Shortly after the Chartists' march on Newport, Charles Walters came to the public's attention. He was arrested along with Chartist leader John Frost, as they were found together at the home of John Partridge, a printer, on 4 November 1839 following the attack on the Westgate Hotel. According to contemporary accounts, this young shipwright from Chepstow was a leading member of the Chartists, and received much public attention as he was sent to prison in Monmouth with John Frost. Walters was accused of treason; he originally pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea. He was sentenced to death but received a promise that there was a chance that the sentence might be reduced. Transcription: 'Monmouth Jail January 15th 1840 My Dearest Father and Mother I may well ex- claim - "with what unequal tempers are we framed" - I wrote to you requesting you not to write to me again, ever since I have been anxious- ly wishing to hear from you; I hope and trust you are all well. Believe me I am in a straight I hard- ly know how to act. as you will see by the public papers, my respected friend Mr Frost has by a corrupt and perjured Jury been found guilty. sorry am I that a man from Chepstow should have been on that Jury, and have acted so base a part, the Chepstowmen are John Richards, John Capel Smith, and Smith the coachmaker. Zephaniah Williams is also found guilty, I suppose a better husband, Father, or Master, never existed. I've heard this morning that the Jury intends to find Jones guilty and to request the Judge not to sum up the evidence. A more baser set of men never existed than those 318 who is impannelled as the Jury to try our cases. I've had a proposition made to me this morning by my attorney of ra- ther a perplexing nature and how to act on it it I hardly know. it is as follows. That the I should withdraw my plea and plead guilty to the charge of treason wherewith I am charged this arises from a proposition made to our attor- ney by the opposite party ...' Source: Exhibition text, Chepstow Museum.