theotherladsoftheneighbourhoodhehadgoneroundwithamob，andhe
wasfoundguilty，withJosephMason，ofextortingmoneyfromWilliamdowden。
Forthishemighthavegotoffwithtransportationforlife，butanother
chargewaspreferredagainsthim。Mr。WilliamBinghamBaring，J。P。，tried，
withthehelpofsomeofhisservants，toquellariotatNorthingdondown
Farm。Silcock，whoseemedtheleaderoftherioters，declaredthattheywould
breakeverymachine。BinghamBaringmadeSilcockrepeatthesewordsseveral
timesandthenseizedhim。CookthenaimedablowatBinghamBaringwith
asledge-hammerandstruckhishat。Sofartherewasnodisputeastowhat
hadhappened。OneservantoftheBaringsgaveevidencetotheeffectthat
hehadsavedhismaster’slifebypreventingCookfromstrikingagain；another
afterwardsputinasworndepositiontotheeffectthatCookneverattempted
tostrikeasecondblow。AllwitnessesagreedthatBinghamBaring’shathad
sufferedseverely；someofthemsaidthathehimselfhadbeenfelledtothe
ground。Whateverhisinjuriesmayhavebeen，hewasseenoutafewhours
later，apparentlyinperfecthealth；nextdayhewaswalkingthestreets
ofWinchester；twodayslaterhewaspresentedatCourt，andwithinaweek
hewasstrongenoughtoadministerasharpblowhimselfwithhisstickto
ahandcuffcdandunconvictedprisoner，adisplayofzealforwhichhehad
topay£；50。Cookdidnotputupanydefence。Hewassentencedtodeath。
Perhapsitwasfeltthatthisvictimtojusticewasinsomerespectsill
chosen，forreasonsforseverityweresooninvented。Hewasaheavy，stolid，
unattractiveboy，andhisappearancewastakentoindicateabrutalandvicious
disposition。Storiesofhiscrueltiestoanimalswerespreadabroad。’The
fateofHenryCook，’saidtheTimescorrespondent(3rdJanuary1831)，
’excitesnocommiseration。FromeverythingIhaveheardofhim，justicehas
seldommetwithamoreappropriatesacrifice。Heshedsometearsshortly
afterhearinghisdoom，buthassincerelapsedintoabrutalinsensibility
tohisfate。’Hisagewasraisedtothirty，hiswagesto30s。aweek。Denman
describedhimintheHouseofCommons，afterhisexecution，asacarpenter
earning30s。aweek，whohadstruckdownoneofthefamilyofhisbenefactor，
andhadonlybeenpreventedfromkillinghisvictimbytheinterposition
ofamorefaithfulindividual。Thisistheepitaphwrittenonthisobscure
ploughboyofnineteenbytheupperclasses。Hisownfellows，whoprobably
knewhimatleastaswellasaDenmanoraBaring，regardedhispunishment
asmurder。CobbetttellsusthatthelabourersofMicheldeversubscribed
theirpenniestogetDenman’smisstatementsaboutCooktakenoutofthenewspapers。
Whenhisbodywasbroughthomeafterexecution，thewholeparishwentout
tomeetit，andhewasburiedinMicheldeverchurchyardinsolemnsilence。
BinghamBaringhimself，ashasbeenmentioned，happenedtooffendagainst
thelawbyanactofviolenceatthistime。HewasnotlikeCook，astarving
boy，butthesonofamanwhowasreputedtohavemadesevenmillionsof
money，andwascalledbyErskinethefirstmerchantinEurope。Hedidnot
strikehisvictiminariot，butincoldblood。Hisvictimcouldnotdefend
himself，forhewashandcuffed。ThemanstruckwasaMr。Deacle，asmall
farmerwhohadhadhisownthreshingmachinebroken，andwasafterwardsarrested
withhiswife，byBinghamBaringandaposseofmagistrates，onsuspicion
ofencouragingtherioters。deacle’sstorywasthatBaringandtheother
magistratesconcernedinthearresttreatedhiswifewithgreatinsolence
inthecartinwhichtheydrovetheDeaclestoprison，andthatBinghamBaring
furtherstruckhimwithastick。Forthisdeaclegot£；50damagesin
anactionhebroughtagainstBaring。’Thisverdict，’saidtheMorning
Herald，’seemedtoexcitethegreatestastonishment；formostofthe
BarandalmosteveryoneinCourtsaid，ifonthejury，theywouldhavegiven
atleast£；5000forsogrossandwantonaninsultandunfeelingconduct
towardsthosewhohadnotofferedtheleastresistance；thedefendantsnot
addressingtheslightestevidenceinpalliationorattemptingtojustify
it。’Thejudge，insummingup，’couldnothelpremarkingthatthehandcuffing
was，tosaytheleastofit，averyharshproceedingtowardsaladyandgentleman
whohadbeenperfectlycivilandquiet。’Meanwhilethecaseofthemagistrates
againsttheDeacleshadcollapsedinthemostingloriousmanner。Thoughthey
hadhandcuffedthesetwounresistingpeople，theyhadthoughtitwisernot
toproceedagainstthem。Deacle，however，insistedonbeingtried，andby
threateningthemagistrateswithanaction，heobligedthemtoprosecute。
HewastriedattheAssizes，and，aswehaveseen，thetrialcametoanabrupt
conclusionundercircumstancesthatthrewthegravestsuspiciononthemethods
oftheauthorities。Meanwhilethetreatmentthesetwopersonshadreceived
(andwecanimaginefromtheirstoryhowinnocentpoorpeople，withoutfriends
orposition，werehandled)hadexcitedgreatindignation，andthenewspapers
werefullofit。TherewerepetitionssentuptoParliamentforaCommittee
ofInquiry。NowtheclasstowhichCookwasunluckyenoughtobelonghad
neversentasinglemembertoParliament，buttheBaringfamilyhadfive
MembersintheHouseofCommonsatthisverymoment，oneofwhomhadtaken
partwithBinghamBaringintheviolentarrestoftheDeacles。Thefive，
moreover，wereveryhappilydistributed，oneofthembeingJuniorLordof
theTreasuryinGrey’sGovernmentandhusbandofGrey’sniece，andanother
animportantmemberoftheOppositionandafterwardsChancelloroftheExchequer
underPeel。TheBaringthereforewereinlessdangerofmisrepresentation
ormisunderstanding；themotionforaCommitteewasrejectedbyagreatmajority
ontheadviceofAlthorpandPeel；theleaderoftheHouseofCommonscame
forwardtotestifythattheBaringwerefriendsofhis，andthediscussion
endedinachorusofpraiseforthefamilythathadbeenjudgedsoharshly
outsidethewallsofParliament。
WhentheSpecialCommissionhadfinisheditslaboursatWinchester，101
prisonershadbeencapitallyconvicted；ofthese6wereleftforexecution。
Theremaining95were，withfewexceptions，transportedforlife。Ofthe
otherprisonerstried，36weresentencedtotransportationforvariousperiods，
65wereimprisonedwithhardlabour，and67wereacquitted。Notasingle
lifehadbeentakenbytherioters，notasinglepersonwounded。Yetthe
riotsinthiscountyalonewerepunishedbymorethanahundredcapitalconvictions，
oralmostdoublethenumberthatfollowedthedevilishdoingsofLordGeorge
Gordon’smob。ThespiritinwhichDenmanregardedtheproceedingisillustrated
byhisspeechintheHouseofCommonsontheamnestydebate：’Nofewerthan
ahundredpersonswerecapitallyconvictedatWinchester，ofoffencesfor
everyoneofwhichtheirlivesmighthavebeenjustlytaken，andoughtto
havebeentaken，ifexamplestosuchanextenthadbeennecessary。(28*)
ThesesentencescamelikeathunderclaponthepeopleofWinchester，and
allclasses，exceptthemagistrates，joinedinpetitionstotheGovernment
formercy。TheTimescorrespondentwroteasfollows：——
’Winchester，FridayMorning，7thJan。
’Thescenesofdistressinandaboutthejailaremostterrible。Thenumber
ofmenwhoaretobetornfromtheirhomesandconnexionsissogreatthat
thereisscarcelyahamletinthecountyintowhichanguishandtribulation
havenotentered。Wives，sisters，mothers，children，besetthegatesdaily，
andthegovernorofthejailinformsmethatthescenesheisobligedto
witnessatthetimeoflockinguptheprisonaretrulyheartbreaking。
’Youwillhaveheardbeforethisofthepetitionswhichhavebeenpresented
totheHomeOfficefromGosport，Portsmouth，Romsey，Whitchurch，andBasingstoke，
prayingforanextensionofmercytoallthemenwhonowlieundersentence
ofdeath。Asimilarpetitionhasbeengotupinthiscity。Itissignedby
theclergyoftheLowChurch，someofthebankers，andeverytradesmanin
thetownwithoutexception。ApplicationwasmadetotheclergyoftheCathedral
fortheirsignatures，buttheyrefusedtogivethem，exceptconditionally，
uponreasonswhichIcannotcomprehend。Theytoldthepetitioners，asIam
informed，thattheywouldnotsignanysuchpetitionunlessthegrandjury
andthemagistracyofthecountypreviouslyaffixedtheirnamestoit。Now
suchananswer，asitappearstome，isanadmissionontheirpartthatno
mischiefwouldensuefromnotcarryingintoeffectthedreadfulsentence
ofthelaw；forIcannotconceivethatiftheywereofopinionthatmischief
wouldensuefromit，theywouldsignthepetition，eventhoughitwererecommended
byallthetalentandrespectabilityoftheCourtofquarterSessions。I
canunderstandtheprinciplesonwhichthatmanacts，whoassertsandlaments
thenecessityofvindicatingthemajestyofthelawbythesacrificeofhuman
life；butIcannotunderstandthereasonsofthosewho，admittingthatthere
isnonecessityfortheswordofjusticetostriketheoffender，decline
tocallupontheexecutivegovernmenttostayitsarm，andmaketheirapplication
foritsmercydependentonthejudgment，oritmaybethecaprice，ofan
influentialaristocracy。Surely，ofallclassesofsociety，theclergyis
thatwhichoughtnottobebackwardintheremissionofoffences。Theyare
dailypreachingmercytotheirflocks，anditwearsbutanillgracewhen
theyareseenrefusingtheirconsenttoapracticalapplicationoftheir
owndoctrines。Whatevermyownopinionmaybe，asafaithfulrecorderof
theopinionsofthosearoundme，Iamboundtoinformyou，that，exceptamong
themagistracyofthecounty，thereisageneral，Ihadalmostsaidauniversal，
opinionamongallranksofsociety，thatnogoodwillbeeffectedbysacrificing
humanlife。’(29*)
Thisoutburstofpublicopinionsavedthelivesoffourofthesixmen
whohadbeenleftforexecution。ThetwowhowerehungwereCooperandCook。
ButtheGovernmentandthejudgesweredeterminedthatthelessonsofcivilisation
shouldnotbewantinginimpressivenessorindignity。Theycompelledall
theprisonerswhohadbeencondemnedbytheCommissiontowitnessthelast
agoniesofthetwomenwhompublicopinionhadbeenunabletorescue。The
accountgivenintheTimesof17thJanuaryshowsthatthispieceof
refinedandspectaculardisciplinewasnotthrownaway，andthatthewretched
comradesofthemenwhowerehangedsufferedasacutelyasDenmanorAlderson
themselvescouldhavedesired。’AtthismomentIcastmyeyesdownintothe
felons’yard，andsawmanyoftheconvictsweepingbitterly，someburying
theirfacesintheirsmockfrocks，otherswringingtheirhandsconvulsively，
andothersleaningforsupportagainstthewalloftheyardandunableto
casttheireyesupwards。’ThiswasthelastvisionofEnglishjusticethat
eachlabourercarriedtohisdistantanddreadedservitude，ascenethat
wouldneverfadefromhismind。TherewasmuchthatEnglandhadnottaught
him。Shehadnottaughthimthattherichowedadutytothepoor，thatsociety
owedanysheltertothefreedomorthepropertyoftheweak，thatthemere
labourerhadashareintheState，orarighttobeconsideredinitslaws，
orthatitmatteredtohisrulersinwhatwretchednesshelivedorinwhat
wretchednesshedied。Butonelessonshehadtaughthimwithsuchsavage
powerthathissimplememorywouldnotforgetit，andifeverinanexile’s
gildingdreamshethoughtwithlongingofhisboyhood’sfamine-shadowedhome，
thatinexorabledawnwouldbreakagainbeforehisshrinkingeyesandhewould
thankGodforthewidewastesoftheillimitablesea。
TheSpecialCommissionforWiltshireopenedatSalisburyon2ndJanuary
1831。ThejudgeswerethesameasthoseatWinchester；theothercommissioners
wereLordRadnor，thefriendofCobbett，andMr。T。G。B。Estcourt。Lord
Lansdowne，theLord-Lieutenant，satonthebench。TheforemanoftheGrand
JurywasMr。JohnBenett，whohasalreadyfiguredinthesepagesastheproprietor
whosepropertywasdestroyedandthemagistratewhocommittedtheculprits。
Therewerethreehundredprisonersawaitingtrial。
ThemethodinwhichtheprosecutionswereconductedinWiltshire，though
itdidnotdifferfromtheprocedurefollowedinHampshireandelsewhere，
provokedsomecriticismfromthelawyers。Theprosecutionswereallmanaged
bythecountyauthorities。Theclerksofthecommittingmagistratesinthe
differentdistrictsfirsttookthedepositions，andthengotupalltheprosecutions
intheircapacityofsolicitorstothesamemagistratesprosecutingascounty
authorities，totheexclusionofthesolicitorsoftheindividualprosecutors。
Further，alltheprosecutionsweremanagedforthecountybyasinglebarrister，
whoassistedtheAttorney-Generalandleftnoopeningforothermembersof
theBar。Thecounselforoneoftheprisonersobjectedtothismethod，not
onlyonthegroundofitsunfairnesstothelegalprofession，butonthe
widergroundoftheinterestsofjustice。Foritwasinconsistentwiththe
impartialityrequiredfrommagistrateswhocommittedprisoners，thatthey
shouldgoontomixthemselvesupwiththemanagementoftheprosecution；
inmanycasesthesemagistratesservedagainasgrandjurorsintheproceedings
againsttheprisoners。Suchprocedure，heargued’wascalculatedtothrow
