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[top right] Page 39 Document No 773

Newport 23 [r]d Decr 1839,


My Dear Sir

I wrote to you yesterday & to day forward you
copies of Wm Davies's Evidence & James Hodges
I have at length succeeded in apprehending Job Tovey
with whom Frost lodged previous to the outbreak
not with a view of prosec[uti]on but as Evidence ag[ain]st Frost & o[the]rs - He was taken near Coalpit heath in Glou[ceste]rshire on Sat[urda]y & will be bro[ugh] t here today - I have
just re[ceive]d inf[ormatio]n that meet[in]gs have been held within
the last few days for the purpose of making arrangements
to kidnap the known important Wit[nesse]s - & I have in
consequence det[termine]d to have down here all the doubtful
ones or persons whose evidence will be required by
Conveyances tomorrow or next day - Indeed until
we have secured them, & I am arranging to
take a respectable house, the Parrot [Inn] which belongs to
[Thos] Walker who was wounded for them & to place some
persons whom we can trust to remain with them
until the Assizes - I trust you will approve of this

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step being taken, for without I have but little doubt
of them not being forthcoming at the Trial
This will of course incur additional expence
& the ‚£200 I received from Mr Phillips on a/c
being nearly or quite exhausted I must remind
you of a further remittance this week to meet the
heavy expences of taking the Wit _ s to the Assizes &
providing for them in the mean time

Having commenced the disbursements I have
consented to the charge of that department to
prevent being imposed upon by 2 paymasters &
I can assure you I already find it anything
but a pleasant duty to perform but having commcd
it I will still continue it - I am arranging a list
of wit - s as applicable to each case by going through
the Evidence & Mr Phillips & myself are preparing for
the minor cases - all of which I expect will be tried
as none of them will I understand traverse

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I trust my observ[ati]ons in my letter of yesterday relative
to the service of the Lists of Witnesses will not be found
to embarrass our position as with any thing like
a doubt upon the point it would require most
prompt steps being taken to prevent so great a
disaster of the failure of the prosecution in consequence.
& I apprehend a further adjournment of the Commission
would be the only safe course to be adopted shod a
doubt arise upon the proceeding.

I am sorry to say that the a/cs from the Hills to
day are most unsatisfactory - Secret meetings
being held frequently as before the outbreak &
in one of the wet nights last week - a meeting on
the Mountain, but every thing is kept so quiet that
we have not been able to get any information to ground
a proceeding. Tomorrow at Merthyr a large meeting
of the Men is expected & the auth[oritie]s are det[ermine]dto suppress it
This occasions great excitement (to say the least) in the
district & if the _

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[on left hand side] dis

Newport 23 d Decr 1839
Copy Mr Phelps's letter
to Mr Maule in ... /??/ [unclear]
with 3 copies of Deposns
of Wm Davies 3 dos of James
Hodge & a copy further
lists of Wit[nesse]s -


[at foot]

15 - 11

773.

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