The jury, after retiring about twenty minutes, brought in a verdict of
“Guilty.” The foreman then said, that he had been desired by his brother
jurors to express the horror they felt at the conduct of Mr. Scott; and
to say, that, in their opinion, he ought to have been placed at the bar
along with the prisoners. Mr. Justice Vaughan said, he quite agreed with
the jury as regarded Mr. Scott. Mr. Chambers said, he was instructed by
the brother of the deceased, who had felt it his duty to institute this
prosecution, to recommend the prisoners to mercy, on account of the
excellent character they had received. Mr. Justice Vaughan said, the
recommendation should be attended to; but for the present the Court
would order, that sentence of death should be recorded against the
prisoners, and they would from that understand that their lives would be
spared. The sentence of death was afterwards commuted to twelve months’
imprisonment in Guildford gaol; the last month to be passed in solitary
confinement. Eliot and Broughton had escaped abroad. The parties
appealing to this barbarous code of refined honour could, apparently,
claim only a very doubtful gentility. Eliot was the nephew of an
innkeeper at Taunton, and recently an officer in the British Auxiliary
Legion in Spain; Mirfin was the son of a mercer at Doncaster, and had
kept a linen-draper’s shop in Tottenham-court Road; and Young was the
son of a brick-maker at Haddenham, near Aylesbury. The disgusting
exhibition at Wimbledon in this case is believed to have done much to
bring the practice of duelling into ridicule and detestation.
BETWEEN THE MARQUIS OF LONDONDERRY AND MR. GRATTAN.
January 13, 1839.
In consequence of some expressions which were made use of by the Marquis
of Londonderry in the House of Lords, in reference to a speech reported
to have been made by Mr. Henry Grattan at a public meeting in Dublin,
Mr. Grattan addressed a letter of inquiry to the Marquis, to which the
following answer was returned:—
“Holdernesse House, June 12.
“Lord Londonderry presents his compliments to Mr. Henry Grattan. Lord
Londonderry read, in his place in the House of Lords, an extract from
the reports of the newspapers of a speech of Mr. O’Connell’s, stated to
have been made at a public meeting in Dublin, to address the Queen; in
which accusations were made against that party to which Lord Londonderry
is proud to belong. The paragraph Lord L. cited is as follows:—‘Mr.
Grattan had said, that her Majesty’s life would not be safe if the
Tories came into power; and he (Mr. O’Connell) declared solemnly he was
convinced she would not live six months, if that event took place.’ Lord
Londonderry at once admits, if these sentiments are accurately reported,
accusing the Tory party of the intention of murdering the Queen, he
considers them as base and infamous. It was to such accusations Lord
Londonderry’s epithets applied.”