Broadside entitled 'Horrid Confession of John Kean'

Transcription

Horrid Confession
OF
John Kean,

The Cotton Spinner who was lately sent off from this City for
Botany Bay, and which was read in the house of Commons
on Friday night last, giving the names and descriptions of
the persons who employed him to shoot John Graham, and
who gave him the pistols and shot. Also, the names of
several respectable Manufacturers who were to have been
assassinated, for which he was to receive £100.

On Friday night, the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons on the
Combination Laws, was laid before the House, from which the following Confes-sion
of the culprit Kean is extracted; it is worthy of remark it is dated the day
before he was whipped. '

Mr. Wm. Robinson called in and examined.
You are Sheriff Depute of Lanerkshire ??I am, and have been for 3 years.
You mentioned in your evidence on priday, that you had a voluntary confession
by a person named Kean, will you produce it ?
[ The witness delivered in the same, which was read as follows]:

                                        "Glasgow Jall, 9th May, 1825.
" I, JOHN KEAN, present prisoner in the Tolbooth of Glasgow, declares that
there are three districts in and around Glasgow, consisting of 800 Cotton-spinners,
or thereabouts, who were formerly in the practice of having pass-words and signs,
but since the passing of Mr. Hume's Act they make no use of them, and the object
they have in view is to keep up their wages.

" There are two Committee-men appointed from each district, whose duty is to
Conduct the business at their respective districts, and to report to the select Com-mittee,
who are three in number, that are also changed every two montho, those
three persons that are selected as Committee-men are not known to the Operatives,
except the District Committees, who are sworn that they wiil not make known their
names; the names of the two Committee men of the bridgeton district is Thomas
M'Gonn; cotton-spinner, Landressy Street, and works in Barrowfield Mill, and W.
M'Lne, residing in Mile-end, and works in Lindsay, Ewing and Company's Mill,
Mile-end, who were the two persons that employed the declarant, and John Gillan,
who lodges in Bains a shoemaker, head of Struthers Street ; Daniel Orr, residing
with his mother in Mill Street, calton ; John Campbell, residing with his father in
Muslin Street, and who supplied them with pistols, and gave them money to buy
ammunition; thinks the pistols, which were new, were bought in Paisley ; Daniel
Orr and John Campbell, bought the powder and shot, he thinks, in Moses M'Cul-loch's
shop in Gallowgate.

" They were to receive a reward of £100, or thereabouts; and provided they
succeded, more money was to be advanced by the Committee. Messrs. wright
Dunlop,Lindsay. and Ewing, were particularly pointed out to them as persons
whose lives should be taken as soon as posible Gillan was the person who, along
with the declarant, fired at Graham ; heand that. George M'Donald was the person
who shot at Robert Walsen. The Committee met at one time in the house of Peter
M'Arthur, King, Street, Glasgow ; and since M'Arthur left King; Street, they meet
in W. EWing's tavern, east side of High Street, Glasgow, every Saturday night be-tween
the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock. (Signed) " JOHN KEAN."

Was that a voluntary confession ??Entirely voluntary.
Procured by neither threats nor promises ??Not in the least degree; procured,
indeed without any interference, without any reward, or promised rewared of any
kind or description, nor threat, nor promise of mitigation of punishment.--Copied
from the Free Press of Tuesday last.
W. Carse, Printer, Glasgow.

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