The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
The officers of the society were to be known only by "f_a_ctitious
(_sic_) names." Thus, among the presidents were those of Gowrie,
Justinian, Aloman, Colsman, Kenneth, and Godfrey; Hannibal and Ethelred
were on the council; Anthony, Augustus, and Frederic were among the
generals; Louis and Amadeus among the captains; and Hercules, Neptune,
and Mars among the lieutenants of the association. The various grades
were distinguished by cockades and bows of different colours. The
society was supposed to meet regularly, and its proceedings, together
with the speeches made, were duly recorded. With Oxford's other papers
were found letters from the secretary, written as it seemed by Oxford to
himself, after the manner of Mr. Toots, all of which declared their
approval of the commander-in-chief. One expressed pleasure that Oxford
improved so much in speaking, and declared that his (Oxford's) speech
the last time "was beautiful." This letter went on to say that a new
member had been introduced by Lieut. Mars, "a fine, tall, gentlemanly
young man, and it is said that he is a military officer, but his name
has not yet transpired. Soon after he was introduced we were alarmed by
a violent knocking at the door; in an instant our faces were covered, we
cocked our pistols, and with drawn swords stood waiting to receive the
enemy. While one stood over the fire with the papers, another stood with
lighted torch to fire the house. We then sent the old woman to open the
door, and it proved to be some little boys who had knocked and ran
away." Another letter directed Oxford to attend an extraordinary meeting
of "Young England" in consequence of having received some information of
an important nature from Hanover. "You must attend; and if your master
will not give you leave, you must come in defiance of him."
No serious importance could be attached to these, the manifest
inventions of a disordered intellect. The whole of the evidence pointed
so strongly towards insanity, that the jury brought in a verdict of
acquittal on that ground, and Oxford was ordered to be detained during
Her Majesty's pleasure. He went from Newgate first to Bethlehem, from
which he was removed to Broadmoor on the opening of the great criminal
lunatic asylum at that place. He was released from Broadmoor in 1878,
and went abroad.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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