Old times : $b A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth centuryAshton, John
History
Old times : $b A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth century
Ashton, John
Great Britain -- Social life and customs
He pleaded not guilty, and was defended by counsel. The case of Miss
Porter was then gone into, and the evidence, as already detailed, was
adduced. For the defence, he called his master, Mr. Michell, who swore
that he was at work till twelve, on the night of the 18th of January,
and did not quit his house till after supper at half-past twelve,
which was also substantiated by the witness of his sister, Miss
Michell, Catherine, and Molly Harmond, and two of the workwomen,
besides a customer: and ten witnesses were called as to character. The
judge summed up very favourably for the prisoner, but the jury,
without hesitation, found him guilty. The judge said, as this was a
new case, and he had some doubts as to the indictment, he would
respite judgment until he had laid the case before the twelve judges.
So this, and the other indictments, were put off until the December
Sessions.
There were many accounts of the trial, and numerous portraits were
published of Williams, who was by no means bad-looking, thin and pale,
with powdered hair "en queue."
The caricaturists took the matter up, and treated the matter as a
joke, recommending ladies to have copper petticoats, &c.
But the most awful picture is that of "The Monster going to take his
afternoon luncheon," where he is depicted as a terrible being about to
devour a pretty girl--but the caricaturist shows us, kindly, "the
Monster disappointed of his afternoon luncheon," in which engraving,
he has a double shot--one at the somewhat delicate subject of the
"dress improver" of the day, and the other, how this fashion might be
utilised to baffle the Monster of his intended meal.
There was the usual newspaper correspondents' wrangle, in which, of
course, it was unpopular to advance any argument in favour of the
Monster. Indeed, _The World_, of October 16th, says: "Writing a
defence of the Monster carries with it more serious consequences than
people are at first aware of, because it would appear as if publishing
accounts, in the newspapers, or otherwise, could really justify
atrocious acts. As Junius has said: 'The people at large are never
mistaken in their sentiments, and, if they have formed an opinion,
there is no taking them out of it by misrepresentation.'" That there
was an opinion in his favour is not only evidenced by this, but at the
City Debates, Capel Court, Bartholomew Lane, the question was debated
on July 12: "Did the late extraordinary conduct ascribed to Renwick
Williams (commonly called the Monster) originate in an unfortunate
insanity, a diabolical inclination to injure the fair part of the
creation, or the groundless apprehension of some mistaken females?"
[Illustration: Protection from the MONSTER.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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