John Whitfield: The Information of John Whitfield now Prisoner in Newgate 22 February 1698/9

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The Informacon of Iohn Whitfield now Prisoner in Newgate 22d day of Febrary 169$\frac{\mathrm{8}}{\mathrm{9}}$

The Informt. saith that abot. Iuly last he saw Iohn Ignatius Lawson now Prisoner in Newgate give 20 Counterfeit Spanish pistolls to one Francis Ball of Woodeves in Derbyshire near Ashburn to put off and share the proffit and that the said Lawson said that he had them struck by one Shaw a Smith in Wapping and gave him 3d. or 4d a piece for stricking them and that he the said Lawson guilt ym. and recconed that it cost him so much a piece for guilding but how much the Informt. knows not And that the said Lawson left at ye Informts house for Wast paper a book in which the Gold had been which had been used for guilding such pistolls such pistolls {sic} as the Depont heard the said Lawson relate      And the Deponent saith further that out of the above menconed 20 pistolls the said Ball left 2 in the Deponent's hands which the Deponent gave to Mr. Butler

The Informant saith further after William Chaloner came to Newgate he falling acquainted with the Informt. complained yt it was long of Carter's Bitch that he was Committd and said that if he and Carter could but come togeather all the world could not hurt a hair of their heads and that he loved Carter more then any man in England and that the Warden of the Mint durst not Committ him but put it upon the fool Carter was then sick but afterwards recovering and the Deponent becoming his Bedfellow Chaloner wrote by the Informt. to Carter complaining of his wife for swearing falsly agt. him and engaged the Informt. to bring back his Letter and when the Informt. did so and told Chaloner yt Carter was ready to do any thing to regain his liberty Chaloner replyd And he is willing to joyn with me and I told him yea and then Chaloner replyd. then by God wee will fun them all

Afterwards hearing that Carter was sent for to the Dogg Tavern Chaloner was very solicitous to know who it was that sent for him and said if he knew wthat it was that Dogg the Warden then he must take another method in Defending himself

These the said Chaloner wrote to Carter abot. the Counterfeit Mault Tickets and acknowledged to the Deponent that he graved the plate for Mault Tickets and had 2 Gineas {sic} and five Luid'ors of Carter for doing it and had noe more of these Mault Tickets and had made the plate away and cut it Then he wrote to Carter advizing him that if he was called down he should say he was <58r> not the Thomas Carter out lawed and that I had promised to do anything that he would have him so that he could get out Carter by Habeas Corpus carrying Gibbons along to declare that he was not the man then he said he had Gibbons in a string his bagg and under his protectionprosecucon and since Carter & he concurred he would ꝑsue that old Dogg the Warden to the end so long as he lived Then he said that he feared no body but Carter and his wife for he had sent to all the rest that could Swear high Treason agt. him and they stood fast to him and he endeavourd to perswade Carter to prevail with his wife not to swear high Treason agt. him

Ino. Whitfield

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