The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-06 00:00:00


THE DISTURBANCE AT A WORKING f

KEN'S CLUB.

The men charged with rioting at the International
Club, Percy-mews, London, were again brought up at
Marlborough-street on Monday. Mr. Poland prose-
cuted, and Mr. Abrahams defended. There are cross
summonses against a number of the police. Ernest
J. Poland, caretaker in the employment of Messrs.
Rowney and Co., of 10, Percy-street, next door to the
European Club, said that at twenty-five minutes to
twelve on Saturday night, May 9, he heard a dreadful
disturbance in the club, as of fighting and turning over
of things. Some one cried, " Murder ! Police! I
shall be murdered !" He went up to the first floor,
and looked out of window. He saw two or three
people on the doorstep of the European Club, who
had apparently been thrown out, one of them
looking very nearly killed. A number of people
came along and spoke to the men, who
told them that they had been very nearly
murdered and thrown out, and had lost .£3B. A
policeman named Griggs came up and told the people
who had been thrown out to "stand there," as he
should want them at the station. The policeman
knocked at the door of the European Club for admit-
tance. He was not admitted, but previous to that
some one took a brick from a heap in the roadway
and threw it through the window of the club. After-
wards witness heard the cry raised, "They are going
out at the back." He then shut the window and
went to the back of the premises to protect them,
as the mob came in that direction. There were about
100 to 150 people in Percy-street. Messrs. Rowney's
premises were between the International and
European Clubs, in Percy-mews. He saw an excited
mob coming along the mews, and heard a smashing
of glass in Rowney's premises, twelve windows in all
being broken with bricks and stones. Ile went to the
front door in Percy-street to obtain assistance, and
afterwards returned to the back and saw that all
the mob had squeezed into the International Club.
He saw a man in the crowd smash six of the
club windows with a stick, and he heard the mob
call out ," Kill the Germane." There was then a
general me/ee,ithe mob bringing out the club tables and
chairs, and breaking them in the mews. There were
some police there, but very few. That was about 25
minutes past 12. A large number of police came at last.
He saw the mob pressintothelnternational Club. Cross-
examined by Mr. Abrahams: After the police came
in force the disturbance began to quiet down. He
raw a lot of persons arrested, but not the man who
broke the six windows. He did not see any of the
rioters or those persons who threw stones arrested.
Robert William Blacow, of 21, Cleveland-street, a.
cellarman, gave a general corroboration of the pre-
vious witness's evidence as to the origin of the dis-
turbance. A tobacconist's assistant, named Jones,
was the next witness, and while he was giving his
account of the disturbance a woman at the back of the
court called out, "It's not true." She was at once
pushed out of the court by a policeman. Mr. Abra-
hams protested against what he termed the brutality
displayed by the policeman, and a stormy scene
ensued, the magistrate ordering Mr. Abrahams to sit
down, while the latter, cheered by persons in court,
refused to obey the magistrate. A number of excited
foreigners outside the court endeavoured to force an
entrance. The doors of the court were closed against
them, and the attack on the policemen in the court
thus prevented. The hearing was again adjourned,
the defendants being liberated on their own recogm-
sances.