Clowns -- Great Britain -- Biography; Grimaldi, Joseph, 1779-1837
"I should here perhaps mention, that I felt some apprehension, lest
the prosecutor's Counsel should endeavour, in the cross-examination
of Mr. Grimaldi, to throw him off his guard, by insinuating that his
acquaintance with me was disreputable, and exert their abilities to
make him appear ridiculous; therefore, on our way down, I hinted my
fears, and begged him, for God's sake, to keep his temper, to answer
every question with calmness and propriety, and not to be irritated
by any interrogatories of counsel; to which he answered, 'Whatever
were your transactions previous to my acquaintance I know not; but
certainly I never observed anything improper in your conduct; nor did
I, till this unfortunate affair, hear anything to your disadvantage:
but admitting you to be the vilest character on earth, I am bound, as a
man and a Christian, to speak the truth; and I should consider myself
highly culpable if I withheld my testimony, when, by giving it, I might
prevent an innocent man from losing his life. I am going to assert
nothing but the truth, to do which can dishonour no man. I assure you I
am too much impressed with a sense of your unfortunate situation to be
otherwise than serious; and I trust those who hear me will be properly
satisfied, that I know my duty when giving testimony in a court of
justice, as well as when performing before an audience at a public
theatre.' These were his observations, and he fully verified them.
"Mrs. Grimaldi was next called, and confirmed the testimony of her
husband in every particular.
"Mr. Dauncey, the counsel for the prosecution, in his opening speech,
had mentioned that I kept houses of a certain description, and
endeavoured to impress the minds of the jury with a belief that no
credit was to be given to any witness who could visit or associate with
me. He even said it was material to consider whether I and my witnesses
were not guilty of a foul conspiracy to defeat justice; and in order
to lessen the effect of Mr. and Mrs. Grimaldi's evidence, they were
interrogated by the prosecutor's counsel as to their knowledge of my
keeping disorderly houses, which they most positively, and with truth,
denied.
"Mr. Justice Graham, in addressing the jury, told them he conceived
they must entertain the same opinion with himself, that the witnesses
for the prosecution had mistaken Mackoull for the person who had
committed the offences, and if so, it would be unnecessary for him to
sum up the evidence. The jury instantly expressed their concurrence
with the opinion of the judge; and, after a trial of nine hours,
Mackoull was pronounced--Not guilty.
"How impotent now appeared the whole phalanx of my opponent. During the
examination of Mr. and Mrs. Grimaldi, young Millar was in the outer
hall taunting the rest of my witnesses. He said 'he should soon do away
with their evidence, and that, when he was called, it would be all over
with me.' When Mrs. Grimaldi came out of court he personally insulted
her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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