The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-11-28 00:00:00

THE STOTMERIDGE OPSERVER.

ted them along the road with stones, and at Hill
llola they were forced to take refuge in several
houses. The mob remained about threatening,
with most violent imprecations, to kill the po-
licemen. Mr. Charles Swindell eventually came
to the place, and advised the superintendent to
withdraw with his men. On their re-appearance
in the road they were again stoned. hut on their
crossing the brook into Staffordshire the mob
left them, and they returned to Stourbridge. A
considerable number of persons received injur-
ies more or less severe, but in the reports that
reached Stonrbridge early in the day, there was
a good deal of exaggeration. One of the most
wanton acts we have heard of was the smashing
of the windows of Mr. R. L. Freers carriage.
A voter was being brought up to the poll in it,
when a volley of stones were showered upon it.
The occupant laid himself down on the floor, but
how the driver escaped injury was a marvel.
The windows of the vehicle were smashed, as we
have said, and it was otherwise damived
beside.

HALES OWEN.
RIOTOUS PROCEEDINGS.
TIIE POLL CLOSED AT 4.20

Some of the most riotous proceedings ever
witnessed at Halesowen took place on Monday.
Everything would, doubtless, have gone off
quietly, but at four o'clock a roan named Fran-
cis Thomas tendered his vote for Mr. Ainphlett,
and the Liberal agent objected, on the ground
that Thomas was a paid agent of the Conserva-
tive candidate. This caused a great commotion
amongst the crowd, and Thomas was rather
severely jostled. Shortly afterwards stones
flew about in all directions, and the Sherriff's
Cl rk, with his assistant an I others, managed
to screen themselves under the table. The
roughs, however, got some brick ends, &c., and
soon nearly demolished the polling booth.
Stones came like bail, and completely covered
the place; and when, after a time the greater
part of the roughs had accompanied some of the
leaders of the Conservative party on their way
home, it was found that all the wine bottles
were smashed, as well as the glasses, inkstands,
&e. ;in fact, everythir g was demolished. The
Sherriff's Clerk, thinking he might venture to
the Shenstone Hotel, at once declared the poll
closed. This was at 4.20 p.m., and the polling
should, of course, have continued till five. At
twenty minutes past four the polling stood as
follows :—Lyttolton, 252 ; Martin, 20;2 Atnph•
lett, 149.

Amplilett 1,10,i
.. ..
Lvttelton .1.093
.. ..
Martin • •.•
—(lorid chaers). The High Sheriff then declared 11. P.
Amphlett, Esq , and the Ilon C. G . Lytt,dion duly etre-
ted to serve in the ensuing Parliament for the Eaaterti
Division of the enmity of Worcester--.(ch tiers).
_ .. ..

Messrs. Amphlett, Lyttelton, and Ma rtin afterwards
addressed the assembly, thanking their friends for the
support that had been resnectively awards d to them.
Mr. Amphlett afterwards proposed a vote of thanks to
the Sheriff, which was seconded by Mr. Lyttelton, and
carried. . .

The members where then g;rt with their swords, and
the proceedings terminated.

WEST STAFFORDSHIRE ELECTION.

The polling for two Knights of the Shire
took place on Tuesday last. The Kiugswinford
district was the largest division, there being 1,
496 voters. For polling purposes, four booths
were erected, one at Kingswinford, a second at
Brettle Lane, another at Wordsley, and a fourth
at Brierley Hill. Perhaps in no other district
was such an absorbing interest felt in this poli-
tical fight; and in the molar:11g it was seriously
thought some considerable disturbances would
arise. As a precautionary measure, therefore,
a troop of about forty of the First Dragoon
Guards were stationed ready for action in
Brierley Hill, and about L5O policemen were also
on duty in the district, under the command of
Captain Congreve, Chief Constable: Chief-Sup-
erintendent Merrell, Bilston ; Chief-Soperin-
tendent Cater, Walsall; and Superintendents
Mills, Brierley Hill; Garland, Longton ; and
°swell, Borten-on-Trent. Mr. I. Spooner (Sti-
pendiary Magistrate), and several local Justices
of the peace, likewise held themselves ready for
any services that they might be called upon to
perform in order to maintain peace and good
order. At Brierley Hill, about a thousand per-
sons stationed themselves in front of the polling
booth during the day, and in the afternoon they
eel the temper of the policemen stationed
here under Captain Congreve, by occasionally
brewing ashes and stones at them. This was
aken no notice of for a short time; and, en.
couraged by the passiveness of the "blues,"
some of the more reckless threw larger stones,
and brick-ends. This, however, was speedily
checked, and two or three of the offenders were
promptly marched off to the Police Station,
under the protection of a file of policemen with
drawn staves. Groans and yells followed each
apprehension, but no attempt was made to res-
cue the prisoners.

The following were the returns issued by the Conser-
vative committee of the polling throughout the divi-
aim :

9 o'CLn, K.

• • 1'64
Idta
846
Foky .. • •
Footer • 850

10 o'CLocg,

logn.m .. 1,02
Child 1,731
Foley .. 1,117
Foster 1,137
12 O'CLOCK.

Ingram .. .. 2,936
Child
Foley
Foster

2 o'CLocK

in the crowd, a blow on the head, which cont.
pletely stunned him; whilst Richard Ames, a
mounted messenger, was pulled from Ins horse
and severely kicked by the rioters. Ames had
performed several journeys between Rcddall
Hill and the adjacent townships for relays of
police-officers. and his last was to Dudley, from
which town Chief Superindent Barton and six-
teen men were in attendance. The active
measures taken by the Magistrates completely
awed the mob, and cornparitive quiet reigned
throughout the rest of the. day. The number

of public-house Edits was alarmin,,, but as they
did not seriously disturb the peace of the streets,
or interfere with the polling, the police officers
did not interfere in more than one or two cases.
The only figures we were able to obtain are as
follow —Foley, 10l; Foster, 102; Ingram, 71;
Child, 71.