The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 1 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 1 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
_John Williams._ Was with Bennett and Tubby at the
constable’s desire to take Mr. Rogers, but ordered them not
to shoot without necessity; about sixty yards off the house
saw Tubby on his knee, almost before he heard the report of
the gun; immediately saw Rogers in the window with a gun in
his hand; thought Rogers was gone out of his house. Tubby
cried, “Lord! Lord!” and fell down. Another gun fired, and
he crept away through the hedge.
_Henry Thomas._ Saw Rogers on 16th March, with a gun, walk
by the dead body forwards and backwards. Said, “Here lies
the black Bill.”
_Henry James._ Was called to assist William John the
constable the Sunday that Tubby lay dead at Skewis; saw the
prisoner with a gun within twelve feet of the body. Prisoner
said, “Sir Andrew, thou didst make thy brag last Sunday that
thou wouldst lend me a brace of bullets, but I think I have
paid thee.” Asked them to come in and drink a dram; refused.
He said, “If he would, he would make them come into the
castle.” They went away, and we retired. Rogers stood in the
lane with a gun in his hand, bid them turn in; said, Sir
John St. Aubyn would be angry if they had any thing to do
with any body in the house. He said, “Damn them, if they did
not he would shoot them.” Asked, if they knew who killed the
man? “No.” Said, “There was a black man lay dead in the
moor, if any body would own him they should have him. I have
the bill;” produced the gun; “Damn him, if they don’t come
and own him, I’ll cut off his head and stick it on the
chimney.”
_James Fall._ Heard the gun go off. Heard somebody say,
“Take up the man.” He ran out, and Rogers looked out of his
window, asked, what he was going for? said, “To see what you
have done; you will be hanged at last.” Said, “If you do not
go back, I will shoot you too.” Said to him, “Did not I tell
you to tell Sir John, that I would take them off as he would
fetch them.” He said “fetch them?”
_Prisoner._ That these people followed him and endeavoured
to shoot him.
Verdict, guilty.
An addition which appears to have been made to a charge
delivered by Lord Hardwicke, Chief Justice on Western
Circuit in 1735.
Of the truth of this observation and of the pernicious
consequences of lawless force, you of this country have
lately had a flagrant but an instructive instance. In that
you have seen from what small springs a torrent of violence
may arise. How people once engaged in such practices, go on
from invading the property, to taking away the lives of
their fellow subjects; and from an obstinate contemptuous
opposition to the regular decisions of the ordinary Courts
of Justice, they advance almost to open rebellion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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