Inhuman torture!! Fairburn's edition of the trial of Thomas Picton, late Governor of Trinidad and Colonel of the 54th Regiment of Foot, for torturing Louisa Calderon in the island of Trinidad in the month of December, 1801 ... Which was tried at the Court of King's-Bench, Westminster on Monday, Feb. 24, 1806 before Lord Ellenborough & a special jury / Taken in short-hand.

  • Thomas Picton
Date:
[1806?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inhuman torture!! Fairburn's edition of the trial of Thomas Picton, late Governor of Trinidad and Colonel of the 54th Regiment of Foot, for torturing Louisa Calderon in the island of Trinidad in the month of December, 1801 ... Which was tried at the Court of King's-Bench, Westminster on Monday, Feb. 24, 1806 before Lord Ellenborough & a special jury / Taken in short-hand. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    utmost wm^iiettfce to the disclojsurte of <he parts of this case • and by this it was stipulated, that Mr. Blight should have 2 3ds of the business in which he was concerned, and that the other l-3d should devolve to the, prisoner, for the valuable consideration of 12501. How the prisoner could raiso so large a sum was a difficulty which will naturally occur to your minds, considering his humble situation. You will find, in point ol fact, that he did not rarse it, and that only 2501. w as paid, leaving 10001. undischarged, attended with circumstances which will deserve your minute attention. Security i was required for this amount, and it was given tti the form of a draft of Mr. Goom, a glue-maker, for 10001 which wa3 to be payable on the l6ih of September : and this bill or check on Goom, was paid by 'Patch into the hands of the deceased's banker. To give some explanation of this transaction, the prisoner said lie had sold an estate in the West of England.—Upon the mutiny of the draft, it was mentioned that Mr. Gooix could not take it up, and the indulgence was given as another draft, to the same amount, due on the 20ih of that month, with a remark, that the man had glued up the money. The day before this check was to have been paid, Mr. Blight sot offto Margate, to join his family. This was on the Thursday, the 1 Oth, and the prisoner accompanied him to Deptford, on the road. Immediately on quitting the deceased at this place, the prisoner hastened to the banker's of Mr. Liight, and desired them not to present the draft, due the next day, as it would not be suitable to Mr. Goom to pay it. On the same day the prisoner returned to the house, and we see him now at home with only a female servant, of the name of Kitchener. The prisoner w as sitting in the front parlour, when he desired this servant to procure sixpenny worth of oysters.—The, maid obeyed; but before she returned, a musket ball had been fired into the room where the family usually assembled. The prisoner said, on hearing the explosion, that he immediately quitted the apartment, but on going out he saw nobody but aman and his wife, who v ill be called before you as witnesses. 1 shall shew you, Gentlemen, that this shot was fifed by the prisoner, and that it was a part of the ne- farious plan he had then determined to accomplish. The room into which this gun was fired was fronting the Thames, with a wharf intervening, and a considerable elevation before the river, so that it was impossible, Kn the situation in which the tide then was, that any person giving the ball this direction, could be in any other place than on the wharf. The b ad entered the lower part of the shutter, broke the sash, and the Vene- tian blinds within it, and so passed in the apartment. ]n addition to this, the ball took a sloping direction, descending inwards, so that it w as im- possible the weapon could have been discharged from the river, which was very considerably below the letel^p the dwelling. After the report had given the alarm, a publican of the name of Frost, who will also be called, ran to the spot, and enquired the cause. On being informed of the circumstances, he offered his assistance in various ways; but his friendly proposals w ere rejected by the prisoner, w ho said he would go to bed. On the next day, which was the 20th, the prisoner wrote to the de- feased a long lettet, apprising him of the affair, and intimating his wish ♦hut Mr. Blight should return home, as after such an event some personal communication seemed to be necessary. This letter was absolutely silent on every thing relating to Goom's money. On the receipt of this, Mr.