ABSTRACT
Saturday, the eleventh of April, the day fixed upon for the attack on Mr. Cartwright’s mill, arrived, and some of the restless spirits at John Wood’s workshop waited impatiently for the shades of evening to close in. Dickenson, the mysterious messenger of the fraternity, had visited all the centres of disaffection to warn them to be in readiness, and to convey powder and ammunition to such as required them. He had visited John Wood’s workshop early in the morning of that day, and having supplied their wants, had passed on to other places. He arrived at Jackson’s shop just as the men were leaving their work for dinner; at any rate he was then first seen by Fearnsides, the vigilant foreman who, knowing the dangerous spirit that was abroad amongst the men, would certainly have tried to prevent Dickenson from having an interview with them if he had come into the cropping shop, as he was well aware that the course entered upon by some of his men would certainly end in trouble. John Hirst, Bob Warn, Crowther, and some others did not return to their work that day. They were engaged with Dickenson in the upper room at the Shears, where he submitted the details of the scheme for the attack on Cart-wright’s mill. It was finally arranged that the Inversedge contingent should meet the Huddersfield men near the Dumb Steeple, and that John Hirst and Samuel Hartley should act as guides from this gathering place to the mill. Hirst was well acquainted 78with every turn of the road, and Hartley’s services it was thought would be valuable when the mill was reaohed in pointing out the most vulnerable places for the attack.
