The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-11 00:00:00

VIOLENT EVICTION SCENES.

The evictions on Colonel O'Callaghan's estate have
been continued at Bodyke. Previous extraordinary
scenes in connection with the eviction of Lyddy and
M`Namara were completely eclipsed by the extra-
ordinary display which took place during the eviction
of the tenant whose house the Fusiliers and constabu-
lary next surrounded. It is but a short distance over
the fields where the two previous evictions had been
effected, and the approach of the forces defiling over
the hillside was signalled all the way by men perched
on the chimneys of the out-offices hard by the tenant's
house. Below, in the yard and enclosure, hundreds
of men were busy carrying stones and everything
which could obstruct the eviction of the tenant. The
house was barricaded with trees driven through the
windows and door. The tenant nominally is Michael
Hussey, but his son manages the farm for his
father, who is a very old man. The tenanb
was walking about the yard leading to his
house while the men on the roofs were yelling
at the police and telling them to come on if they
dared amid deafening cheers from the people, who
had by this time assembled to the number of 5000.
Shortly after noon the Fusiliers marched into the
field at the rear of Hussey's house, and formed a
hollow square. The constabulary took up positions
here, and where the crowds were most pressing, and
the constables provided with staves stood ready for
action at the furthest end of the field. The bailiffs
had plied their crowbars and bored an aperture
through the masonry on the right hand side of the
house, when it was observed that there was some
people standing inside. Cans for holding boiling
water were observed, and timber was thrust through
the opening and twisted defiantly at the sheriff. The
bailiffs again plied their crowbars to widen the open-
ing, when dirty water was thrown out on them with
such effect that they had to retreat. The military
and police advanced, pressing back the crowds sway.
ing to and fro, and groaning at the sheriff. The
bailiffs again battered away at the walls with the
view of widening the aperture; but a second
volume of filthy water was flung through the
opening, and the bailiffs fled. Mr. Croker, however,
kept at his post, but a further discharge of water—
this time boiling fluid, it was stated—and a bottle
aimed at his head, had the effect of compelling him
to retire. A number of bottes were now hurled out
of the house by the occupants, and they fell among
the ranks of a double file of constabulary. One con-
stable was struck on the hand and cut. Bottle after
bottle was thrown through the opening in the wall by
those inside the house, a man on the roof guiding
those within by speaking down the chimney. The
constables, armed with staves, then charged one
portion of the people. As the Sheriff passed the
house a bottle was hurled at him from inside, and
nearly struck a gentleman for whom it was not in-
tended. Colonel Turner came up and ordered four
constables with rifles to advance and present at the
window through which the bottles were being flung.
Another constable, with rifle at the present, forced
the aperture in the wall, and two soldiers with guns
presented covered the front of the house. Father
Lynch said to Colonel Turner that the police would
not be justified in firing on the people. Colonel
Turner told the clergyman to go outside the
line. The presenting of arms quieted matters inside,
and the bailiffs resumed their work, which, for the
first stage, ended by the wall of the house falling out-
wards. The interior of the house was disclosed, but
not the occupants, who had retired to a back part of
the premises. The sheriff, his bailiffs, and Et support
of police then made a rush to secure possession, but
they were again deluged with dirty and boiling water.
A. swarm of bees was let loose, but, as far as could be
perceived, they confined their attacks to the man on
the roof, who descended and was placed under arrest.
Subscquently he was discharged by Mr. Crotty. The
occupants of the house were subsequently arrested.
They were the wife of the tenant, her daughter Mar-
garet, and James and Patrick Hussey, her sons.
Colonel Turner, after a few minutes, consented to the
discharge of the women, but detained the men in
custody. This concluded the evictions for the day.
The Bodyke evictions were resumed on Monday.
Captain Croker, the deputy sheriff, is suffering a good
deal from the scalding he received on the occasion of
the eviction of the Hussey family.

On the evictions on Colonel O'Callaghan's estate at
Bodyke being resumed on Monday morning, Colonel
Turner was again in chief command, the stipendiaries
acting under him being Colonel Miller, Captain
Welsh, and Mr. D. Crotty. Major Mayhew had
charge of the 100 men of the Welsh Fusiliers, and
the police, about GO of whom were provided with
batons, the rest carrying rifles, were under the com-
mand of County Inspector Heard. At 10 o'clock the
expedition started for the townland of Bally-
macdonnell, about two miles from Bodyke. The
agent, Mr. E. P. Hosford, the Deputy Sheriff,
Mr. Croker, and the emergency bailiffs, furnished
with crowbars and hatchets, accompanied the
forces, which were followed by Mr. Michael Davitt,
Mr. Cox, M.P., Mr. Kenny, M.P., Mr. Sheehy,
M.P., several Catholic priests, and a number of
others. The Deputy Sheriff, Mr. Croker, presented a
sorry spectacle as the result of the treatment
he experienced on Friday last, when boil-
ing water and boiling meal were thrown on his face
and head while evicting the Husseys. His hands and
face were scalded and covered with blisters, while
sticking plaster upon his head bore evidence of the
wounds he received in the desperate resistance made
by the tenants. His reappearance with the expedition
was the signal for groans from the people, who, how-
ever, did not muster in the force they did on the pre-
vious day.
Neither the sparsity of numbers at the outset, nor
the wet weather which prevailed while the evictions
were being carried out, however, prevented the pro-
ceedings from being attended by considerable popular
excitement, and there were frequent collisions between
the police and the people, although fortunately no one
was injured. Owing to the assaults committed on the
Deputy Sheriff and his bailiffs it was stated that the
Divisional Magistrate had received special instructions
to deal promptly with any organised attempt from
outside to obstruct the Sheriff in the clearances to be
effected on the estate. Four tenants were evicted on
Monday. The first house visited was that of Thomas
Fahy, in the townland of Ballymacduagb, which is
in the parish of O'Callaghan's Mills, contiguous
to Bodyke. Fahy held some ten acres of
land at a judicial rent of ten guineas, to which
figure it was reduced in the Land Court from £l6.
He owes two years' rent. The visit to Fahy's farm
was unexpected, as it was thought the Sheriff would
proceed first to the homestead of a tenant named Hal-
loran. There was accordingly no attempt at barri-
cading, and the only resistance attempted was Fahy's
seizing a pitchfork, which was taken from him by Mr.
Davitt, and the eviction was peaceably carried out.
The crowd endeavoured to press on the Sheriff; but
Colonel Turner ordered the constabulary to disperse
the people, who• then went behind the ditches,
and shouted and groaned. As these hostile demon.
strations continued the police again charged the
People with their batons, whereupon Mr.-Davitt
interfered, and, addressing the crowd, said, if any
limn was bludgeoned by a constable he was
t) come to him, and he would get the name of
tle policeman, with a view to his prosecution."
Meanwhile, Fahy's eviction was completed, his effects
were put into the yard by the bailiffs, and the doorway
ss built up with stones. The military and police
had scarcely left when Fahy re-took possession of the
promises. When the forces were about to leave for
the next eviction, the Sheriff .v..‘s told that the land
had not been cleared, and a party of constabulary
were despatched to drive off a calf belonging to Fahy
—a proceeding ludicrous enough, and effected amid
the booting and yelling of the multitude. The troops
then marched through the wet grass on to the narrow
roadway leading to the next farm, from which the
tenalt Michael Moloney was to be evicted. The
consabularly followed, protecting the bailiffs, who
walksd between a double row of constable and in front
of two cars containing their crowbars and hatchets.
Mohnev's holding is a small one of 10 acres, the rent
beingXlo. No preparation had been made to resist the
Sherff, who entered without any difficulty. While the
bailifs were removing the furniture it was stated by
the telant that Moloney had not been served with
any eectment, and that, though he owed two years'
*rent, he Sheriff had gone to the wrong house, the
tenan to be evicted being another man of the same
namelaaving a plot of land higher up the valley. Mr.
Cox, having consulted with the tenant's friends,
drew ep the following notice, which was served by
Molow on Mr. Croker "I, Michael Molony, of
Ballyaacdonnell, having warned you against taking
Mega possession of nav house. now renew that Ivo-
_