The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-11-19 00:00:00

THE LIFE GUARDS CALLED GUI'.

At 4,15 p.m. a loud cheer and great waving of hats
from the crowd in Parliament-street announced that
something unusual was occurring there. Quickly
the polished helmets and burnished cuirasses, over
the red jackets, disclosed that the Ist Life Guards
had been turned out, and were advancing towards the
square. There were three squadrons of this gallant
regiment, each man with twenty rounds of ammuni-
tion for his carbine. In their front rode their
Colonel, the Hon. Reginald Talbot, and beside him a
gentleman in a light-coloured civilian dress, with a
high hat, who, it was at once recognised, was a
magistrate, but who personally declined to give his
name, either to the representative of The Daily
Telegraph or to any other 'ournalist. The mili-
tary and police supplied the necessary designa-
tion, stating ho was Mr. Marsham, of Greenwich.
In the rear of the Life Guards, in full uniform, rode
Major-General Gipps, commanding the Home Dis-
trict, who, being mistaken by the crowd for Sir Charles
Warren, was received with prolonged booing. A crowd
of two or three thousand persons, vociferously cheer-
ing, marched in front and alongsido the troopers as
they rode up the east side of the square. At the east
corner, in front of the National Gallery, the Life*
Guards halted for a few minutes. 'lwo or three
hundred excited men gathered around Mr.:Nlarsham,
and cries were raised of "What do you want to read
the Riot Act here for ?" "We are peaceable English-
men wishing to hold a peaceable'rneeting," "Go Away,"
"Coercion," "Has it come to this in London 1" Two
or three well-dressed men, who closely approached the
magiserate, made brief speeches, intended for the crowd
as well as for Mr. Marsham. One of these persons said,
"Sir, this an orderly meeting of peaceable citizens of
London, of whom I am one, and we neither wish for
nor require the interference of military nor police in
the discharge of our duties. You can find no justifica-
tion here for firing upon the people." The magistrate
made no answer, and from first to last did not say one
word to the crowd Who thronged around him and the
troopers. The Life Guards alerted on past the front
of the National Gallery, and up till seven o'clock,
When they were withdrawn to the Horse Guards'
parade in Whitehall, continued to ride ron-id
square. The troopers zigzagged from one side of the
roadway to the other, assisting in clearing the streets,
the mounted police meanwhile charging and riding
down the groups of people who tried to dodge the
Guardsmen.

THE GRENADIERS BROUGHT UP.
Scarcely had the Life Guards ridden on their first
turn past the National Gallery, when four companies
of the Grenadier Guards, with their bayonets fixed
and also having 20 rounds of tall cartridge in their
pouches, marched down Shaftesbury-avenue, and took
up a position on the parapet overlooking the square.
By half-past four o'clock this force was deployed to
turn every person away from the roadway and pave-
ments in front of the National Gallery, which, it is
scarcely necessary to add,.t.hey soon succeeded in doing.
The crowd still lingered on the east, west, and south
sides of the square, and the streets converging thereon.
A. man called Jas. Sims, honorary secretary of the
Metropolitan Radical Federation, tried hard to get
arrested for attempting to speak; but the police
eef used to allow him- to talk or take him into custody,
"moving him on." Fresh charges had to bo made to
clear away tho crowds. A man wearing a green
rosette shouted that the proper thing now to do was
to c&11 a meeting for every day this week, and allow
no business to be done until the right o' meeting was
conceded. He refused to go away, and was there-
upon knocked down, after which some of his friends
took him off.
- WINDOWS BROKEN.

Darkness was creeping in, and the more desperate
In the crowd indulged in more reckless behaviour.
Stones were more freely thrown at the police, and a
number of plate-glass windows were broken in the
shops in the Grand Hotel-buildings as well as on the
opposite corner. Among those who have suffered in
this way by • having their windows smashed are
Messrs. Phillips and Company, T. W. Reakes, R. S.
Strakie, J. Turner, Midland Railway Company's office,
Aerated Bread Con.pany, and Suggs and Company.
A. most regretable incident took place during these
later charges of the mob down Northumberland-
%venue. The Constitutional Club was brilliantly lit,
snd many persons were looking from the windows and
oalconies of the building. Whenever the police sue-
neded in driving the howling crowds helterekelter
Ind - overturning scores of persons these clubmen
:..beered and loudly applauded the efforts of the con-
stables.
THE DEMONSTRATORS DRIVEN BACK.

A series of sharp tussles Occurred between 3.50 and
five p.m. A portion of the Clerkenwell contingent
attempted to pass down Shaftesbury-avenue, but they
were charged by the police, mounted and foot, the
instruments of their band smashed, and their flags
torn up and scattered. In the Haymarket there was
also a stirring contest, during which a troop of
the Life Guards opportunely came on the scene.
There also the whole of the instruments of the band
were destroyed, and the banners torn to shreds. The
procession was completely dispersed, and only a few
of them afterwards found their way to the square.
It was composed of Irish temperance and other
societies from Pimlico, Paddington, and Chelsea. A
still more serious encounter took place near the
Houses of Parliament, in which a large number of
persons were injured. There also the procession was
dispersed, and the instruments of the bandsmen
destroyed. The contingent in question, which num-
bered about 20003 came from West Southwark and
Kennington.
As already stated, the police had taken precautions
to stop the influx bf too great=pressure into the neigh-
bourhood of the square. Police, backed by Life
Guardsmen, were stationed in the Haymarket and at
Waterloo-place to stop the procession coming from
that direction. Eastward, at Wellington-street,
Strand, strong bodies of police guarded the ap-
proaches from Waterloo-bridge and from the City.
Lines of constables four-deep barred the roadway
from the Lyceum Theatre right across the Strand
to the north side of Waterloo-bridge. The men
stood firmly, whilst sections of the two front
ranks went out front time to time to charge
and loosen the mob in their front. Two proces-
sions drew up near this point shortly after
four o'clock. One came from the Surrey side and
the other from the City. The latter had several
waggons crowded with men. In one of the vehicles
was a band and in the other a huge banner of many
colours—red, green, and yellow trimmed with white
—and for motto blazoned thereon, "No Coercion."
Three or four of the leaders of this procession dis-
mounted and went to the police, demanding permission
to pass westward. This was refused. During the
parley the band was thundering away at the "Mar-
seillaise The waggons tried to advance, and the
polica charged. A wild scrimmage ensued ; hats
went shooting in the air; the mass of the people
fled like chaff; and by dint of vigorous thumping,
in two minutes the police had cleared a space of
fifty yards around them. Inspector Livingstone,
of the E division, was struck full in the face by a
carman named Joseph Elliot, and had his nose
broken and eye blackened. Elliot was instantly
arrested, and he, with 20 others who engaged in the
affray, were taken to Bow-street Police-station. The
immediately conspicuous result was that about 100
men were lying on or crawling along the ground where
the fight had waged. Some of the police, possibly
carried away by excitement, are said to have stooped
to baton the fallen, who were most thoroughly
trounced. The waggons were turned down Welling-
ton-street and sent across the bridge to the Surrey
side, together with most of the crowd. A section of
the people managed to pass up towards
Covent-garden and so flank the constables,
but the vat majority of the mob was turned
back. The banner was torn to tatters in a
struggle between a hundred of the processionists to
save it and fifty policemen to capture it. Victory lay
with both sides, for each man retired from the contest
possessed of a portion at least of the banner. The
bruised and wounded who were unable to walk were
a few minutes afterwards picked up by persons in the
crowd and conveyed either to their homes or to the
hospitals. Some of the men were so badly injured
that they were in an unconscious condition. A
quantity of sticks were left lying on the ground, and.
these the police were going to leave untouched, when
one of their number remarked, "They may be used •
. against us; we had better take them away," setting
an example by picking seeeral of them up.
THE SQUARE CLEARED.
- - -

At Trafalgar-square as late as half-past six o'clock
the police continued t 3 make charges on the crowd,
whi3h, although steadily decreasing from the mom-nt
the military appeared, was still considerable. The
troop of Life Guards in the Haymarket were the first ,
to be withdrawn, going off to Albany Barracks about
ten minutes to six o'clock. The troop at theloot of
Waterloo-place remained on duty much later. At
six o'clock the policemen' who lined the streets
near the Atheneum Club, warned the gentlemen
walking about to get out of the way, 'as a
cavalry charge was going to be made." This was
done, and the crowds were dispersed. Jmt before
seven the streets were BO far cleared that Mr. Mar-
sham, the magistrate, thought he might go away,
and the whole of the military thereupon retired to
their barracks. It was noted that whereas at first
the crowds cheered the military, subsequently the
soldiers also got a fair share of the hooting. Up to
quito a late hour a force of about 2000 policemen
still kept guard around Trafalgar-souare. Large
numbers of spectators also flocked to have a look at
the strange scene, but they did not attemrt to liter
long in the neighbourhood.
CASUALTIES AND ARRESTS.

A GENTLENIAN BAYONETED.

As was to be expected, the encounters in Trafalgar-
square audits vicinity led to a large demand on the
resources of the hospitals in the immediate neighbour-
hood, and in one of these, at least, ample provision
had been made for the emergency on Sunday. At
the Charing-cross Hospital, being within a stone's
throw of the scene of conflict, i-, was anticipated
that 1.1 collision would very possibly occur, and
that pressing occasions would arise for surgical
assistance. In consequence of this admirable
provision both the house surgeons, Mr. E. J.
Bower and Mr. E. J. Smith, were in attendance,
declining to avail themselves of the usual Sunday
relief, and were subsequently joined by Mr. Bloxam,
one of the consulting surgeons. The Stagg Accident
Ward was placed in readiness; skilled dressers, in.
chiding a large number of the students, were at band,
as well as the entire nursing staff, to assist the doctors,
Precisely the same measures were taken, as far al

circumstances permittea, as would have been adoptect
if the authorities had thought themselves on the eve
of a battle. The result fully justified the wisdom of
being prepared for the worst. At four o'clock the
first arrivals began, they continued to follow at short
intervals until a quarter to six, and between these
times 75 cases had been attended to. The
scene outside and in the hall of the hospital was
a strange one. Men streaming with blood
were rushing or being carried in every few
minutes. Outside a vast crowd had congre-
gated, who cheered or howled as a civilian or
a police officer was brought in. Although there was
a display of streaming blood sufficient to produce un-
pleasant sensations, the actual injuries requiring
attention were comparatively slight. Nearly all were
scalp wounds, a characterisation equally true of those
who sought assistance at St. Thomas's and Westminster
Hospitals. A few had contusions and stuns, some had
been knocked over by the crowd or by vehicles, others
struck by missiles, but for fully nine-tenths of the
evils inflicted the constable's truncheon was
responsible. Two only were alleged to be bayonet
wounds. One was a cut finger, which might or
might not have been caused by the soldier's weapon;
but as to the second, suffered by a gentleman named
Halifax, a spectator, and by no means an intentional
participator, as he declares, in the disturbance, the
shape of the incision in the flesh leaves no doubt that
it was made by the point of a bayonet. L was quite
a tailor's wound, as soldiers say; obviously given as
the victim was in full retreat, and happily in a part
of the body where it was least of all likely to cause
any permanent injury. The man himself declares
that it was done by one of the Foot Guards with his
bayonet, and the visible evidence corroborated his
statement. One detective in plain clothes and
one policeman were brought in. No woman was
injured; two were mere boys; and of the rest the
great majority were young men. The addresses given
show that they came from all parts of London; but
from the outlying 'parishes, such as Haggerston,
Hoxton, Kilburn, St. George's-in-the-East, White-
chapel, Poplar, Stratford, Woolwich, Lambeth, and
Peckham, more numerously than from the Central
districts. With one exception, all the patients were
able to go to their homes after their wounds had been
dressed. The one which it was deemed prudent to
detain was that of a man who stated that he had been
kicked in the abdomen by a policeman.
Police-constable L. Gilbert was reported to be
severely hurt, and D. Williamson, of the H Division,
was severely cut in the ear with a knife or some sharp
instrument. L. Stepping was wounded badly on the
face by a stick, and William Culvert by an iron
weapon. In several instances the assailants of the
constables were arrested in the act. Upon a few
were found lethal weapons of a compromising
character. In addition to those who were injured
the members of the force on duty in Trafalgar-square
deserve sympathy. A considerable number had been
as many as 27 hours on active service out of the 36
ending at 11 on Sunday night, and this without any
extra pay.
In the first instance the number of arrests was
very large, amounting, it is said, to some hundreds;
but a great number were speedily liberated. Late at
night there were in detention-26 at King-street, 23
at Bow-street, and 3 at Vine-street. The charges
entered against them were, in general, riotous conduct.
One, however, was accused of violently stabbing
Police-constable Woodhouse. Several were detained
for throwing dangerous missiles, a few for breaking
windows, and one for being in unlawful possession of
an umbrella. As already mentioned, Mr. Cunning-
hame Graham, M.P., and Mr. Burns were arrested
together. Most of those detained were young men.