The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-30 00:00:00

THE POLICE MUTINY.
From 'ihe Tinted.)

On Sunday the newly-declared friends of the Police
—the agitating classes of Whitechapel and Clerkenwell
—hell their threatened demonstration in Hyde Park
on the illogical assumption that on the one hand the
metropolitan ratepayers would concur in the "demand"
lor the release of the imprisoned insubordinate police-
men, and the reinstatement of those dismissed, and,
on the other, that any expression of opinion from such
a qiiarter could give the men who are now suffering
from their great mlistake any help whatever. On enter-
ing Hyde Fmk it was easy to see that the " dismissed
sergeants and constables were conspicuous by their
absence.
The gathering wan held in the eld spot, near the
clump of trees cc often disgraced by similar exhibitions.
The people who had gathered were of a very mired
dies. The usual mock Litany ruffians were there in
great force, two and two, chanting their obscene rub-
bish, and, to all appearances, doing but a sorry trade.
The roughs who came to demonstrate and the people
who out of curiosity came to look on made but a very
small gathering altogether, and the numbers of those
who put themselves to the trouble of listening to the
" platform " under the presidency of Mr. Wier would
have been gathered together anywhere in London in
five minutes to look on at a street row.
The "chair" was supposed to be taken on a park
seat, arid then Mr. Geiger addressed the assemblage in
a speech which was heard with difficulty. His remarks
were directed to maintain that the police had a right
to meet and express their opinions the same as other
people, mixed with much talk anto the high self-
governing powers of the English working classes
generally, who, he declared, had loot all confidence in
those people who thought they were born to govern and
did not know when they were wrong. He took
credit for carrying on these demonstrations and
the maintenance of public speaking despite the
newspapers, the magistrates and Ministers. Going
on again to the question before the meetir g, he went
on to say the occasion which led to the die'
charge on Saturday week was the first time they had
acted upon their light as thinking men, and if the
Force Sill not stand with those men then it would he
supposed that the best men had been pushed out. lie
believed every one would endorse the resolutions which
would be submitted, for they would not encourage in-
insubordination. The first declared that policemen
should be the same as other men, and allowed to meet
to discuss questions in their own way. Then the
meeting would be asked to join in a resolution to call
upon the Home Secretary to release the men in prison,
anl to reinstate the men discharged. He finally
called upon Goodchild to make a statement.
The discharged constable Goodchild then stood for-
ward, and was received with marks of sympathy and
attention not given to the agitators. He said he stood
forward to appeal to his fellow-countrymen on behalf
of men who for no crime were lying at this moment
in felons' cells, and for the 120 men who had been dis-
charged. He placed himself on his trial before his
fellow-countrymen, and he was sure that Colonel
Henderson hereafter would have to stand on his trial.
The speaker then went on to narrate the circum-
stances of the late dispute in the Force, and he com-
menced by saying that the police sent in to Colonel
Henderson, on the 30th September, petitions for in-
creased pay, alterations in the hours of duty, and other
changes, and Colonel Henderson refused to submit the
petitions to the Home Secretary, declining to recom-
mend the increase of pay, and saying that even if he
thought the increase should be given there were no
funds from which the increase could be given without
the sanction of Parliament. The men then held meet-
ings, and delegates were elected to draw up special
memorials and petitions to the Chief Commissioner.
These were presented through Superintendent Gernon,
and in ten days from the day when the memorial
and petitions went in the 101 l iiicreased pay wan
granted, notwithstanding Colonel Henderson'e pre-
vious statement. (Hear, hear.) The speaker said he
then called a meeting of the delegates, and it was held,
and one of its proposals was to give a vote of thanks to
the Chief Commissioner. ( A laugh.) A " Memo then
came out —not a legal police order, wind, and it had
never been in orders t this day—ordering that no
more meetings were to be held, and anyone attending a
meeting would be dismissed. He strictly confined him-
self to the orders, and sent out a notice informing his
delegates of the order, and stating that he would ask
the Comroissioneria permission to have one more meet-
ing, at which to present the balance-sheet. Before
another step was taken Captain Baynes, one of the
district superintendents, calted and informed him that
be had violated an order—au order which had never
been in orders—and was to be removed to Bromley.
In reply he said he regarded that as a punishment for
being the secretary, and asked to go before the
chief. Well, he was sent off to Scotland-yard ;
but there he was not permitted to do that which
was the right of a criminal at the bar—he was not
allowed to speak uninterrupted in his own defence.
In fact, before he had commenced to speak Colonel
Labalmondiere had slipped hie pen into the ink to
write the dismisaal. (Shame.) Well, he told the men
at six stations what bail happened, and they said that
not a man should leave the station until he was rein-
stated, and he then sent the telegram to the other
stations, and for their action on that honest and up-
right men were at that moment in prison. He declared
that policemen had as much right to meet am members
of Parliament to go to St. Stephen's. He thought it was
a great hardship that for one action like this men who
had served the State well should be imprisoned and
lees a them slid, all right to pension after.
ha some cases, 20 years service. As to the men who
had been discharged and had kept aloof from this
movement of his for the release of the imprisoned
men, he raid they had looked after themselves in try-
ing to get back; but they should have followed his
ltr.e in resolving not to rest until the poor fellows
out of prison.
The. first resolution was then submitted by a Clerken-
w lid Republican known on the "The Green" as
"Johnson Number Two."
The resolution was put, apparently without the
form of a seconder, and then Mr. Charles Murray, a
well.known Trades' Unioniet, stepped tiv to ['roil..e
another, but before he could proceed the roughs who
had planted themselves in the trees, tired of an amuse-
ment which bed become dull, descended and joined

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together in pushing respectable people about, giving,
m they called it, a 'bit of shoulder work. The con.
sequence was that the " platform " had to yield. A
handful of papers was seen to wave overhead Pr a
moment, as if the resolutions wen., belng "put" to the
meeting, and tl,eu ',rotors and crowd were mingled
tog-Alu?: in a tangled malls, from which the undemon-
strating particles seemed very. anxious to disengage
themselves. -
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