Part 6

When INGS returned from the Council-chamber, he resumed his seat with great sullenness; and as soon as the officers had replaced his handcuffs, he and Thistlewood entered into conversation with great eagerness. Thistlewood spoke almost in a whisper; but Ings was more loud; and, at the close of their conference, he ejaculated, as if talking to himself, but loud enough to be heard by all in the room--“It is want of food which has brought us here. Death--death would be a pleasure to me--I would sooner be hanged this instant, than turned into the street there; for I should not know where to get a bit of bread for my family; and if I had fifty necks, I’d rather have them all broken, one after the other, than see my children starve!”

PRESTON continued very talkative and lofty. He seemed bursting with impatience to go before the Council; raising himself from his chair every time the door opened, in hope of being the next called; then sinking back into his seat with vexation and disappointment, and exclaiming, “Oh! how I long to go up! My _genus_ is so great just now, I don’t think there is any man alive has so great a _genus_ as mine is at this moment.” Then he would pore upon the ground for a minute or two in deep cogitation; and at length break out into the following soliloquy:--“If it is the will of the Author of the World that I should perish in the cause of freedom--his will, and not mine, be done! It would be quite a triumph to me!--Quite a triumph to me!”--at the same time throwing his arms about in a manner which savoured strongly of insanity. It was not, however, his fate to be called before the council at all at this time; though, when Thistlewood and some others expressed regret that they had not applied to have their families admitted to see them--he desired them very pompously to make themselves quite easy upon that head, for he would take care to mention it in his speech to their Lordships.

Immediately after the prisoners had all been called in, an express was sent off to Captain J. H. Elrington, fort-major of the Tower of London, directing him to prepare for the immediate reception of ten state prisoners.

The whole of the examinations having been brought to a conclusion, the council proceeded to deliberate upon the course which was to be adopted with respect to each individual case. They remained thus engaged for nearly two hours. During this interval the crowd in front of the office greatly increased, and the most anxious entreaties were made to be permitted to see the conspirators. These were in most cases ineffectual. Only a few noblemen were permitted to enter, including lord Westmoreland, lord Stair, and some others.

The prisoners being themselves pretty well apprized of the charges which were to be preferred against them, became less equivocal in their behaviour. Wilson, Davidson, and Tidd, who were linked together, were most daring. They laughed in derision at the persons who came to view them, and seemed to be little affected by the situation in which they were placed. Brunt, in imitation of his captain, put on his hat, and thus assumed the character which has been assigned him, of being second in command. At half past four Mr. Day, the clerk of the papers, was sent for by Mr. Hobhouse, the under secretary of state, who communicated to him the orders of the council.

On Mr. Day’s return, he stated to Sir Nathaniel Conant and Mr. Baker, who were remaining in his office, that eight of the prisoners were to be forthwith committed to the Tower. He then produced the list, and called over the names of the persons to whom he alluded. These were:

Thistlewood, Monument, Brunt, Ings, Wilson, Harrison, Davidson, Tidd.

The men came forth as they were called, and were handcuffed two and two. A short time now elapsed while the warrant to the constable of the Tower was preparing, and until messengers were despatched to obtain carriages, and require the presence of an escort of the Life Guards. This period was occupied by the prisoners in a sort of confused conversation. Harrison and Thistlewood at once threw off all reserve, and shook hands. The others began to speak freely. Davidson said he should like about a pound of beef-steak and a pot of porter, and his companions agreed that it would be no bad finish to their day’s amusements. Thistlewood said aloud, “I hear the Spaniards are getting on famously!” Wilson answered, “Are they--a cursed good job!” “Aye,” replied Thistlewood, “They’ll all have it in their turn; they may scrag a few of us, but there is more going on than they are aware of.” Harrison laughed, and exclaimed, “Aye, time will show all things.”

A bustle outside now announced the approach of the Horse Guards, who drew up in a double column in front of the office, under the command of Captain Mayne. A hackney coach then drove up to the door, into which Thistlewood and Brunt were put, accompanied by Mr. Ruff, one of the king’s messengers, to whom the warrant was delivered, and by two police-officers. The coach then drew off to a short distance, preceded and followed by four of the Life Guards. A second carriage then came up, into which Davidson and Ings were put; they were likewise guarded by two officers. Ings, as he mounted the coach, exclaimed, “Hurra, boys!” in expectation, no doubt, of having a cheer from the crowd that was assembled. In this, however, he was disappointed; not a word escaped from the lips of the by-standers at all in unison with the principles of the conspirators--on the contrary, they seemed to be viewed with feelings of strong disgust.

Wilson and Tidd were placed in the third hackney coach: they went out laughing; but, previous to their departure, they turned round, and, in common with all those who had been confined in Cold Bath Fields prison, begged to return their grateful thanks to Mr. Adkins, the governor, and to his assistants, for the humane and kind treatment which they had received while under their care: they also were guarded by two police-officers. The last who went out were Harrison and Monument. The latter, whose diminutive size made him appear somewhat ludicrous when placed beside his gigantic companion, was greatly depressed. These men were in like manner guarded by two of the Bow-street patrol. The whole four carriages being now in readiness, and a constable having mounted each box, the cavalcade set off, completely surrounded by the Horse Guards.

They proceeded over Westminster-bridge, and from thence by the Westminster-road, through the Borough, and over London-bridge, up Fish-street-hill, down Fenchurch-street, the Minories, across Trinity-square to the Tower gate; and although followed all the way by an immense throng, not one expression of commiseration was heard to escape.

Ings’s conduct was most daring: he continued to exclaim against His Majesty’s Ministers with the most undisguised abuse, using language of the most revolting nature. He either knew, or affected to know, many persons in the crowd, to whom he nodded, and some of whom gave him a significant shake of the head in return.

Thistlewood made no observation: he seemed to be looking anxiously from the coach window, as if to see if there were any persons passing whom he could recognise.

Brunt looked extremely gloomy, but did not say any thing.

Davidson did not seem at all affected by his situation, and continued in good humour.

Wilson and Tidd laughed, and looked out of the coach windows with apparent indifference; and little Monument seemed to have sunk into a state of despair: he said he supposed he was not long for this world.

On reaching the upper gate of the Tower, leading to the armoury, it was found shut; but, on a regular summons being made, it was opened without hesitation, and the prisoners and their guards admitted. Notice had been sent off to the Tower, in the early part of the day, to prepare rooms for the prisoners, but still it was with some difficulty that secure apartments could be got in readiness; at last the necessary accommodations were obtained, and the prisoners were left under the care of the yeomen of the guard.

The warrant upon which they were received by the constable of the Tower, was to the following effect:--

“You are hereby required to receive into your custody, Arthur Thistlewood [then followed the names of the other prisoners] who stand charged with high treason, and them safely to keep till discharged by due course of law, for which this shall be your sufficient authority.”--Then followed the names of the privy-council, commencing with the Lord Chancellor, Earl Westmoreland, _&c._

This warrant was written on a sheet of foolscap paper, with a black border, and bore the official seal. It was accompanied by a private note to the constable, containing instructions as to the manner in which the prisoners were to be treated.

They were accordingly received by Captain Elrington, the major of the Tower, who, after some difficulty, from the shortness of the notice which he had received, succeeded in finding them secure apartments.

Each prisoner was placed in a separate apartment; two warders armed in the usual way, with cutlasses and halberds, were placed in each room; and at each door was stationed a sentinel armed, to whose care was intrusted the key of the room, with strict orders not to permit more than one warder to be absent at a time, and that only for occasional purposes.

Thistlewood was placed in the prison known by the name of the Bloody Tower.

Davidson was in the prison over the waterworks.

Ings in a different room of the same prison.

Monument in the prison at the back of the Horse-armory.

Brunt and Harrison occupied separate apartments in the prison over the Stone-kitchen.

Tidd was secured in the Seven-gun Battery prison, and Wilson in the prison over the parade.

The prisoners were permitted to have, by the indulgence of the law, what is called state allowance, for their daily maintenance, which, to such wretched poverty as theirs, must have made even their awful situation, as compared with their confinement in Coldbath-fields, a change for the better.

The number of warders sufficient to do the ordinary duty of the Tower is ten; but, as soon as the command for preparing the prisons reached the proper quarter, directions were given to increase the number of warders to sixty.

The iron gate at the east end of the Tower was closed on the arrival of the prisoners as usual upon such occasions.

Immediately after the departure of the delinquents charged with the crime of high treason, from the Secretary of State’s office, Mr. Adkins, the Keeper of the House of Correction, in Coldbath-fields, was informed that six of the remaining prisoners were to be consigned to his custody, namely--Bradburn, Strange, Firth, Gilchrist, Hall, and Cooper. These men were then brought out, and escorted to Coldbath-fields prison, under circumstances precisely similar to those which had attended those who had gone to the Tower. They were accompanied by Mr. Silvester, a King’s Messenger, to whom the warrant for their commitment, similar to the one addressed to the Constable of the Tower, was intrusted, and several officers of the police, and by an escort of the Life-Guards.

Mr. Adkins, the Governor of the House of Correction, was asked if he had got the Coroner’s warrant for the commitment of the men pronounced by the Coroner’s Jury to have been guilty of the wilful murder of Smithers? He answered in the negative. No such warrant had been transmitted to him by Mr. Stirling. A messenger was then despatched to the coroner, who had omitted to make out the warrant, and he waited while it was prepared in the usual form.

Simmonds, the footman, and Preston, were remanded to the custody of Mr. Nodder, the governor of Tothill-fields prison, and were taken there in a hackney-coach; and thus ended the final examination of the conspirators by the Privy-Council.

In addition to the gang taken at Cato-street, and the subsequent arrests which we have already recorded, a young man, named ROBERT GEORGE, was apprehended, who was with good reason, suspected of being one of that gang, and whose discovery and apprehension arose out of the following extraordinary circumstances:

At the time the coroner’s inquest was sitting on the body of the murdered Smithers, Perry, the conductor of the patrol, who was then in attendance, was called out by two soldiers, who informed him, that on that day they had been informed by a boy, that he had discovered a depository of fire-arms and deadly weapons in an extraordinary way, by his having been at play in Chapel-street, Paddington, and losing a marble behind some building in that street. He went behind the house of Mr. George, a haberdasher and tailor, in search of the marble, and seeing in a closet some fire-arms, a sword, _&c._, he mentioned it to the soldiers.

Upon this intimation Perry hastened to the spot as soon as possible, and found a narrow passage leading to the back of Mr. George’s premises, and also a closet fastened by a staple, situate under a staircase, which answered the description of the information he had received where the fire-arms and deadly weapons were deposited. Perry inquired to whom the closet belonged, and was informed that it belonged to Mr. George, the tailor and haberdasher. Mrs. George soon appeared, of whom Perry also inquired how the closet became fastened, when Mrs. George informed him that she had fastened it in consequence of the wind blowing it open. He desired her to produce the instrument with which she had fastened the staple, which, on being produced, resembled a hammer, and with which she also unfastened it.

On the door being opened, Perry discovered a musket, a bayonet, a pistol, sword, powder, and balls. He then inquired if those articles belonged to them, and the mother denied that they did. The daughter, who was present during the investigation, wrung her hands, and appeared greatly distressed. Perry then proceeded into the house, and found Mr. George employed in his business of a tailor, who also denied any knowledge of the fire-arms and deadly weapons, and admitted that his son occupied a house on the opposite side of the street, and might have deposited the fire-arms, _&c._, in that place.

On inquiry it was ascertained, that the son had absconded since the night of the meeting in Cato-street. Perry desired that Mr. George would attend at the office, and he himself accompanied Mrs. George and her daughter. On their arrival at the office, they underwent private examinations before Mr. Birnie, but nothing appeared which could criminate any of them; but strong suspicions existed that their son, Robert George, was present at the Cato-street meeting, at the time Thistlewood murdered Smithers.

From that time the officers had used every vigilance in endeavouring to trace him out. Ruthven and Salmon received information of his being concealed at a house in Goswell-street, whither they repaired, but were unsuccessful in finding him. They nevertheless had discovered that his anxiety to leave this country was so great, that he had offered himself to be engaged in any capacity whatever, in any vessel going to the East-Indies; they also learned that, having before been a seafaring man, he had succeeded in engaging himself as a servant on board an Indiaman; and their exertions were so great, that they gained intelligence, on which they could rely, that the last place he would be at, previous to leaving London, would be the Dundee Arms, Wapping, near the Commercial Road, where they went and waited, having no doubt but he would be there to start by the boat for Gravesend on Sunday, the 5th of March, from which latter place the Indiamen were to sail on the following day. They waited there till about seven o’clock, at which time Robert George entered the house. He inquired for the Gravesend boat, and was informed that it had sailed a few minutes previous. On receiving that information, he appeared extremely agitated and disappointed: he called for some brandy and water, and seated himself.

During this time Ruthven and Salmon had satisfied themselves beyond a doubt of his identity, and having had reason to believe that he would be fully prepared with arms for a desperate resistance, Salmon watched an opportunity, when he instantly rushed upon him, and, presenting a pistol to his head, exclaimed, “If you offer to stir, I will fire.” Ruthven then handcuffed and properly secured him. On searching him they, however, found that he was not prepared with any arms, and his luggage consisted only of his clothes. The officers placed him in a hackney-coach, and lodged him in Covent-garden watch-house.

During the following day they made diligent inquiry as to the manner in which he had disposed of his time since his escape from Cato-street, when they learned that a lodging had been procured for him in Earl-street, Bricklane. They also traced out his brother, who lived in that neighbourhood, who denied any knowledge of his place of residence; but the officers discovered that the brother had actually procured the said lodging for him, and in his possession they found a large thick stick, at the bottom of which was a thick iron ferrule, about two inches long, which was hollow at one end, and appeared calculated to receive a pike or dagger, which he acknowledged to have received of his brother George, on his parting with him on Sunday evening, previous to his entering the Dundee Arms.

On searching Robert George’s lodgings in Earl-street, they did not discover any thing of a serious or dangerous nature. The prisoner underwent a private examination before Mr. Birnie, which was reported to the Secretary of State’s office for the Home Department; no orders were, however, sent for his conveyance there, and therefore a commitment was made out for the prisoner, Robert George, to the House of Correction, on a charge of high treason, whither he was conveyed in a hackney-coach, in the custody of Mr. Atkins, the governor of that prison, Perry, who was originally in the pursuit of him, and one of the patrol.

Before entering on the trial of the notorious ARTHUR THISTLEWOOD, for the double crime of high treason and murder, for which we have traced his commitment on the clearest and most satisfactory evidence possible, we shall present the reader with a brief sketch of his early life, and some particulars of his conduct after his arrest.

Thistlewood was a native of Horncastle, in Lincolnshire, and was born in the year 1770; his father was land-steward to an ancient family in that neighbourhood; he was placed at an early period of life with an eminent English school-master, to be educated as a land-surveyor. This pursuit in life he afterwards declined following, and at the age of twenty-one became a lieutenant in a militia regiment; soon after this, he married a young lady, of the name of Bruce, residing near Bawtry, in Yorkshire, who was possessed of property amounting to 300_l._ per annum. Thistlewood resigned his commission in the militia, and obtained another in a marching regiment, with which he went, at the commencement of the revolutionary war, to the West Indies, where he soon gave up his commission in it, and afterwards proceeded to America; there he resided for some time, when he obtained a passport for France, and arrived there shortly after the downfall of Robespierre. He became initiated in all the doctrines and sentiments of the French Revolutionists, and at the peace of Amiens returned to England, when he became acquainted with the disaffected in his native country; since which his whole life, it seems, has been spent in seeking opportunities to overthrow its constitution.

From the period of his release after his former indictment for high treason, the Government had taken care to have all his actions watched, and his movements traced; but even with all this precaution, it is possible that the diabolical scheme, of which he was evidently the author and chief mover, would have been carried into effect, had it not been for the remorse of the man who made the disclosure to Lord Harrowby.

One night, during his confinement in Coldbath-fields prison, the following remarkable occurrence took place in the cell of Thistlewood. In the course of the evening, Mr. Adkins, the governor, sat with him a short time, and conversed with him on general topics. He was very communicative on the subject of the different prisons in which he had been confined. He spoke of Horsham as being extremely strict, and observed, that the rules laid down for the management of the prison were observed to the letter, without any reference to the rank of the party confined. He gave the preference to the Tower as a place of incarceration. The usual hour for locking up having arrived, he was left to the society of his usual companions. He soon retired to rest. His mind seemed restless, but, after some time, he fell into a profound sleep--thus he continued awhile, when he became evidently agitated--at last he exclaimed, with a sort of convulsive shriek, “Ha! I’ve got you now!” and then, becoming more strangely disturbed, he awoke in a sort of phrensy: for a moment he did not seem to recollect where he was; but, on seeing his companions with their eyes fixed upon him, he affected to laugh, and said, “What strange things one thinks of in one’s sleep.” He remained awake for a considerable time, and, at length sunk again into an unquiet slumber.

On the subject of his arrest he spoke freely before his final commitment, declaring that he knew the man by whose instrumentality he was taken, and that he was with him that morning, and was the only man who knew of his retreat. He added that but for the people in the house, the patrol who arrested him in White-street, and his brother officers should have fallen. His companions said, “Why you had no arms; how could you have effected their destruction?” “Ah!” he replied, “they thought they were very cunning; but cunning as they were, they were not cunning enough.”

This was but a vain boast; for, at the moment the officer seized him, he was evidently paralized. He shewed no disposition to resist. No arms were found in the room, with which he could defend himself, and when he was carried off to Bow-street, six officers were left behind to search every hole and corner in the house. This they did, and found nothing to warrant an opinion that he was capable of making a formidable resistance.

It is, however, rather a suspicious circumstance, that while the officers were engaged in securing their prisoner, the landlady, Mrs. Harris, slipped out, and gave an intimation of what was occurring to her husband, who was a type-founder in the manufactory of Messrs. Caslon. From that time he has been “out of the way.” It was ascertained that he was the manufacturer of all the bullets found upon the conspirators. A warrant was issued for his apprehension.

The officers are satisfied that the arms which Thistlewood had in Cato-street have not been found, and imagine that he deposited them with some friend. It is a matter of surprise, that in getting rid of these evidences of his guilt, he should have kept in his possession the black belt which was seen round his waist in the loft, and which, with some ball cartridges, was found in his pocket in White-street.