Campbell presides over the ‘Types Trial’
On 8 June 1826, a gang of young men led by Samuel Peters Jarvis broke into and sacked William Lyon Mackenzie’s print shop on Palace Street, tossing type and printing equipment into the lake. Dubbed the ‘Types Riot,’ the incident was an attempt by members of the local elite to silence Mackenzie, who had been their harshest critic.
Mackenzie responded by pressing civil, as opposed to criminal charges, which kept government attorneys from the proceedings. Chief Justice William Campbell presided over Mackenzie v. Jarvis, et al., instructing the jury to be impartial while deliberating on the case. The jury ultimately ruled in favour of Mackenzie, awarding him £625, which saved his struggling newspaper business.
Sources:
- Trial and Crime Information – Chris Raible – Muddy York Mud – (1992)
- Image – Toronto Public Library (http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-PICTURES-R-3107&R=DC-PICTURES-R-3107)