no response, his loyalty to the cause was called in question and the fearful enquiry was solemnly made, "Is it safe that he should remain alive ?" A general cry in the affirmative went up from the ranks, and silence then prevailed for a brief period. Number seventeen to the front," called out the leader, and Hill stepped forward and stood before him. You command a party told off to collect arms to-night," said the leader. "I do," he replied. · See that Hartley goes with you. If he is not there, report." Hill, after saluting his commander, resumed his place in the ranks, and the drill commenced. The men are formed into columns; they march and retreat, break rank and regather until the chief, satisfied with their movements, calls them once more to form in a compact mass in front of him and then proceeds to address them in a wild harangue which stirs the blood of the men. In response to his rousing appeal they lift up their guns and pikes and the air is filled with their murmurs of approbation. When it is concluded they grasp their arms firmly, separate in silence, and wend their way with scowling brows to their homes. About a quarter of an hour after the drill was over, Hartley was startled out of his stupor by a stealthy knock at his door. His sick wife, who had heard the sound too often not to know its meaning, was strongly agitated, and a faint cry which betokened agony and terror escaped her lips as some half-dozen men filed into the little room. John Hill, the first that entered, appeared not to see the occupant of the bed. His eye fixed itself upon Hartley, who, pale and impassive as usual, had not raised his stony gaze from the fireless grate. Hill walked rapidly across the floor and putting his hand firmly upon the shoulder of the strangely silent man, hissed in his ear, "The roll has been called to-night and another black cross stands opposite thy name. Beware! or thy doom is fixed." Then unfolding a paper on which was a rough representation of a death's head resting on cross bones, he held it suspended before Hartley, who gazed at it fixedly, but his lips uttered no sound. Suddenly the silence was broken by a piercing cry and every eye was attracted by a painful spectacle. The sick woman had raised herself on her elbow and was gazing wildly at the dreadful symbols, the perspiration standing like great beads on her forehead. Hartley started to his feet and the lawless gang involuntarily gathered round the bed. Suddenly a pale frightened girl appeared on the scene crying piteously, Mother! Mother!" and kissing her wildly, she bathed her temples in cold water. The rough men, feeling this no place for them, silently made toward the door, and Hartley, after satisfying himself that the feeble pulse still beat, followed them. 66 Bring thy arms with thee," whispered Hill in his ear, we have work to do to-night." Hartley seemed as though he did not hear him and walked moodily on speaking to no one. Proceeding to a lonely house they demanded admittance. There being no response, Hill, who was armed with a gun, proceeded to strike the door savagely with the butt end, crying at the same time, 'Your arms, your arms! My master, General Ludd, has sent me for your arms." The alarmed master of the house sent an apprentice down stairs to give them up. The lad seems to have had some suspicions respecting the identity of some of the men who were in the kitchen, and may possibly have caught sight of Hartley, who, as we have said before, was unarmed and took no active part in the outrage. Joseph Carter, of Greetland, a worthless fellow, was also present, and finding afterwards that he was suspected and in danger of apprehension, turned king's evidence and basely betrayed his comrades. When the officers of justice came to arrest Hartley his wife was violently agitated at the sight of the poor man surrounded by his weeping children, and with a tremulous cry she fell back in what was supposed to be a swoon. Restoratives were administered but it was found that the weary troubled heart had ceased to beat and had laid down its heavy burden for ever. While the misguided father was carried to a felon's cell the stricken mother lay cold and still in the wretched hovel they had called their home. * * * * Several other minor offenders were captured about this time, but the murderers of Mr. Horsfall were still at large. Although the secret was well known to many of the Luddite confederates it was securely kept for several months. In this particular no secret regarding the assassination of an Irish landlord could have been better kept, notwithstanding the large reward offered and the great and increasing efforts made by constables, military, and magistrates to worm it out. Many had come to the conclusion that the assassins would never be discovered when a paragraph appeared in the Leeds Mercury of October 24th, 1812, which caused great excitement throughout the country. It ran as follows:-"A man has been taken up and examined before that indefatigable magistrate, Joseph Ratcliffe, Esq., and has given the most complete and satisfactory evidence of the murder of Mr. Horsfall. The villains charged have been frequently examined before but have always been discharged for want of sufficient evidence. The man charged behaved with the greatest effrontery till he saw the informer, when he changed colour and gasped for breath. When he came out of the room after hearing the informer's evidence, he exclaimed, Damn that fellow, he has done me." It appears that this man and another have been the chiefs in all the disgraceful transactions that have occured in this part of the country, especially at Rawfolds. This will lead to many more apprehensions." The informer was Benjamin Walker, one of the four engaged in the murder. He had been taken into custody along with Mellor a short time before, but no evidence could be brought against them of a serious character and they were both discharged. Soon after Walker heard Sowden read in the newspaper that a reward of £2,000 would be paid to any one not actually the murderer who would give such information as would lead to the conviction of the guilty parties, and resolving to secure the money and save his neck by confessing and turning informer against his old companions, he sent his mother to Mr. Ratcliffe, the magistrate, to make the offer. Upon the information given, George Mellor, William Thorpe, and Thomas Smith were apprehended. The reader will have no difficulty in discovering that Mellor was the person referred to in the paragraph just quoted from the Mercury, and that it was he and Thorpe that were discovered to be the ringleaders of the Luddites in this district. William Hall, of Parkin Hoyle, Liversedge, also turned informer, but he had to leave the village soon after the trials, as he did not consider his life to be safe. Of course the informers, by turning King's evidence, saved their own lives and secured the reward. Walker returned to live at Longroyd Bridge, and worked in the district for many years afterwards, but was generally disliked and avoided, the finger of scorn was pointed at him almost daily, and he was by many regarded with much the same feelings of detestation as the Irish regard one of their countrymen who turns informer. A fortnight after the apprehension of Mellor, Thorpe, and Smith, William Hall gave information to the authorities that led to the apprehension of Mark Hill, John Brook, Charles Cockroft, George Brooke, James Brook, John Walker, Joshua Schofield, John Hirst, and Charles Thornton. These were charged with having been concerned in the attack on Cartwright's mill at Rawfolds. Other arrests followed in rapid succession, and before the close of the year sixty-four persons charged with offences connected with disturbances in the West-Riding, were apprehended and lodged in York castle. The capture of the leaders cowed the Luddites, but acts of violence were still perpetrated at intervals. On the last day of the year, Joseph Mellor, an important witness in Horsfall's case, was fired at as he crossed his own yard, but the contents of the pistol lodged in the wall. It was well known that he was supened to give evidence at the trial which took place on the second of January, 1813-two days afterwards-and the intended assassins were no doubt anxious to remove one of the most important witnesses out of the way. TRIAL OF HORSFALL'S MURDERERS. Having brought our narrative up to the close of the eventful year 1812, we purpose now giving in a few chapters a rehearsal of the trials of the principal Luddites who have figured in our narrative, after which we shall follow with a brief account of the final extinction of Luddism. The trial of the murderers of Mr. Horsfall, which took place at York on Wednesday, January 6th, 1813, before Mr. Baron Thompson and Mr. Justice Le Blanc, excited very great interest, the room being so excessively crowded that it was difficult for the counsel and officers to obtain their seats. At nine o'clock the court was opened by the cryer, and George Mellor, of Longroyd Bridge, and William Thorpe and Thomas Smith, of Huddersfield, were placed at the bar. The prisoners were all young men, Mellor being only 22, Thorpe 23, and Smith 22. They were pretty well dressed and presented a very respectable appearance. The counsel for the Crown were Messrs. Park, Topping, Holdroyd, and Richardson; attorneys, Messrs. Hobhouse, London; Allison, Huddersfield; and Lloyd, Stockport. The leading counsel for the prisoners were the celebrated Henry (afterwards Lord) Brougham, and Messrs. Hullock and Williams; attorney, Mr. Blackburn. Mr. Richardson opened the proceedings, and Mr. Park gave the address to the Jury. After stating at great length the evidence which he was prepared to place before the Court, he concluded by saying, "It seems that nothing can be clearer than the mass of evidence I have now gone through. The detail of all that will be stated to you in evidence, it may have been unnecessary thus to fatigue you, myself, and the Court, for when this evidence is laid before you, it will be impossible for you to arrive at any but one conclusion, that the prisoners at the bar are guilty of the crime laid to their charge. One cannot but lament that three young men, the eldest of which is not more than twenty-three years of age, should have brought themselves into this situation. But there is also pity due to the country, to those individuals who have suffered in their persons or their properties from the attacks of lawless violence. You have a most important duty to perform. If, after hearing the evidence, you have any reasonable doubt upon the case, for God's sake acquit the prisoners. But if from the claim of evidence I shall lay before you, and by which the finger of Providence has pointed out these men, and furnished as strong proofs of their guilt, as if you had seen them commit the murder with your own bodily eyes, you will discharge your duty to God, to your country, and to your own conscience, by finding the prisoners guilty, and guilt must speedily be followed by punishment against the crime of murder, on which the Almighty had himself, pronounced the penalty of death. He who sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, and God has declared that the land can be purged of the guilt of blood cnly by the death of him who shed it.' The first witness called was Joseph Armitage, of Crossland Moor, publican, who was examined by Mr. Topping, and deposed as follows:-"I keep the Warren public-house, and have known for many years the late Mr. Horsfall, who lived at Marsden, and was a merchant and manufacturer; I saw him on Tuesday, the 28th of April, in the morning, on his way to Hudderfield, which market he was in the habit of attending. I saw him in the afternoon about a quarter before six; he stopped at my house and took a glass of rum and water. John Sykes and Joseph Sykes, hawkers of cloth, were there and he treated each of them with a glass; he stopped about twenty minutes and then went away. There is a plantation on the way to Marsden, about a quarter of a mile distant on the Marsden road. About half-past six some children came down the road and said, Mr. Horsfall is shot;" both the Sykeses and myself went to the place, and found him sat upon the road about thirty yards below the plantation nearer my house. Joseph Bannister was with me, Mr. Horsfall was brought down to my house, and stayed there till the day but one following." Cross-examined by Mr. Hullock: said he looked at the clock, and knew it was a quarter to six when Mr. Horsfall came, he did not alight, cannot exactly say how long he continued at his door; the ground to the piantation is rising; Mr. Horsfall seldom rode fast. Henry Parr, examined by Mr. Helroyd, said, "I was going home from Huddersfield to Marsden on Tuesday, the 28th of April; I cannot say what time it was when I left Huddersfield; when I came near the Warren House, I heard the report of fire arms, it was a very large crack, and seemed to come from the nearest corner of Mr. Radcliffe's plantation; I saw the smoke, and saw four persons in the plantation, from which I was about 150 yards. I did not |