The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-04-17 00:00:00

SERIOUS RIOT AT lIALE.'OWEN.

Late on Tuesday night a serious rict took place
at Hales owen, a result probably of the scenes which
occurred on Monday, when the polling for East
Worcestershire Nv as c arriei on. During the whole
of the hours of the poll it was only with difficulty
and patient forbearance thatPoliee-Superintendents
Kemp (Hales° wtai) and Sheppard (Birmingham)
refrained from arresting a considerable number of
men who be'aaved in a disorderly manner about
the streets. These individuals were distinguished
as Radical followers by the blue favours they wore
upon their hats and coats. They were the cause of
great excitement, and gradually incited others to
behave in a disorderly manner; but the police
thought that interference on their part would only
read to a general riot, and they th:refore preferred
to do all that they could in the interests of peace
by entreating the mob to disperse. Mr. E. B.
Phillips and Mr. Howard likewi,e appealed to the
crowd to be orderly ; but their words had not the
least effect Upon the rabble who only jeered at
every a tempt made to promote quietude. One of
the Birmingham police-officers was surrounded by
an immens,3 crowd of the ruffians, who threatened
aim with violence. He said, "Be peaceable, lads,
let's all live for ever," upon which he was struck
with a brick, or some such missile, in the mouth,
and badly injured in the body. The ballot boxes
were attacked, and the persons in charge of them
had to be escorted to the railway station by a
number of policemen. A young man who was
known as the son of a prominent Conservative, w,is
attacked in the street, and shamefully illnsed by the
mob. On the following day the riot was continued
with redoubled force, great crowds assembled in
the streets, and at night, when darkness enshrouded
the whole place, unrelieved even by the meagre
light of a street lamp, the was being turned off at
the works, and the shops all closed, a desperate
attack was made upon all who were known to be
in any way connected with the Conservative pirty.
Worn it was made known that the two Liberal
candidates were elected the Radicals took steps to
get the Volunteer Drum and Fife Band to demon-
strate more loudly their feelings at the victory of
their party. A march to the inn kept by Mr.
Holley, where the central committee rooms of the
Conservative candidates hid be ?it, was directed by
the leaders of the mob, and thither they went,
sweeping everybody before them. They broke the
windows of Mr. Melley's house, and upon Ur. Melley
remonstrating with them they threatened him with
violence The mob then went to the residence of
Mr. Grainger, where t+ ey also broke the windows,
and then went in the directioa of the town, smash-
in r the windows of the Lytteltou Arms Hotel
Taey likewise broke the windows of the p
sta ion and many other buildings. All this time
the police-officers under Superinten lent Kemp were
doing their best to quell the disturbance ; but the
mob, with characteristic Radical obstinacy, were
regardless of every endeavour that was made to
uffect quietude. The police were mobbed and
stoned, and they found the greatest difficulty in
coping in any degree with the riot, inasmuch as
darkness prevented them distinguishing one man
from another. Eventually the officials connected
with the gasworks, at the request of some of the in.
habitants turned on the gas, which it appears had
not previously been put on because of the termin-
ation of the contract. Police-Superintendent Kemp,
whoe praiseworthy efforts to bring about order in
the town at length prevailed, was badly injured by
,t blow on the back with a stone. Police-s rgeant,
Raybould and most of the other officers were also
injured. The riot was carried on until long af er
midnight.