l6o ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



structure of recent years, but the old inn remarkable 

 as bearing traces of the Chartist riots of 1839 in 

 bullet-raarks on its front. The so-called Chartists (a 

 political charter of six points being the rallying cry) 

 were assembled in the neighbouring hills, and led on 

 to Newport in force by John Frost, who had been 

 its Mayor and a magistrate. 



The main object, of course, was, by agitation and 

 armed force, to compel in some way acceptance of 

 their political views ; but the local object, it was 

 firmly believed, was the capture of Newport, the 

 breaking up of the bridge across the Usk, and the 

 seizure of the mail-coach carrying her Majesty's mails 

 to Birmingham. The non-arrival of the Welsh mail 

 was to be the signal of success to confederates in 

 Warwickshire. The rioters attacked the Westgate 

 Inn ; were fired on by the military ; left several of 

 their number dead on the ground, and fled. The 

 mails went off as usual. 



Three principal and forty minor abettors — Jack the 

 Fifer and David the Tinker amongst the latter — were 

 put o^ their trial for treason. Campbell prosecuted. 

 Pollock defended, and Tindal sat as Chief Justice of 

 the Commission which tried the prisoners. 



Israel Firman, aged ninety-one, was amongst the 

 witnesses for the Crown. His unearthly aspect is 

 said to have struck fear into all beholders. Edwin 

 Thomas, grocer, explained how the mails were con- 

 veyed from Newport to Bristol. He was a Chartist, 

 and thus interesting ; but he was not a very authori- 



