Ann Jones Eyewitness Account

Place: Manchester
Role: Spectator

Watched from a second floor window in Windmill Street with her husband. Testifies to seeing unprovoked attack by the cavalry with little or no resistance or retaliation from the crowd. Two people killed by her door. She saw the cavalry cutting so much near the hustings that she did not think anyone could have survived.

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Ann Jones sworn: examined by Mr. Evans.

Q. Was you in your house on the 16th. of August, 1819, when the meeting took place?

A. I was.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—Does she prove the same facts as her husband?

Mr. Evans.—I presume she will.

Q. What room was you in?

A. The second floor.

Q. Did you hear your husband give his evidence?

A. I was in the room.

Q. Did you hear your husband examined this moment?

A. I did not exactly hear what he said.

Q. Did you see the meeting that day?

A. I did.

Q. Was it quiet and peaceable?

A. Very quiet indeed till the soldiers came.

Q. Did you see any stones thrown by the people?

A. Not one.

Q. Or any resistance to the military?

A. Not in the least; they shewed more cowardice than that, they threw their sticks away.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—Where were they thrown?

Mr. Serjeant Hullock. —A considerable quantity of sticks lay about in the field, a cartload nearly.

Q. Did you see the soldiers go up to the hustings?

A. Yes I did.

Q. Did you see them do any thing there?

A. I saw them cutting very bad; I did not think but they had killed every one that was there.

Q. Did you see any resistance whatever made to them, in their way up to the hustings?

A. I did not in the least.

Cross-examined by Mr. Serjeant Hullock.

Q. You had a long look-out that day?

A. Yes, I had.

Q. You took it by turns?

A. I had a great many in the house, some wounded, a great many wounded.

Q. You was not there all the time?

A. Yes, I was; I had two killed at my door.

Q. Did you see the sticks picked up?

A. I saw them picked up, and put in the cart.

Q. And the dead man put in the cart too;—what kind of sticks?

A. Such as the country people walk with; I could carry a great many of them.

Q. Why, I should think you could carry any thing from your size. Did you see the people march on with these sticks, when you came home in the morning?

A. I did not come home in the morning.

Q. You did not see the different divisions?

A. No; when I came back, the field was full.

Q. You had seen the field in the morning?

A. In the morning.

Q. At that time there were no sticks?

A. No; not before the country people came.

Q. Nor stones?

A. No.

Q. Neither sticks nor stones; did you see any stones afterwards?

A. I did not see any; there were the soldiers there.

Q. Did you see any stones, as well as sticks, afterwards?