On , a number of suspected Rebeccaites were examined at the Swansea Town-Hall. Here are some excerpts from the examination, as reported in the Monmouthshire Merlin:
Mr. William Cox, governor of the House of Correction, at Swansea, sworn: The
prisoners John Hughes, David Jones, and John Hugh, were delivered into my
custody on . It is
customary to search prisoners when brought into the House of Correction,
consequently I searched the prisoners present, commencing with John Hughes,
who is wounded in the arm. A quantity of coarse gunpowder fell from his
clothes to the ground as I took them off. I gathered it together and produce
it now. I then searched his pockets, and found a quantity of silver and other
money — ten half crowns, twenty-four shillings, nine sixpences, one penny,
four halfpence, and a half sovereign. I also found a piece of paper with
something written upon it in Welsh, a piece of an old Welsh hymn-book,
twenty-one copper percussion caps, and a little bag. I next searched the man
wounded in the head, David Jones, and found a knife in his pocket. I did not
search John Hugh, but I believe he had
8d and a knife.
The following is a correct translation of the writing on the paper taken from
Hughes:–
Daniel Jones, Brynhir, — Come with your armour (or covering) to Lanbystia,
to assist us, on , or
else you shall not have another (or further) notice.
Becca.
PC Thomas Jones
examined: I live at Ystalyfera, in the parish of Llanguicke. I accompanied
Captain Napier and others of the police force of this county, to Pontardulais,
on the night of . We arrived
at Pontardulais , and proceeded to the turnpike gate. When we arrived
there we saw a man on horseback, on the Swansea side of the turnpike gate.
There was a great crowd of people upon the other side of the gate, most of
whom were on horseback. They were dressed with white sheets over their bodies,
their faces were blackened, and upon their heads they had straw hats. In the
hats were stuck pieces of fern. I ran on, and took hold of a gun from a man on
horseback, but the man escaped. A great many guns were fired before we reached
the gate. On I
delivered that gun to Sergt.
Jenkins. It was then in the same state as when I took it from the man.
Mr. Superintendent Peake produced a quantity of arms, implements, ammunition,
female apparel,
&c., which
were taken at the scene of the outrage. One of the articles produced was a
woman’s cap, which was given to him by the prisoner Jones.
PC Peter Wright
examined, proved that he was on duty at the Pontardulais gate riot, where he
saw the prisoner J. Hugh discharge a gun at the police. He afterwards fell off
his horse, and ran away, taking his horse with him. Prisoner threw his gun
down, when he came off his horse, and the witness picked it up.
PC William
Robertson Williams examined, stated that he was on duty at the riot, where the
prisoner David Jones struck him a violent blow on his shoulder. Witness, being
injured in the leg, went into the toll house, while the police were dispersing
the rioters, and there saw a man with David Jones, the latter flourishing a
bar, with which he again struck witness on the shoulder. Witness struck him a
blow with his cutlass, on which he dropped the iron bar and ran out and was
taken by Sergeant Jones.
PC John Price,
examined, stated that in the affray at Pontardulais gate he saw a man on
horseback this side of the gate, and a large mob. Witness took John Hugh off a
horse in front of the mob, with a while cloak over his body, a white cloth
over his hat, and a red handkerchief round his neck — he had a gun in his
hand, which he fired at the police — he bad also a tin horn. Witness gave him
and Hughes into the custody of
Sergt. Jenkins.
William Abraham Lewis, toll collector at Pontardulais, examined: I am a
shoemaker, and have been collector at Pontardulais gate for upwards of a
twelvemonth. On , I moved my goods out of the house, because
people told me Becca was coming there. After I moved my goods I stopped there,
and I
saw a party of men coming down over the bridge, most of them being on
horseback. I instantly hid myself in the fields behind the house. While the
crowd was opposite the Inn, I heard some shots fired. In about three quarters
of an hour, I went back to the toll house, and found the doors and windows
broken, part of the pine end wall demolished, and the gate in pieces — the
posts were standing.
Police Sergeant George Jones stated that in the attack upon Pontardulais gate,
where the rioters were firing guns and blowing horns, he pursued and captured
Jones, while running out of the toll house.
(There is a somewhat more extensive account of this testimony in The Cambrian.)
The four prisoners taken by Mr. Chambers and the military in Carmarthenshire, on , were then placed at the bar.
Three of them were mere boys — one apparently only thirteen years of age, and the fourth seemed a young man of the age of five-and-twenty.
[The Welshman, in another article, lists them as “William Hugh, a lad of 15 years of age, the son of a very respectable farmer of Talyclew, dressed in woman’s clothes — Thomas Williams, a servant to a farmer at Llangennech — Henry Rogers, a farm servant at Penllwyngwyn, and Lewis Davies, farmer of Scybor Ucha, near Pontardulais.”]
The following evidence was produced:–
William Chambers, jun,
Esq, examined: I am one of her
Majesty’s justices of the peace for the county of Carmarthen. In consequence
of information I received, I proceeded on
to
Pontardulais, accompanied by a party of soldiers under Captain Scott. We set
out from Llanelly — Llanelly is distant from Ponlardulais six or seven
miles. On the way, I saw a rocket explode in the air, in a direction between
Llanedy and Llanon. On arriving at Gwilly Bridge, which is about half a mile
distant from Pontardulais, I heard some horns sounded. There was one
particular note which I noticed, which was repeated several times. Immediately
after I heard the last note, I heard the report of fire arms in the direction
of Pontardulais bridge, upon which I requested Captain Scott to load. I then
advanced to Gwilly bridge, and having arrived there, I was in advance of the
men, and saw the prisoner Lewis Davies come in from Pontardulais, over the
railway, towards the place where I was. I immediately followed and saw him put
something which he had in his left hand either under his coat, or into his
pocket. I put my hand there, and pulled from under his coat, or out of his
pocket, a woman’s cap. He was dressed in his usual clothes. The bottom part of
his face appeared to be blackened. I asked him where he had been, and he said,
“I’ll be quiet — I’ll come with you.” He was then given in charge to
Sergt. Gibb. Up to this time
I had heard the discharge of about forty or fifty shots within about seven
minutes. I then went with the rest of the soldiers in the direction of the
road leading towards the Hendy bridge, imagining that an attack was to be made
on the gate. When I arrived at the gate, I heard the galloping of horses, and
I immediately concluded that the Dragoons were approaching from Swansea. About
the same time I heard persons approaching from Hendy bridge towards
Pontardulais, and the prisoner William Hughes was taken shortly afterwards. He
was dressed in woman’s clothes, — a straw bonnet on his head, and his face
blackened. I went on to Pontardulais, accompanied by Captain Scott and some of
his soldiers. Upon arriving at the bridge, the Dragoons galloped on, and I
thought were going to charge us, but on perceiving who we were, they desisted.
I proceeded to the gate — found the gate destroyed — the internal partitions
of the toll house destroyed — and the windows smashed in. I saw three men
there in custody. On my way back to Llanelly, the prisoner, William Hughes,
told me he had a horn, and he would show me where it was. I went with him to a
certain spot, and there found a horn, close to the spot where he was taken.
Sergeant Henry Gibbs, of the 73rd regiment,
examined: I was on duty on , between Pontardulais and Llanelly. I was stationed on the railway
near the Gwilly bridge. Whilst we were there I heard some men coming along the
railway; I stopped them. I see them here now. They are the prisoners, Henry
Rogers and Thomas Williams. They were not disguised at all or armed. They
seemed to be very much frightened because I brought the bayonet down as if I
was going to run it through them, and told them to slop. I told them I would
let them go if they would tell me where others were gone to. They said they
had nothing to do with the gate, but merely went out to see.
On , a coroner’s inquest was held concerning the death of Sarah Williams, the toll collector at Hendy Turnpike Gate, who had been shot in the course of that gate’s destruction. This inquest rather incredibly would find the death of Williams to have been from an “unknown” cause — thus precluding a homicide investigation. It seems to have been an act of jury nullification meant to shield Rebecca and her followers from the authorities.
Here is how the Monmouthshire Merlin covered the inquest:
Coroner’s Inquest
On the body of Sarah Williams, the toll collector at the Hendy Turnpike Gate.
On , an inquest was held at
Pontardulais, before William Bonville,
Esq., coroner, on the body of
Sarah Williams, aged 75.
The Jury.
Griffith Henry Jenkin Henry Thomas Samuel John Bowen John Thomas John Pugh Walter Hopkins David Davies John Bowen, jun. Samuel Griffith John Thomas David Evans John Jones Richard Davies
The Evidence.
John Thomas, labourer, sworn: Is a house carpenter, residing near the Hendy
gate toll house, in the parish of Llanedy, in the county of Carmarthen. Knew
the deceased, Williams, who was the toll-collector at the Hendy gale, and has
been so for about a week. On , or early on Sunday morning, I was alarmed by
report of five or six guns near the Hendy gate. I was then in bed, and soon
after the deceased came to my house, and called me and my family to assist in
putting out the fire at the toll-house, which had been set on fire and was
then burning; but we did not go, as we were afraid to do so. In about a
quarter of an hour or twenty minutes afterwards I heard the report of another
gun; and about a minute after deceased came to my house, and my wife went to
the door and saw deceased coming towards her. She (the deceased) was crawling
along by the wall to support herself until she came to the door, when she
cried out, “Dear, dear,” and fell down, and I found she was dead. The deceased
has been a toll collector at many gates for years.
Margaret Thomas, wife of the last witness, said that
, the deceased came to our house, and asked my
husband and me to get up directly, as some one had set the toll house on fire.
I went out to the door and told her to carry her things out of her house. She
went back to the toll house, and took her furniture out on the road. I asked
her several times to come into our house, but she did not come. I heard the
report of four or five guns afterwards, and the deceased, in about
three-quarters of an hour after I had first spoken to her, came towards my
house, at which time I was standing within the door, which was open. The
deceased did not speak a word that I heard, and seeing that she was exhausted,
I laid hold of her round the waist, and she sank down at my door, on the
outside. My husband came out, and we took her into the house, but she did not
speak a word. My husband held her, and put her in a silting posture on the
floor, and she died in about two minutes. I did not see any blood, except a
little on her forehead. I thought at first that she was frightened to death. I
did not hear the noise of horses, nor footsteps, nor did I see any persons
from the beginning to the end. I did not hear any horns blown, or any
shouting. My husband was in the house all the time.
By the jury: I did not think from the blood on the forehead that she had had a
blow, and that that had been the cause of her death. I did not think she died
from a blow, but by suffocation from loss of breath.
By the Coroner: About
I saw the toll house and gate still standing, and in the course of the night I
saw the toll house on fire. That was when the deceased called us up to put it
out, and in the morning I found the house and and gate both pulled down, there
being only the walls standing. The house had a thatched roof, and contained
two rooms. The toll board had fallen down some time back, and was then in the
house in pieces.
Mr. Benjamin Thomas sworn: I am a surgeon, residing at Llanelly. I have, with
Mr. Cooke, inspected and made a post mortem examination of
the body of the deceased Sarah Williams, now lying at the Black Horse,
Pontardulais. We examined the body externally and internally. On the anterior
view of the body, whilst the corpse was lying on its back, from the feet to
the breast there did not appear to be any mark of violence. The marks of shots
were seen penetrating the nipple of the left breast, one in the arm-pit of the
same side, and several shot marks in both arms. On the external end of the
left clavicle there were two shot marks, one on the left side of the wind
pipe, several on the forehead, and one in the external angle of the right eye.
There was blood on the cloths covering the breast, and the marks of blood
having escaped from the mouth. In moving the body to a sitting posture, a
considerable quantity of fluid blood escaped from the mouth. The back view of
the body did not shew any mark of violence. On moving the integuments of the
scalp, the shot marks observed on the surface were found in the bony structure
of the skull, but not penetrating through it. Upon removing the bone covering
the brain, the external covering of the brain, or dura mater, was exposed
entire, and appeared slightly vascular, as did also the entire structure of
the brain. The lateral ventricles contained no more fluid than is generally
found in them. On opening the chest the left lung pressed higher up than is
natural, and was darker in colour, and on cutting into it, the substance was
found considerably congested, with marks of some shots on the surface, two of
which we found in the substance of that lung. In the right lung, there was an
adhesion to the side, on nearly the whole of its external surface, with a
considerable effusion of dark coloured blood into its substance. In the cavity
of the left pleura there were about three pints of blood, a large portion of
which was in a coagulated state, and the remainder fluid. The head was
natural, and we did not proceed further with our examination, being satisfied
as to what was the cause of death, which was the loss of blood and the state
of the lungs and pleura arising from the shot found in the substance of the
lungs, and which had caused this extravasation of blood.
Mr. John Kirkhouse Cooke, of Llanelly, surgeon, corroborated Mr. B. Thomas’s evidence.
The jury then retired to consider their verdict, and in about a quarter of an hour returned the following:– “That the deceased died from the effusion of blood into the chest, which occasioned suffocation, but from what cause is to this jury unknown.”
Other newspapers went into more detail about Cooke’s [or perhaps Cook’s] testimony, which more than merely corroborating Thomas’s conclusions, backed them up with additional details. Here, for instance, is the Cambrian’s version:
I examined the body of the deceased with the last witness — found no external
marks of violence, excepting some gun-shot wounds. The shots were found in the
bony structure of the head, and in the breast. The lungs on the left side
protruded considerably, and also had the appearance of having a considerable
effusion of blood; and, on removing them, we discovered an immense effusion of
blood into the cavities of the chest — the greater portion of it in a fluid
state, but a considerable quantity was coagulated. It amounted altogether to
about three pounds of blood. On tracing the surface of the lungs, on the
interior part of it, I discovered distinct patches of effused blood, also
opening, which had the appearance of being made by shot, which I traced into
the substance of the lungs, and extracted two. They were the ordinary sized
shot. This examination was sufficiently satisfactory to shew the cause of
death, which would have been produced from the large quantity of blood effused
into the chest, and which impeded the motion of the lungs, as well as by the
large quantity of blood lost, destroying vitality. There was also a large
quantity of blood escaped through the mouth. There was no other cause to
attribute this effusion of blood into the cavity of the chest, but by the
shots penetrating the lungs and injuring its vessels.
The Welshman reports that on , a policeman insulted a woman in the company of a soldier, the soldier later caught up to the policeman, and “a furious collision took place” between cops and soldiers “for some time — the combatants amounting to 30 or 40 persons.” This gives some clues as to the state of morale among law enforcement, as do these details: “Every evening since the station house has been literally besieged with persons, yelling and hooting the police, and cheering the military… Several persons are in custody for withholding their assistance to the police when called upon ‘in the Queen’s name.’ ”
