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English

William Hone to ? [re: Vyse inquest], 13 September, 1815

[1780-1818] - [1818-1824] - [1825-1832] - [1832-1842] - Hone Correspondence

William Hone to ?, 13 September, 1815.1-TEI-

Thursday E of 13 Sept

2 I have no hesitation in saying the observations you have made respecting the obtaining of the verdict (such as it is) is perfectly correct & were I not under a mutual & absolute engagement with the rest of the (late) Jury to keep sacred what passed in the Jury Room when considering the verdict yesterday, I should feel great pleasure in acquainting you with particulars. However, you may rest assured you are not 100 miles from the mark when you express (in your note) a confidence that a certain part of the Jury effected all that was possible under the circumstances in which they were placed.

To the Coroner I have made no promise therefore make free to say he did not like our verdict at all & used some entreaty that we would reconsider it for which purpose he said he would withdraw for a time. This being refused he proposed to adjourn till tomorrow (this day) for us to reconsider it — that being also refused, we told him if he did not take it as it was & we attempted to reconsider it nothing else but wilful Murder against L'd G. would be the verdict. He then proposed that we should say Manslaughter against some person or persons unknown this we said would be just nothing at all & after about 20 minutes or 1/2 an hour spent in this way he reluctantly took our verdict.

Notes
1
British Library, BL Add. MS 40120, f. 38. [return]
2
This document appears to be the draft of a letter to some person who had requested information regarding the Vyse inquest. There is no salutation, closing, or signature, though the writing is clearly in Hone's hand. [return]
William Hone. Date: 2014-03-06