The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-10-22 00:00:00

DEMONSTRA.TORS BEFORE THE
MA.GISTRATES.

William Judson, 22, has been charged before Mr.
Bridge, at Bow-street Police-court, London, with
carrying a black flag in High holborn, making
use of foul language, and causing a crowd to assemble.
Police-constable 216 E said that shortly before three
o'clock he met the defendant carrying the black flag
(produced) on his shoulder, followed by a great
crowd, and walking on the pathway, so that re-
spectable people were forced into the roadway. He
told the defendant to desist from carrying the flag,
whereupon he began using very foul language, and
tried to run off into Lincoln's-inn-fields. He con-
tinued to make use of bai language as he ran, and he
was followed and taken into custody. Police-constable
40 E Reserve gave corroborative evidence. Defendant
said he was walking with the proceesion of Socialists,
and " only " carrying the flag: he was making no dis-
turbance. The police came after them with a rush,
and when he tried to run off he was taken into
custody. Mr. Bridge said the streets must not be
made a source of terror to the public. The defendant
must find two sureties in £5 each to keep the peace
for a month.

At Southwark Police-court, William Collins, James
Brown, and Walter Waite, three sturdy-looking men
of the va.grant type, were charged with disorderly
conduct in the casual ward of St. George's Unicn,
and destroying their clothes. James Williams,
superintendent of the casual ward, stated that the
prisoners were three of the men who had been camp-
ing-out in Trafalgar-square, and who varied the
monotony of their life there by visiting the casual
wards of the metropolis, having frequently been into
his. He admitted them on Wednesday night, and
they discharged themselves neat morning and came
again on Thursday .ght. They were bathed and fed,
and in the m fling, before doing their allotted
labour, he found that all three of them had torn up
their clothes, and the Union had to provide them
with others. He asked Collins why he had done it,
and he said they were too dirty to wear, and the
others laughed. Mr. Sheil sentenced them each to a
month's hard labour as rogues and vagabonds.
Some two thousand unemployed working men and
Socialists met in Trafalgar-square on Saturday, and
marched through the City to Stepney-green. Being
guarded by a large force of police along the route, no
violent demonstrations were attempted. On Sunday
morning there was a similar gathering in Trafalgar
-
square. After some speeches had been made the
crowd marched in procession to Westminster Abbey,
where service was in progress. The cioors being
closed, the men demanded admission. They were
told that tho Abbey was full, and on a deputaLion
entering the building and finding this to be the etlre,
the procession returned to the square, where it was
decided to meet again next Sunday and attend the
afternoon service in the Abbey.

MORE STREET PAR&DES.-SECOND VISIT

TO THE MANSION HOUSE.

Six men were deputed by the meetir g of so c.lled
unemployed working men in Trafalgar-square on
Monday to go to the Mansion House to see the Lord
Mayor. His lordship being out of town, they were
received by the presiding magistrate, Sir H. Knight,
who questioned them as to their grievances. Oue of
them admitted that he was a toymaker, having plenty
of money of his own; another that he was a boot
manufacturer, and came on behalf of others who were
unemployed; and a third that be was a small master-
painter, but was willing to work as a journeyman. The
deputation suggested several means of providing em-
ployment for working men, among them being one
that the Bishop of London should employ men to
cleanse and purify the churches. Sir H. knight told
them that deserving working men would not be served
by such meetings and processions as had taken place,
and he advised those who were out of work to apply
for the relief which the la* had provided for them.
The deputation asked if the Lord Mayor would re-
ceive them on Tuesday; but Sir H. Knight declined
to give any such undertaking.

SERIOUS COLLISION WITH THE POLICE.

A serioud conflict with the police oce-u-ire-d-a-if -er- -the
deputation returned to Trafalgar-square. The mob
attempted to march in procession to the City, but,
owing to the crowded state of the strect,, this was
prevented. A great number of people rushed for
shelter into the yard fronting Charing-cross Railway•
station, and the railings in front of the Golden Cross
Hotel were broken down by the crush. After a sharp
struggle the police forced the mob back into Tragal-
gar-square, where excited speeches were made, one of
the agitators, from whom the police had taken a black
flag, advising his hearers to return there next day
armed with sticks. Orders were eventually given to
the police to clear the square, and this was accom-
plished with some difficulty, and after. some sharp
encounters with the mob, who were not permitted
again to assemble, either in the square or in the neigh-
bouring thoroughfares.

RIOIING IN WEST LONDON.
Trafalgar-square was taken possession of by the
police at an early hour on Tuesday morning, with the
view of preventing any repetition of the disorderly
scenes of the previous day, and after making several
fruitless attempts to hold meetings at various spots in
the vicinity, the crowd left for Hyde-park. They were
largely recruited on the way, and several hundred
Socialists and youths, together with a sprinkling of
unemployed, assembled around a red flag fixed about
half-way between the Row and the Bayswater-road
gate. Speeches of a revolutionary character were here
delivered, and at the close it was decided to
march in procession westward. The police in
endeavouring to prevent this being done through the
Bayswater gate, got into collision with the crowd,
and blows were freely exchanged. The scene at this
point was very exciting for a few moments, but police
reinforcements arriving, several arrests were made,
and the crowd gradually dispersed.