Michael Fitzpatrick Eyewitness Account

• Occupation: Reporter 'The New Times'

Attended meetings at Smithfield and Spa Fields in 1819. Provides copy of Smithfield resolutions chaired by Hunt. Debate on whether Smithfield resolutions can be used as evidence. Eventually, these are read after the proceedings officially break at the end of the day.

Account

Download account

Michael Fitzpatrick sworn: examined by Mr. Littledale.

Q. I believe you are a reporter for the Times newspaper?

A. For the New Times.

Q. Did you attend the meeting at Smithfield in the year 1819?

A. I did.

Q. On what day and what month?

A. I believe it was in July: at this distance of time, I cannot exactly recollect the day of the month. It was sometime previous to the meeting at Manchester.

Q. Who was the chairman at that meeting?

A. Hunt

Q. Were there any resolutions passed at that meeting?

A. There were.

Q. Did you see Hunt join in these?

A. I did.

Q. While the resolutions were reading, did you ask Hunt for a copy?

A. I either asked him for a copy, or he gave me a copy. I got a copy of the resolutions which were read and adopted at that meeting. My impression two years ago, at the trial at York, was that he was the person who gave them to me, and I have no reason to alter my opinion since.

Q. Have you got the paper he delivered to you?

A. These are the resolutions.

Q. Is that the identical paper?

A. It is; when it was delivered to me, it was in one slip; for the more easily printing them, they were cut at the office.

Q. Have you marked them with your initials?

A. I have.

Q. They were in one continued slip, or piece of paper, and were afterwards cut for the facility of printing?

A. Yes; for the facility of printing.

Q. Was you at the Spa Fields meeting?

A. I was.

Q. That was previous to the Smithfield meeting?

A. I think it was; I have not a distinct recollection. I have attended so many meetings; except one's attention is particularly called, one does not remember.

Q. Was Hunt there?

A. He was.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—Did you say Hunt was at the Spa fields meeting?

A. Yes; my Lord.

Q. Was the Spa Fields the meeting at which Watson was?

A. Watson generally attended these meetings.

Q. Was it that which preceded the riot in London?

A. I really have not a distinct recollection.

 

Cross-examined by Mr. Evans.

Q. You say Hunt was at the Spa Fields meeting?

A. I think so, sir.

Q. Will you be sure?

A. I said I was not.

Q. He came there after the disturbance?

A. That I cannot say.

Q. What kind of a meeting was this at Smithfield?

A. It was a very numerous meeting indeed.

Q. Did any thing particular occur there; was not parson Harrison taken there?

A. He was.

Q. Was he taken by the civil power alone?

A. He was.

Mr. Serjeant Hullock.—We propose to read these resolutions.

Continues on 9th April, p.484, after reading of the resolutions

Mr. Fitzpatrick further examined.

Q. Do you know by whom this was made; do you remember the manuscript mark in the margin?

A. Yes; it was made by our printer. The manuscript mark of "the national debt," at the side of the 17th. resolution, was made by the printer himself; and there is a pencil mark which means to shew cheers were given at the mention of the national debt.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—The words national debt are put in by the printer?

A. After I received it; it being an obvious omission—it was put in after I received it.

Q. You say, sir, there is a pencil mark?

A. Yes; there is a pencil mark, just under the erasure.

Q. Does that bring any thing to your recollection?

A. It merely brings to ray recollection, that the resolution, among others, was well received.

Q. Do you mean by well received, that it was received with acclamations?

A. With cheers. The pencil mark signifies that the resolution, was received with cheers.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—Does that bring the fact to your recollection?

A. It is only by the pencil mark, or I should not know it.

Q. You have no doubt of the circumstance. By whom were the resolutions put?

A. As l said last evening, my impression two years ago was, and is still two years since, when it was fresher in my memory, my impression was, that they were put by Mr. Hunt.

Q. I think you said last night that he was the chairman?

A. He was.

 

Cross-examined by Mr. Evans.

Q. Will you swear, now, that these resolutions were put by Mr. Hunt?

A. I swear now, what I swore before.

Q. I want an answer. My question is, whether you will swear now, that the resolutions were put by Mr. Hunt?

A. I said before, two years ago, when the recollection of these matters was fresher in my memory, I did swear, to the best of my belief, that Mr Hunt gave me these resolutions. I now swear no more; because the lapse of time has impaired my memory, and I now come here most unwillingly to speak of the matter, as I did before. I will not swear positively.

Q. Will you swear that these resolutions were proposed by Mr. Hunt?

A. I will not, positively; I swear as I did at York.

Q. Have you marked every slip of these resolutions?

A. I have; every portion of them; they are cut in pieces. They were originally delivered to, or asked for by me in the continued slip, and cut by the printer to facilitate the printing —the usual way of doing it.

Q. Did you mark these slips before you delivered them to any one, after you received them from Mr. Hunt?

A. Certainly not; when I got the slips, to the best of my recollection.

Q. Is it in consequence of the marks you put on the slips, you can identify them?

A. I can identify part of the slips by pencil marks I made when the resolutions were read.

Q. How many?

A. Three or four; particularly three. There are pencil marks on three of the resolutions which I can identify. There are five with marks by which I can identify them.

Mr. Justice Holroyd.—Place them to the others, and see whether they tally.

Mr. Cross (Prothonotary).— He has placed them to the others and they do tally.

Q. You swear you made these pencil marks at the moment these resolutions were reading?

A. Decidedly.

Q. Then if any body shall say you was conversing with him at the time you was making these remarks, will he be telling the truth?

A. He will be telling the truth; it is done in an inconceivably short space of time.

Mr. Serjeant Hullock.—Well, let Mr. Tyas come again.

Witness.—Mr. Tyas is a gentleman, who will not swear to what is not the truth.

Back to list