With respect to the prisoners arrived from the House of Correction, the same precautions were taken, and one guard in the day, and two at night, were appointed to be constantly present with them.
In order to prevent any disturbance of a serious nature taking place, a further precaution had been taken. A detachment of the London Militia arrived in the course of the afternoon at Newgate, and continued there until the whole of the trials were concluded.
A committee was formed among the friends and partizans of the prisoners, for the purpose of raising subscriptions to support the wives and families of the unfortunate men, who, it will be recollected, were all of the lowest and most abject class of society, during their imprisonment, and for employing a solicitor, retaining counsel, and arranging other matters for their defence on the approaching trial.
The following hand-bill, containing a forcible appeal to the feelings of the public, was put forth by the families of the misguided men, under the direction of the committee for the management of their defence. How far the assertions so confidently expressed in this paper were borne out by the evidence given on the trial, on which we are now about to enter, we leave our readers to determine.
AN APPEAL TO THE BRITISH NATION.
“The Wives and Families of the unfortunate persons now imprisoned for an alleged conspiracy against the present government, venture to intrude their helpless and unprotected situation on the immediate attention of their countrymen, and to offer this imperfect, but they trust not unsuccessful, appeal.
“Into the truth or falsehood of the charges, by virtue of which their husbands and parents are suffering under the double weight of public obloquy and rigorous confinement, they do not now presume to enter; they merely put in their claims in behalf of their unhappy relatives, that they may not be deprived of the benefits common to every Briton, viz., that of being at least not condemned until legally proved guilty, nor excluded from all possibility of a fair and unbiassed trial, before a jury of their peers.
“They beg to remind their countrymen that, hitherto, the unfortunate accused have had no opportunity of proving their innocence, or offering any thing in their own defence; that all is ex-parte statement, consisting of the testimony of Bow-street Officers, and the exaggerated reports contained in the public Journals, the former of which in many instances have been interested parties, and have even been proved to have instigated to the commission of crime, that they might afterwards betray the delinquents, and obtain the promised reward; and the latter are notoriously guilty of loading their daily columns with the most scandalous falsehoods and misrepresentations.
“Under these impressions, they trust that a generous and humane Public will suspend their judgment, until the whole of this unhappy business has undergone the solemn and final adjudication of a Legal Tribunal, when the guilt or innocence of the respective parties may be rendered manifest to the world at large. Of this they are naturally the more solicitous, because it will be recollected, that when upon a former occasion, some of the persons who now stand charged with the crime of High Treason, were accused and tried for a similar offence, it was found, after a patient and impartial investigation, to the perfect satisfaction both of the Jury and the British Public, that the alleged Conspiracy was (as they verily believe the present will also be proved,) nothing more than the artful invention of hired Spies and secret Agents, who endeavoured to instigate to the perpetration of crime, that they themselves might reap an ample harvest from the blood of their deluded victims, and recommend themselves to their employers.
“Waiving for the present, however, all further discussion upon this painful and distressing subject, it is earnestly hoped that whatever opinion or prejudice may be entertained respecting the guilt or innocence of the accused, a generous Public will not confound the innocent with the guilty, or suffer the defenceless and unprotected Women and Children, who have no share or concern in these melancholy transactions, to perish for want of timely relief, while their Husbands and Parents are lingering in solitary confinement, unable to stretch forth a helping hand to save them from impending ruin: they are at this moment actually destitute of the means of subsistence, and dying for want of food.
“It is hoped that this imperfect but faithful statement of their real situation and circumstances, will induce the benevolent to step forward and contribute their liberal aid, to rescue those distressed objects from famine and despair.
“Subscriptions will be received by the Printer, 10, Duke Street, Smithfield; Mr. Griffin, 10, Middle Row, Holborn, (opposite Gray’s-Inn Lane:) Mr. Walker, Gun Street, Spitalfields; and by the Relatives of the accused Persons The smallest Donations will be thankfully acknowledged.
Mary Brunt, for herself and one child.
Mary Tidd, and eight children.
Amelia Bradburn, and eight children.
Mary Strange, and two children.
Charlotte Preston, and three sisters.
Susan Thistlewood, one child.
Sarah Davidson, and six children.
Caroline Harrison, and three children.”
Mary Brunt, for herself and one child.
Mary Tidd, and eight children.
Amelia Bradburn, and eight children.
Mary Strange, and two children.
Charlotte Preston, and three sisters.
Susan Thistlewood, one child.
Sarah Davidson, and six children.
Caroline Harrison, and three children.”
Mr. Harmer was employed by the Committee for all the prisoners, except Bradburn, having been previously employed for Bradburn by that man’s relations and friends.
Mr. Adolphus and Mr. Curwood, were retained as counsel for Thistlewood, Brunt, Davidson, Ings, and Tidd; and Mr. Walford and Mr. Broderick, for the remainder of the prisoners.
It may be proper here to state, that during the whole time the prisoners were in custody, on the awful charges which we have so minutely detailed, the greatest attention possible was paid to their personal comfort and convenience, consistent with their safe custody; and indeed the unhappy men themselves felt and acknowledged the humane attention with which they had uniformly been treated.