Inn , at Armley ; I knew the deceased ; he came to my house alone about eleven o ' clock ou Saturday night ; he was sober ; he went into the tap room , which was nearly filled with company ; be had two pints of ale j there was no quarrel between him aud any of the others ; he left about twelve o'clock ; the constables , Wheatley , Thrippleton , and Rogerson , came in at twelve and requested the company to go home ; the deceased was one of the last who left the tap room ; he went right away ; I do not think he drank more than one pint of ale himself : he aBked Joseph Lassey , Lassey's brother , and Williamson Brigga , to drink with him ; Myere was perfectly sober ; I did not aee which way he went , nor did I see any more of him . By a Juror—He seemed in trood health .

      On behalf the prisoner—The persons in custody , James Biiggs , Thomas Briggs , and James Guy were in the bar all the time that the deceased was in the tap-room ; they were drinking in the bar ; the prisoners did not know that Myers wbb in tho house ; they could not see from the bar into the tap-room . By tho Foreman—The prisoners might have been out and have seen the deceased ; but as far as my knowledge goes , they never did . By the Coroner—The deceased , when he was leaving the house , said , " There ' s Briggses in the bar , and if I go in I shall grieve them . " Williamson Briggs was about two yards off when he aaid this , but I do not know whether he heard him or not . I said to the deceased , " Thou'B none going there to-night" He

      did not offer to go in , bnt went out directly . I did not know what the observation of the deceased meant I never saw the deceased and the prisoners together in my life . The prisoners and the constables were in the bar when the deceased went out . The constables asked the Briggses to stay a few minutes , and they would all go together up the hilL I do not think the deceased had seen the prisoners iu the bar ; he might have heard them talking . He had an oppportunity of doing so . I did not communicate to the prisoner what the deceased had said , nor did I tell any of them that he had been there ;

      nobody else in my hearing communicated anything of it . The deceased bad been quite peaceful during the time he had been in my house ; as also were the prisoners . They had had no previous quarrel in my house . The prisoners stopped at my house till near one o'clock ; the constables sat in tbe same room with tbe prisoners until that time . The only other pewon in the bar with them was Thomas Hay wood , of Armley ; the constables had nothing to drink ; the prisoners and Hay wood had a bottle of porter . Hay wood was in company with the prisoners when they went away . The constables followed directly after them . I saw nothing of either the prisoners or the deceased after they left my house .

      By a Juror . —There was a possibility of the prisoners having heard the remark made by the deceased . The Briggs ' s were both sober . I did not hear the name of of the deceased mentioned during the evening . I never saw the prisoners drunk . Thomas Austin—I am a cloth weaver at Armley . I knew the deceased ; I was in his company on Saturday night last ; I first saw him about twelve o ' clock , at Gaorge Hoyle ' s , the Nelson Hotel ; this is about two hundred yards from the Rose and Crown ; he came in by himself ; he and I , and two or three ethers , bad a pint of ale after he came in ; the landlord then gave up filling . The names of tbe men who drank of the ale were Charles Armitage , Edward Hoyle , myself , and the deceased . We stopped there about half an h « or , and

      then the deceased went home with me and had some supper ; we bad beer to drink ; the deceased stopped there probably an hour ; I did not hear him say any thing about Briggs or Guy . It would be between one and two o ' clock , on Sunday morning , when the deceased left my house . When he left my house he asked me to go with him , and to have something to eat and drink at his house ; he was sober . I went with him ; there were several persons at the bottom of the branch road , some without their hats ; they were kneeled and sat down , and were reckoning to pray ; we stopped with them a faw minutes ; the three prisoners were there also , standing watching the men who were pretending to pray . Thomas Hay wood waa also there , and offered one of the men something to go

      and pray in an open grave in the church yard . The man , whose name is John Briggs , said he would , aud ine and the deceased then went away to his house . We left tbe prisoners with the other men . We went up the branch road towards deceased ' s house ; when we got to the top of the branch road , Char . ea Armitage came up , and walked with deceased and myself te near the New Inn , where he left us and went home . We then went on , and saw nobody any more till we got to the Cowcroft stile , leading to Wortley ; when we got there , we found BeDjamin Briggs , John Witton , and Joseph Witton ; the latter bad bin shirt eff to fight . We stopped there a minute or two ; the prisoners passed us as we were standing by the side of Benjamin Briggs and the two Wiltous ; I saw nobody with them .

      Tho deceased and myself then went on , the prisoners being a few yards before us . After we had got a short distance , the deceased said he liud left all his money at my house , and that when he wanted more he could get it by going to Thornaa Austin , who ho said would let him have any money he wanted . To this remark Thomas Briggs , the prisoner , said , " What , that man who employs all the thieves ?"• We then passed the prisoners , and the deceased said , " Thieves , ye ' ve called my father a thief before , and you had three pounds to pay for it . " We then'walked on as fast as we could , the deceased and the two Briggs ' s hatching all the way ; I did not hear Guy apeak at nil ; I joined in the conversation ; w hen we got to Wainman ' s new houses , we heard the prisoners

      talking ; we were then twenty yards before them , and coald not tell what they eaid ; when we were abouJ half way between Waininan ' s new houses and Ledger ' s house , th 6 prisoner , Thomas Briggs , ran up to Myers all at once , and struck him with bis fist at the back of his head , saying , ' D n thee ; " and , turning to me , said " thee and all . " I ran away directly and ran up to their bouse ; it might then be about two o ' clock , but I cannot tell exactly . I am euro it was Thomas Briggs who struck ; it was not so dark but what I could oee . James Briggs and Gay were both there , a short distance behind ; they were running towards us ; I did not eee whether deceased fell or not ; that was the only blow I saw struck ; when I ran away I said , " I would

      go for Jacky Battle , " meaning the witness John Batler , to which Thomas Briggs said , " Damn thee , fetch Jacky Batler , I will thrash you all . " I ran on screaming as hard as I could , and got to John Batler ' a house ; I had previously met with Reuben Lee ; Batler got up , and I went firBt towards the place where I had left the deceased ; we found him laid on his back about three yards ftom the wall of a field . He was alive when we got there ; Thomas Rogerson , constable of Armley , came up ; we had not touched the body when he came up . I told the constable Rogerson who had done it . Myself , Batley , and Reuben Lee , carried the deceased home ; we carried him very gently ; a surgeon was sent

      for directly , but he was dead when he got there ; the deceased never spoke at all . When the fraiohing was going on Myers fratched as well as them ; both parties used abusive language . They had some old grievances , and they were fratching about them . I am quite sure there were nobody but the three prisoners in company together when the blow was struck ; Thomas Haywbod had left them at the branch road . There was so challenging to fight ; this was the first blow struck . The place where the deceased was found laid , was about 50 or 60 yards from the glace where I had seen the blow struck by Brrggs . Between , the time of the quarrelling and tbe blow beisg , stpujik would be about seven or eight minutes .

      Untitled Article

      _ THE NORTHERN STAR . 7

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 10, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1178/page/7/