Note 285 — JOURNAL OF ELIZABETH LADY HOLLAND (continued 5)

Edward Law (1750–1818), afterwards created Lord Ellenborough; appointed Attorney-General in 1793.

According to the published account of the trial, Law in his questions to Sheridan tried to obtain the admission that in his opinion Thanet and Fergusson meant to favour O’Connor’s escape. This Sheridan refused to answer, and he was justified in doing so. He stated, however, most clearly that he saw nothing which would lead him to that conclusion, though perhaps they may have ‘wished,’ for the escape.

The fracas took place after judgment was delivered, which was not until 1.30 A.M. Sheridan, in a letter to his wife, written at the time, says that O’Connor had no thought of escaping himself, but that ‘three or four injudicious friends’ were responsible for the attempt to hustle him away. He also mentions that he himself was the means of preventing ‘some serious mischief’ after ‘the soldiers got in,’ for which conduct he was thanked by the Judge.