An Authentic History of the Cato-Street Conspiracy: With the trials at large of the conspirators, for high treason and murder, a description of their weapons and combustible machines, and every particular connected with the rise, progress, discovery, and termination of the horrid plotWilkinson, George Theodore
History
An Authentic History of the Cato-Street Conspiracy: With the trials at large of the conspirators, for high treason and murder, a description of their weapons and combustible machines, and every particular connected with the rise, progress, discovery, and termination of the horrid plot
Wilkinson, George Theodore
Cato Street Conspiracy, 1820; Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Thistlewood, Arthur, 1770-1820 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London; Trials (Treason) -- England -- London
The large grenade weighs fourteen or fifteen pounds. It is a canister
strongly bound with tarred rope. It is not circular. A number of
pistols, swords, cartridges, and bullets, were also found in the room.
No person but Thistlewood offered violence before the candles were
put out. There were likewise found in the room about three dozen of
weapons, which resembled a sort of bayonet. The bottom part had not
a socket like a bayonet, but a screw to fasten into a stick. I found
also a dozen of sticks, formed for the purpose of being fitted to those
bayonets.
The bayonets appeared to be newly made. They are very rough, and not
at all brightened or polished. The balls I picked up in the room were
not fired from pistols. If they had, they would have been flattened; I
desired the men to pick the arms up, and each man to keep safely what
he found: in consequence, some were in the possession of one man, and
some in that of another; two or three muskets were either found in the
room, or else taken from some of the persons who had been apprehended.
The party had no notice but what I gave that we were officers.
The deposition of this witness having been read over to, and signed by,
him,
JAMES ELLIS was next called.--Having been sworn, he stated, I live at
No. 22, Paradise-row, Palmer’s-village, St. Margaret’s, Westminster,
and am an officer belonging to the Bow-street patrol. I am also a
constable. On Wednesday night last, about half-past seven o’clock, Mr.
Stafford, the chief clerk at Bow-street, directed me to take Richard
Smithers, John Surman, and William Gibbs, and to proceed in a coach
with them to John-street, Edgeware-road, as fast as possible, there
to meet Mr. Birnie, who would give us further orders. We did so; and
when we arrived at the spot, we found Mr. Birnie waiting. He inquired
whether we had seen any thing of the military. We told him we had
not. He said he expected them every minute. In about twenty minutes
Mr. Birnie called us together. Some inquiries were made, but I don’t
know of whom, as to what number were likely to be in the room to which
we were going, and whether Arthur Thistlewood was to be there. Mr.
Birnie gave me a warrant, signed by Mr. Baker, of Marlborough-street,
to apprehend Arthur Thistlewood and thirteen other persons named in
it. I have not the warrant; I have given it to Mr. Baker. On our
being called together, and Mr. Birnie being given to understand that
Thistlewood and others were in the room, he asked how many there might
be present, and was informed that there was about a dozen. He then
inquired how many there were of us. We told him about a dozen also. He
said he had been disappointed in the soldiers, who had perhaps missed
their way, and were half an hour too late, and that we must proceed to
apprehend the parties. We said we would do the best we could. Smithers
observed, if there were forty of them we would secure them. Mr. Birnie
then directed me to call Ruthven, another officer, out of the Horse
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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