soon acquainted with this change of masters,
and believing that Robespierre in the first flush
of power would see the advantage of distracting
England by exciting a rebellion in Ireland,
redoubled his activity. He and Cokayne were
hospitably received by a Mr. MacNally, a
barrister, who took a foremost place in defending
prisoners arraigned for high treason. Through
this gentleman, an arrangement was effected
for the introduction of Jackson to Archibald
Hamilton Rowan. The letters addressed by
Stone to Horne Tooke and Dr. Crawford had
never been delivered, and they now served as
certificates of Jackson's fidelity to "the
cause." A long and anxious deliberation
ensued in Rowan's "lodgings" in Newgate.
Jackson used all means of persuasion to induce
Wolfe Tone to proceed as the envoy of the Irish
republicans to Paris. Tone hesitated, and at
last persistently refused. He hinted something
about five hundred pounds, but Jackson replied
that the "French nation was as generous as
brave." This did not satisfy Tone. Then a
Dr. Reynolds was appealed to, also in vain; and
at last Jackson penned those two reports on
public feeling in England and Ireland, which
condemned him.

But almost from the moment of his landing
in England, every movement made by Jackson
was known to the government. Cokayne
furnished Mr. Pitt with complete copies of Jackson's
correspondence. The more recent letters were
written as if in reference to a lawsuit in which
Jackson was engaged, but Cokayne possessed
the key and sold it. He assured Mr. Pitt that
he was induced to betray his friend through
motives of the purest patriotism, but he said
something more. Alleging that Jackson owed
him a debt of six hundred pounds, which he
could not afford to lose, he reasoned that if
Jackson should be executed through his
information, the debt would never be recovered.
William Pitt understood the hint and the man.
He assured Cokayne he should be no loser by
his patriotism. From that hour Cokayne
accompanied Jackson as his shadow. He never left
his side. Every letter, document, or word of
Jackson's was immediately communicated to
government. The moment the paper on the
state of Ireland was penned, and placed in
Cokayne's hands to be copied like the rest for
transmission through the post-office, Cokayne
conveyed it—while Jackson slept— to Mr.
Hamilton, private secretary to the lord-lieutenant.
That gentleman took a press copy of
the original, and then returned it to Cokayne,
directing him to post it in the usual way.
The letter was, by order, intercepted, and
then the authorities struck the meditated
blow.

The arrest was made, and Jackson was lodged
in the jail of Newgate, on the 28th of April,
1794. The indictments were not formally laid
until the 23rd of June. On the 30th of June,
Jackson pleaded "Not Guilty." Then the trial
was deferred until the 7th of November. It
was again postponed to the 20th of January,
1795, and once more to the 23rd of April.
Nearly a year had elapsed from the arrest of
Jackson, and so long a delay was unusual in
those troubled times. It was expected,
probably, that in the interval some damnatory
evidence might be procured against Hamilton
Rowan and others suspected of complicity
with Jackson's design. But Hamilton Rowan,
escaped from Newgate in November, 1794,
through the agency of a government informer,
and then, at length, preparations were made for
Jackson's trial.

The court was formed of the Earl of Clonmell,
Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench,
Mr. Justice Downes, and Mr. Justice Chamberlain.
Mr. Justice Bond was absent. The
names of the leading counsel for the accused
are remarkable in Irish history. Amongst
them are found those of John Philpott Curran,
George Ponsonby, L. MacNally, and Thomas
Addis Emett. The case from the first was
clear against the prisoner. There were the
letters and the reports, originals and copies. It
was proved, indeed, that Cokayne swore his
last deadly information before the privy council
under a menace from the Lord Chief Justice.
"Remember, sir, you are in our power as to
committing you if you do not swear." The
case against the prisoner hinged upon the
evidence of Cokayne; but the court decided
that in Ireland one witness was sufficient to
condemn a man of treason, though two were
required in England. At four o'clock in the
morning of the 26th of April the jury found
Jackson "Guilty." They recommended him to
mercy; but the Lord Chief Justice exclaimed
that they had done so "only" through compassion:
a plea not influential with such a judge.
Turning to the jailer, who stood beside the
condemned, he said, "Jailer, take that man
away, and let him be brought up here in four
days."

The four days slowly but surely passed hour
by hour away, and then, on the morning of the
30th of April, Jackson was conveyed to the
Court of King's Bench to hear his doom
pronounced. He had made some allusions to
suicide, and therefore was guarded strictly.
His food was always cut in pieces for him, the
jailer fearing to entrust him with a knife and
fork. "The man who did not fear death," said
Jackson, "can never want the means of dying.
So long as his head is within reach of the
prison-walls he can prevent his body being
suspended to scare the community." A partisan
of the government of the day saw Jackson as
he passed on his way to the court. This person
remarked to one of Jackson's counsel, "I always
said Jackson was a coward, and I am not
mistaken. His fears have made him sick. I
observed him, as the coach drove by, with his head
out of the window, vomiting violently." His
friend hurried into court only to witness a most
appalling scene. Jackson's frame quivered rather
than trembled, but his mind was firm and
collected still. With clammy and nerveless fingers
he tried to press the hand of his counsel, and