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Wednesday 14 June 2017

14th June 1817: The Leeds Mercury exposes Oliver's role in the Folly Hall rising

PROJECTED INSURRECTION,
IN YORKSHIRE.

In the second edition of our last publication, we stated some particulars, which had just reached us, of a rumoured insurrection in this district, and also the arrest of ten persons near Dewsbury, on a charge of treasonable practices. We shall now proceed to lay before our readers all the information which we have been able to collect upon the subject, and our researches have been conducted with great diligence, with perfect impartiality, and with the most anxious wish to come at the truth. We shall first shortly state what appears to have been the object and extent of the plot, and then detail those circumstances which either attended is development, or which have subsequently occurred. It appears, that almost immediately after the suppression of the Union Societies, establishing in different towns in this district for effecting a reform in Parliament, some of the most violent members associated together, in a private and clandestine manner. At these meetings it is supposed to have become a question for deliberation, whether a change in the representation might not be effected without the intervention of Parliament, and a project to effect this purpose appears to have been communicated to them by Mr. Oliver, who had been introduced to these Ultra Reformers by Mitchell, (a Delegate, now in custody,) as a person deserving their confidence, and not only disposed to communicate to them interesting information as to the state of the country, but able to afford them the most effectual assistance; thus recommended, he soon possessed himself of their unbounded confidence. This person is said to have represented to these credulous men, that all the people in the metropolis were favourable to a complete change in the Government, that every thing was organized, and that it was absolutely settled, that on the night preceding the trial of the state prisoners, (the night of the 8th June,) a general rising would take place; that as a consequence of this movement, all the public offices were to be taken possession of, all the constituted authorities seized, and the state prisoners released; and that a plan had also been arranged for securing all the military, by which means a change in the government would be effected, without any effusion of blood. It was further represented to them, that in order to carry into effect this bloodless revolution, it was absolutely necessary that the same plan should be simultaneously acted upon in all parts of the country; that it was therefore necessary, that on the night agreed upon, namely, on Sunday the 8th inst. all the military in every district of the kingdom should be secured in their quarters, their arms seized, and that the magistrates and other civil officers should be arrested and placed in a state of restraint, not merely that no opposition might be made to the designs of the insurgents, but that they might serve as hostages for the safety of such of their own party as might fall into the hands of government. This absurd and wicked project is said to have been entertained, and in some degree acted upon, by a number of individuals in different parts of this district; and a participation in this plot is alleged against the persons who were apprehended yesterday se’nnight, at Thornhill Lees, charged with having assembled there, for the purpose of carrying into immediate effect this daring and traitorous project. Our readers will probably infer, from this statement, that the person introducedd by Mitchell to the Ultra Reformers, was, in truth, a spy, and that every step taken towards the executions of this project, had been communicated to persons in authority, as the plot appears to have been known by some of the Magistrates for several weeks past. On Friday morning last, several of the Delegates, together with the informer, met at a public house, in this town, and proceeded in the direction of Dewsbury, and from thence to Thornhill Lees, where they had no sooner arrived at the house of rendesvous than they were surrounded by a detachment of Yeomanry Cavalry, and taken into custody. The following is a correct list of the names and places of residence of the persons apprehended:—

John Smaller, Shoemaker, Horbury, near Wakefield.
Thomas Murray, Flax-Weaver, Leeds.
James Mann, Cloth-Dresser, Leeds.
Thomas Wood, Clothier, Westgate Common, Wakefield.
Michael Waller, a Publican, and formerly keeper of the Yew Tree, Robert-Town.
Miles Illingworth, Carpenter, Manningham, near Bradford.
Benjamin Whitley, Cloth-Dresser, Holmfirth.
Edward Fletcher, Card-Maker, High-Town.
Joseph Midgley, Clothier, Almondbury.
William Walker, Clothier, Thornhill, near Dewsbury.

The prisoners were immediately conveyed in carriages, escorted by the Yeomanry Cavalry, to Wakefield, and lodged in the Court-House, where they were examined for several hours by Sir Francis Lindley Wood, Bart. Benjamin Dealtry, Esq, and other Magistrates there assembled. The examination was private; some circumstances have, however, transpired, which we shall state. It was asserted by one of the witnesses examined, that in a barn at Whitley, near the place of meeting, there were deposited one hundred pikes, and 50 stand of fire arms; it was further stated by the same witness, that in the house of John Smaller, of Horbury, would be found a quantity of ball cartridges. Messengers were instantly dispatched to search both these places, and it is important to state, that, on removing the straw in the barn, not a single pike or fire arm could be discovered, and it was the opinion of the person who searched the premises, the that straw had not been disturbed for a considerable time. That part of the evidence which related to the ball cartridges was also falsified, nothing of the kind having been found in the house of Smaller. We have introduced the result of these important searches in this place, though, in the order of the narrative, it ought to have been introduced somewhat later. The Court-House at Wakefield, was surrounded by an immense assemblage of persons during the whole of the examination. About eight o'clock the prisoners were remanded until Monday, to the House of Correction, for further examination. They were escorted by the cavalry, who were dismounted; the escort was attacked by the populace with stones, brick-bats, &c. thrown with great violence. The prisoners were, however, safely lodged in the House of Correction.

On Saturday, the succeeding day, two troops of the 13th regiment of Light Dragoons arrived in this town, from York, and that day and Sunday passed over without the slightest indication of insubordination, though not without alarm; for about midnight on Sunday, the town was thrown into the greatest consternation by the sounding for the Cavalry, who remained on duty at the Court-House all night, in consequence of some alarming reports which had reached the magistrates, (who were also at the Court-House,) of an intention to rescue the prisoners at Wakefield. An express was immediately sent there to call out the Yeomanry Cavalry, who instantly assembled and continued on duty all day. No attempts at release were made, and the day passed over at Wakefield in tranquillity. We regret, however, to state, that an attempt was made in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield, to assassinate one of the Yeomanry Cavalry, about one o'clock on Monday morning, by firing a loaded pistol, the ball of which lodged in the forehead of the horse belonging to Mr. Alexander, of Huddersfield, but the ball has been extracted, and the horse is likely to recover. We understand that an outrage of a similar nature, was committed the same night, at Ossett, a village near Dewsbury, where the house of a member of the Yeomanry Cavalry was beset by a number of persons who demanded his arms, and on his refusal to give them up, fired several shots into the house. Five persons have been apprehended at Huddersfield, and its neighbourhood, on a charge of being concerned in the former of these daring outrages.—They have since been committed to York Castle, on a charge of malicious firing: they passed through this place yesterday afternoon, accompanied by an escort of the Yeomanry Cavalry.

The following is a list their names and residence:

Abram Oldham, and John Oldham, of Honley.
Isaac Johnson, and Joshua Knowles, of Holmfirth.
John Rhodes, (late of Holbeck), Holmfirth.

The re-examination of the prisoners charged with High Treason, took place at the House of Correction, in Wakefield, on Monday, where the Magistrates were holding a special Session for enquiring into the state of that goal. The number of gentlemen on the Commission who attended on this occasion was uncommonly great, among others, were Sir F. L. Wood, Bart. Rev. W. R. Hay, (Chairman of the Manchester Sessions,) Rev. Wm. Wood, Benjamin Dealtry, Esq. and Benj Haigh Allen, Esq.: Wm. Prest, Esq. the Mayor of this borough, was also present. This examination was, in the strictest sense, private, as no person, except the Magistrates, was suffered to remain in the room during the discussion of this subject. The prisoners were merely examined pro forma; they were brought into the room separately, and informed that their former examination was deferred until the following Monday, until which time they were re-committed. No witnesses were examined affecting the prisoners, and the meeting might be might rather be termed a Committee of inquiry, than a meeting of Justices for the judicial examination of prisoners. It may be presumed from this unusually long adjournment of the examination, that no evidence has yet been given against the prisoners which can warrant their committal for High Treason, and it is probable the re-committal has been with the view of detaining them until instructions can be received from government as to their ultimate disposal. We understand some important papers have been found in the House James Mann, the Leeds Delegate. In using the term delegate, we do not mean to insinuate that these persons have been elected by any body of men whatever; there is no evidence of any such delegation, and the probability is, that they represent nobody but themselves. We think it right to make this remark, lest it should be supposed that they were delegated by the places where they appear to be resident, which would have given a very formidable aspect to this plot, and a degree of importance to which it is by no means entitled. The conspiracy appears to have been confined to a comparatively small number of persons, and was of a nature which the laws of the country afforded ample means to suppress. It appears also to have been of a very recent date, and to have originated in the injudicious, and we will add, unconstitutional measures adopted by Ministers to check the expression of the public feeling relative to a Reform in Parliament. It must be further remembered, that the account we have given of the plot must be considered in the nature of an ex-parte statement, and must rest for its credibility, very considerably, on the reliance which can be placed on the witnesses, who do not come before the public in a light which entitles them to much credit, and whose evidence has been materially broken in upon, by circumstances stated in the above account. It must be further recollected, that all the persons apprehended are of the lowest class of society, illiterate, and ill-informed, and liable to be the dupes of designing men. The great mass of the people are, we are convinced, free from any knowledge or concurrence in the plot. In short, when the whole is dispassionately considered, there appears no ground for that excessive panic and alarm which the first announcement of the plot produced, much less does it afford any legitimate ground for a renewed suspension of the Constitutional rights of the people.

We feel great satisfaction in having to state, that the most perfect tranquillity has prevailed here during the whole of the past week, and that the alarm which the announcement of so many plots had produced, has nearly subsided.

SECOND EDITION.

Since the first edition of our paper was prepared for the press, the highly important fact has been communicated to us, from a respectable quarter, that the plea referred to in the above statement, has been got up under the investigation of an agent from London, and that the principal offender has been suffered to escape with impunity. In confirmation of this fact, which was communicated to us at a late hour yesterday afternoon, we were referred to Mr. Willans, a bookseller, in Dewsbury. To develop a transaction so important, not only to the Government and the people of this country in general, but so intimately connected with the liberty and rights of the accused, we felt it to be our imperious duty to repair to Dewsbury, without a moment's delay, and there to ascertain, on the spot, the truth of the allegations.

As a precautionary measure, we drove to the house of one of the first merchant-manufacturers in the town, and Mr. Willans being sent for, he suggested, that in order to render the investigation complete, Mr. John Dickinson, a linen-draper in that place, should be invited to attend. This suggestion being adopted, Mr. Dickinson also attended, and the following is the result of our investigation into the mysterious transactions which further the subject of our inquiry:—

Mr. Willans stated, and the truth of his assertions he is willing to confirm by his solemn affirmation, that, about two months ago, a person of the name of Oliver, called upon him, and introduced himself as a Parliamentary Reformer, sent from London, to ascertain the dispositions of the people in the country. This man he describes as a person of genteel appearance and good address, nearly six feet high, of erect figure, light hair, red and rather large whiskers, and a full face, a little pitted with the small-pox. His usual dress, he says, was a light fashionable coloured brown coat, black waistcoat, dark blue mixture pantaloons, and Wellington boots. The description of such a character is important, and may form a clue to further discoveries, connected with his proceedings in other parts of the country.

Mr. Oliver, he says, called upon him several times after his first introduction, and in one of his subsequent calls, said, that as it was quite obvious that Government would not listen to the petitions of the people, it had now become necessary that they should be compelled to attend to their demands. These insinuations Mr. Willans silenced by the observation, that he could not engage in any proceeding that implied the use of force, or the shedding of human blood. On another occasion, Mr. Oliver told him, that he (Oliver) was one of a committee of five that effected the escape of young Watson, and that if Thistlewood had had equally prudent counsels, he would have also escaped. In fact, the whole tenor of Oliver’s conversation went to show that he had traitorous designs, and that he was in league with traitors.

Such conversation, as might be supposed, awaked Mr. Willan’s suspicions, and the intercourse between them had almost ceased, when, on Friday morning last, the day the ten persons were arrested at Thornhill Lees, near Dewsbury, he again called at Mr. Willan’s shop between 10 and 11 o'clock, and Mr. W. being absent on business, he begged that his wife would tell him, that a meeting of delegates was to be held that day, at Thornhill, and earnestly requested that she would use her influence to prevail upon her husband to attend. Before Oliver quitted Dewsbury to attend the meeting, he called again at the shop, when he found Mr. Willans had returned. He accordingly renewed his solicitations to Mr. W. to attend the meeting, telling him at the same time, that his friends in London, "were almost heart-broken that the people in the country were so quiet." At the same time he informed him, that he had walked over from Leeds that morning, and two person supposed to be Leeds men, appeared in his train. Unmoved by Oliver’s solicitations, Mr. Willans persisted in his resolution not to attend the meeting, and owing to his obstinacy, Dewsbury was prevented from swelling the number of deputies, so called.

At the appointed time, the meeting was held at Thornhill Lees, the toils being set, eleven deputies, Mr. Oliver being of the number, were taken by a detachment of cavalry, and all except Mr. Oliver, who had the good fortune to the liberated, were conveyed to Wakefield in custody.

While the examinations were proceeding at the Court-House, Mr. Oliver had repaired to his quarters, which were the Strafford Arms, that is, the head inn in Wakefield. Here, to his great consternation and confusion, he was recognized by Mr. John Dickinson, who had seen him at Dewsbury, and had heard that he was a leading man at the private meeting. Advancing up to Oliver, Mr. Dickinson addressed him, and the following conversation took place:

Mr. Dickinson. How does it happen, Mr. Oliver, that you, who appear to have taken so leading a part in the meetings, are at liberty, while your associates are likely to be sent in custody to London?

Mr. Oliver. No papers were found upon me, and being a stranger, the persons who apprehended us were obliged to set me at liberty.

These observations were made in a very hurried manner, and Mr. Oliver withdrew to take a seat in the Wakefield coach to Leeds.

As soon as Mr. Oliver had placed himself in the coach, a servant in livery stepped up to him, and, moving his hat, entered into conversation with him.

This circumstance, combined with the extraordinary reasons that Oliver had given for his liberation, induced Mr. Dickinson to inquire of the servant, after the coach had left the inn, if he knew that Gentleman? to which the servant replied, that he had seen him at Campsall, and he had driven him a few days before in his master’s tandem from that place to the Red-house to meet the coach. On receiving this information, Mr. Dickinson enquired who his master was? to which the servant replied, General Byng. He then left him, and asked Mr. Tyler, who keeps the Strafford Arms, if he knew Oliver? to which Mr. Tyler replied, that he had been there several times—that he believed he was from London—and that several London letters had come directed to him at that inn.

From every thing we have all heard of the character and conduct of General Byng, we are persuaded that he has been merely the medium for receiving Oliver's information, and that whoever may have employed this double-distilled traitor, the General has acted merely in the discharge of his official duty. But every circumstance we have just related, proves, that somebody has employed him, and the question is—who were his employers?

What the trade of this man may be, we cannot pretend to say—but that he is a Green Bag Maker by profession, is, we think, sufficiently obvious. Why such a wretch, the main spring master-piece of the conspiracy, by which the country has been thrown into its present state of alarm and agitation, was was suffered to escape, while the poor unfortunate victims of his machinations are held in confinement, is more than we can say; but the subject requires deep and grave investigation, and we call upon the magistrates of this riding, now that we have given them the clue, to go to the bottom of this nefarious transaction.

We asked this boon from them in support of their own character—we ask it from a regard to the character of the country—we ask it from a regard to the Government—we ask it in justice to the advocates of Parliamentary Reform—and above all, we conjure them to enter into this inquiry, from a regard to the families and the lives of the men at present in confinement, on the information of this prototype of Lucifer, whose distinguishing characteristic it is, first to temper and then to destroy.

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