MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Mr. Lewis Flanagan, an elderly gentleman, connected with the law, was charged with inciting the mob to acts of violence, opposite the Duke of Wellington's house, on the 12th of October.
The Marquis of Worcester, the Marquis of Douro, son of the Duke of Wellington, and General D'Alva, took their seats on the Magistrates' bench, and several highly respectable gentlemen accompanied the accused.
The Marquis of Worcester stated, that on the day in question, he was at Apsley house, and about three o'clock in the afternoon, a mob of nearly three hundred persons assembled in the Park, when about twenty or thirty commenced pelting stones at the windows. While this outrage was being committed, he observed the defendant on horseback among those throwing the missiles, and pointing with his umbrella to some stones laid there for the purpose of macadamizing the road. The mob appeared to take the hint, and on their obtaining a portion of the stones, the defendant directed their attention to one side of the house. They accordingly attacked that part, and demolished a number of windows.
The Marquis of Douro and General D'Alva corroborated the Marquis of Worcester's evidence.
It appeared from the evidence of a policeman, that the defendant was followed along Piccadilly, as far as St. James's street, where he was lost sight of. Within the last few days the defendant was recognised by Farrant, a policeman, who watched him to his residence, and by that means obtained his name and address.
The defendant denied the charge; and after some conversation, in which the Marquis of Worcester stated that he was sure the defendant was inciting the mob to acts of violence by his gesticulation and manner, Mr. Conant ordered the defendant to enter into his own recognizances to answer the charge at the next Westminster Sessions.
Since his examination, Mr. Flanagan has written a letter to his Grace stating that, instead of encouraging, he was actually endeavouring to dissuade the mob from committing the outrage, to which his Grace has returned the following answer:—
"I have received your letter of the 8th instant, the object of which, appears to me, to obtain an opinion on the charges against your conduct near my house, on the 14th of October, to be drawn from the statement on oath, made by certain gentlemen who were present, and saw you. Although I was in the house when the outrage in question was committed, I did not see any gentleman conduct himself as it has been stated on oath that you did. You ought to know that you have no right, either in courtesy or in law, to require any opinion from me on the subject.—I am, Sir your most obedient humble servant, "WELLINGTON."
Source: Bell's Weekly Messenger, No.1858, Sunday, November 13, 1831