The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-03 00:00:00

AN OUTBREAK OF CONVICTS.

The Cork Correspondent of The Times gives the
following account of an outbreak which occurred on
Saturday evening among the convicts engaged on the
naval dock works at Haulbowline :

The convicts attacked the warders. The pollee who
interfered were assaulted, and eventually the military
were called out, and the marines and bluejackets
were summoned in order to quell the disturbance.
About 400 convicts from the depot at Spike Island
are engaged in the construction of Government works
at Haulbowline. Spike Island is connected with Haul-
bowline by means of a temporary bridge and cause-
way, and the prisoners are conveyed over in gangs
every morning to their labours and brought back in
the evening in charge of warders armed with cut-
lasses. The convicts on arrival at Haulbowline
are divided into two sections, one being employed
in the stone-cutting and mechanical depart.
merits, and the other in the labour division. All
are subdivided into gangs, which are in charge
of warders with cutlasses, some having revolvers.
The disturbance on Saturday occurred among the
section employed in excavating the basin of the pro-
posed floating dock. It originated in the gang in
charge of warder Tynan. One of the prisoners
attempted to strike the warder with his shovel. The
warder drew his sword, parried the blow, and cut the
handle of the shovel. The warder was overpowered
by the other convicts, who took away his sword. He
ran away and was followed by one convict, who, with
his shovel upraised, seemed determined to take his
life. The warder escaped, but the excitement pro-
duced by the incident became infectious, was spread to
the other gangs employed on this part of the work.
They shouted and yelled, and, turning upon their
guards used violence.
There are seven policemen under constable Thomp-
son stationed at Haulbowline. They were summoned.
and with their guns and bayonets fixed went to rescue
the warders. The convicts were found kicking and
maltreating four of these men. The police experienced
considerable difficulty in rescuing the warders. By
this time all the gangs in the lai;our department had
joined in the riot. Only a small proportion of the
men took an active part, but the others sympathized
with them, and shouted in a defiant manner. The
police were assailed with stones, and at one time when
they were surrounded and separated constable Thomp-
son received a blow from a shovel on the side of the
head.

The seven constables, notwithstanding the odds
against them, struggle I with the rioters, beating
them with tha butt ends of their guns and keeping
them at bay. About 30 of the military stationed on
the island were called out. They were drawn up with
fixed bayonets at a point which separated the
mechanical department from the labourers.
Some of the convicts employed at stone cutting,
hearing the cries of their fellow prisoners, rushed with
hammers and other utensils towards where the affray
was going on, but the military prevented them from
joining in the riot. The police in the meantime were
endeavouring to quell the disturbance. Injuries had
been inflicted on both sides.

At one period the police found it necessary to load
and to threaten to fire. This had the desired effect,
and some of the better-disposed of the rioters pre-
vailed on their comrades to desist. The disorder was
completely got under about four o'clock, but as the
convicts were marched off towards Spike they Bang
and evinced a complete disregard for their officers.
It becames necessary to land a number of marines and
bluejackets from the guardship, but there was no sub.
sequent attempt at violence. Several of the warders
and the prisoners received injuries during the out-
break.