Newport Chartists Vol.9, p.57

Description

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57
[indented]
County of }
Monmouth}
The examination of Jonas Williams of the
Town of Brecon Police Officer taken upon
Oath the 11th day of December 1839 before
us the Reverend James Coles Clerk and John
Roberts Esquire two of Her Majesty's Justices
of the peace acting in and for the said County
who saith I am a police officer of Brecon. In
consequence of information I received I went on
the second of December instant to the house of
Lewis Hugh Trallong : he is huntsman to Wm
Williams of Pen Pont. I found William Jones
(the Prisoner) there William Voss accompanied
me. We found him in the Kitchen by the fire :
I told him he was our prisoner : he said it "was a bad
job for me", I asked him if his leg was getting
well of the wound : I had received information
that he had been wounded in the back at Newport.
Jones said it was much better : I then took him
towards Brecon when he said he would give me
a Sovereign to let him go : he told me that he
was forced to go to Newport by a man named
William Leyson and he had nothing in his
hand till within about two miles from Newport
when he received a cleaver from one of the -
Mob : he walked from there in the rear with
Mr Frost to the Westgate Inn : he added there
were many thousands; he said there were some men
with Guns, some with Pikes, some with clubs :
he said, further, soon after he got there, that
soldiers began to shoot at the mob : he ran
to the side of the Wall and when the Mob
went away, he went away : he turned his
head back and saw one of the Soldiers

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pointing his Gun at him; he fell down on
his hands and knees when he received a
bullet in his back; he said he then went
in a tram to Tredegar the same day, I never
said any thing to Jones to induce him to
make the above statement. Jones added
that he went to Newport first on that day
month (the 2nd of November)
________________ James Williams
Taken before us
James Coles
John Roberts

William Voss on his Oath saith I am a
Constable of Brecon. On the second of December
instant I accompanied Jonas Williams to
the house of Lewis Hugh of Trallong ; I went
to apprehend the prisoner ; We found him
there ; the Prisoner asked me to go up -
stairs to change his Clothes ; he went up
and I followed him ; he then pulled his
trousers off and pulled out some money
to put in the other trousers he was going to
to put on ; he said he would give me
five pounds to let him go , and he rattled
something in his hand , which I did not
see but believe it was money ; the last -
Witness told him he was his Prisoner
and asked him how his wound was
getting on ; he cried , and cried bitterly.
Before we left , the Woman of the house

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made him a cup of tea and told him
"my good ^boy tell you the truth it may be
better for you". I also said we did
not want him to tell us any-thing; that
we did not want to hear it; he then
began telling the story how he was forced
to go to Newport; He then said that all -
Tuesday Evening prior to the 4th of November
it was uncommonly wet he accompanied
a great number of people down to Newport;
he came to the Westgate, at that time he
had a Cleaver, first of all he had a club,
he saw there a great number that were
shot; that he was very near the Westgate
Inn and he turned his head back and
saw the soldier level his piece at him,
he fell down on his hands and knees and
while he was in that posture he received
a ball in the Back, or he should be
killed if he hadn't fallen down, he said
many times he wished they had killed
him: he said there were thousands at the
Westgate, and were running away in all
directions when the Soldiers fired; he got
up as well as he could and got to the
trams which he went by to Blackwood
and from thence to Tredegar
and from by tram to^ Tally bont, and from

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thence by canal boat back to Brecon and from
thence he walked to William Hugh's before
light in the morning : he told me he were
there thinking to get well, and then to
marry Hugh's daughter. Neither I nor
Jonas Williams said any-thing to induce
him to make the above Statement I asked
him if he could bring anyone to prove he
was forced and he said he could not
they had all fled the Country: he said
Frost was with him going down to
Newport. He also added he thought
he was far enough out of the way
at Hugh's house: he said he did not
know Frost personally, but he -
understood he was there - It is forty six
miles from Newport to Tally bont.
but the way the prisoner went it must
be fifty six miles to Trallong.
__________________
William Voss -

Taken before us.
James Coles.
John Roberts
The Prisoner after being cautioned said I have
nothing to say -
Taken not sworn
before us James Coles
_________John Roberts

W Jones
his
X
Mark

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[across 2nd fold of page]
Reg: vs Wm Jones
No.2

Copy
Depositions of
Jonas Williams
and
William Voss

Brecon[in red ink]

527 No2