| A timely warning against the infiltration
by Government Agents into the Radical Movement was published in the
Radical Newspaper ‘Spirit of the Union’ on 1st January 1820.
SPIRIT OF THE UNION 1ST
JANUARY 1820
The Public cannot be too much on their
guard against the designs of spies and incendiaries, who are prowling
about to entrap the unwary; and thereby subject innocent people to much
trouble and inconvenience, if not to unmerited punishment. We are led to
give this caution, from a circumstance which took place a few days ago.
Two well-dressed people (not Radicals of
course) the one about five feet seven inches high, of a fair complexion
having a brown coat on; the other about five feet eight, of a dark
complexion, and stout make, wearing a blue coat, called at a grocer’s
shop in Hutcheson-town, and after some conversation with the landlord,
one of them drew a pike head from his side pocket, presented it to the
landlord, and wished him to take it as a present to defend his property,
promising at the same time to bring him another of a different
construction, which by being wielded expertly, would, he said, take off
a head very quickly. The one presented was about seventeen inches long,
of a square form, finely polished, and sharpened at the point, having a
hook on the one side and a piece of iron, about three or four inches
projecting on the opposite side.
The landlord told his kind visitors that
he had no use for such weapons, as he never was trained to the use of
arms, and was in no fear about his property being plundered. The
generous-hearted sons meeting with such an ungracious reception, sneaked
off, cursing in their hearts, no doubt, the unthankful fellow who would
not swallow the bait which they had so kindly gilded for him. From their
dress, their appearance, and their conduct, the landlord had no
hesitation in setting them down for a pair of spies sent to entrap him
into the snare; and had he been silly enough to have taken the pike,
there is no doubt that his house would have been searched, and himself
dragged to jail to have lain there among a parcel of felons, for God
knows how long.
Now, surely, it must be a most wretched
system which can tolerate and encourage such conduct as this; for who in
their sober senses can, for a moment, suppose that any other than spies
would go to a stranger and make such an offer? Scarcely any man who has
the least regard for his own safety would offer such
a thing to his most intimate friend, far less to an utter stranger whom
he had never before seen. The people are branded as seditious,
traitorous, and rebellious; but, good God! who are the exciters to
sedition, treason, and rebellion? But they are peaceable and patient,
amidst all their sufferings and privations; and some pretext must be had
for passing such tyrannical and cruel laws as are now passing by our
wise Legislature. Therefore, rather than want treason to fill up green
bags, the pious supporters of the blessed system of taxes, tythes,
starvation laws, gags and dungeons, must manufacture it for
themselves; and commission their infernal agents, to disseminate it
gratis, among a suffering and patient people. |
