The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-24 00:00:00

THE RIOTS IN THE COTTON DISTRICTS.

ABHTON, HONDA; 3 r.n.
At half-pest nine o'clock this morning a pollee-
constable who had been sent tostelrbridge by Mr. Daleak
the chief constable, to watch the progress of 'yenta in that
borough, arrived at the Town-hall, Ashton, with the intel-
ligence that a considerable mob of persons baring gathered
there had marched in proossaion thence for the purpose of
rioting at Ashton. Mr. Wei& immediately called in all the
available police force, and soon afterwards Kr. Hugh Mason,
a magistrate, arrived, and, with Mr. Dslgliab, decided upon
calling out as soon as pcenble a troop of the 14th Hussars,
stationed at the Ashton. barracks. ln the meantime a nom-
. .

her of special oonstables were sworn is, and with the porme
were placed under the command of the chief constable.
With ldr. Yawn at their bead this body proceeded to the

Stalybeidge-road, with a view of preventing the mob from
estering the tows. They were too late, however, for
that purpose, for before this could be done the
_ . . . .

mob had arrived and attacked the bread.shop of
Mr. Handfortli, baker, Old-street, ad the inmate',
through fear, had thrown out loaves of bread, which led to
a scramble and mach arcitament. From this shop they pro-
ceeded to that of Joshua Taylor, a corn dealer and cheese
factor, and here also both bread and cheese were thrown to
them. Thence they went in considerable disorder to the
shop of Joseph Wood, a large provision dealer, in Market-
street-avenue, and broke into it and carried off some cheese.
From this place they proceeded, with great noise, down
Stamford-street as far as the shop of Mr. Corry, grocer and
provision dealer, where bread was also thrown out to them
by the alarmed inmates. With the bread, • box of biscuits
was also given to them. From Stamford-street the mob
proceeded to Heuryaquare, to the shop of Mr. Farrand, pro.
vision dealer. Mr. Mason, accompanied, as before describe],
by the police and also by the military, here came up with
the rioter, ; but the shop had been already forced open
and breed was being thrown out. Mr. Mason Immediately
proceeded to address them, and was received with cheers and
booting. He was lifted up on to the shoulders of severed
men, and many of the crowd took off their hate to listen.
He addressed them to the effect that they would do much
betterby peaceable than by riotous conduct, and advised them
to go home without committing farther depredations.
What they had does alreedy, he told them, constituted a
riot. (Cries of " No, no"—" no riot.") He said that it
was • riot, and so long as he was a magistrate he would not
permit riotous conduct to go on in Ashton unchecked. If
they had any reasonable grievances to complain of, they
should, if application were made to the proper quarter, be
heard and indeed impartially. Bat if they took, as he wee
sorry to say they had done. the law into their own bands,
they would earn for themselves well-merited disgrace, and
would lase all the sympathy which had been so generally
expressed for them. In Ashton shop-breaking could neither
be allowed nor tolerated for • moment, and with the view
of effectually and at once ;meting • atop to such disgraceful
conduct, he should proceed to read the Riot Act, and then
call upon them to disperse.
Mr. Mason proceeded to read the Riot Act amidst cheers.
hooting", and cries of "We want bread, we've got no
money." The mob was then told to disperse, and they pro-
ceeded along Fortlandatreet and Catherine-street, to a
baker's shop in Cavendish-street, into which • por-
tion of them broke, and seized a number of loaves
that were on the counter, and threw them out
at the door. As they were leaving this shop the police came
up, and Mr. I)alglish seeing one of the mob carrying away •
loaf, apprehended him. The mob from this place went
towards the gas works, whither they were followed by the
police ; and soon afterwards, the police, taking another route
through Oldham-street, were assailed by a shower of stones.
One of the missiles struck Mr. Mason, but did not severely
hurt him. The moment the atones were thrown the polies
faced about and confronted the mob, coosisting of at lent
3,000 people. The Human, which had been stationed in
Henry-square, now came up and charged the mob with
drawn swords, but rode through them without indicting
injury. The mob were broken and dispersed for the time;
but • considerable number again collected and proceeded
towards Dukinfield, sacking several shops on their way.
At Dukinfield they were received by a body of the county
constabulary, under Captain Elgee, who with the assis-
tance of the military dispersed and drove them back to
Stalybridge.
Up to this time Ashton remains in an excited state, but
none of the people of this place took any part, so far am is
known, in the disgraceful proceedings of the mob. Captain
Elgee has ordered 50 of the county constabulary to be sent
to Ashton, and 50 to Stalybridge.
MANCHESTER, Five o'clock.
A telegram from the authorities at Ashton was received
in Manchester about four o'clock, saying :—" All is quiet.
The rioters have returned to Stalybridge. The military
remain with us, and have done good service."
STALYBRIDGE, MONDAY.
A meeting of the relief committee was held at
Stalybridge this morning, and in consequence of their Whit-
ing to their resolution not to give relief in money, but by
tickets, all the operatives but eight refused to receive
them. Many of them, however, it is thought, have bees
frightened into refusal by the general body. The greater part
of the applicants went in procession to Ashton, as stated
above, and to Dukinfield ; the town, however, is in au ex-
cited stele, and fresh outbreaks are feared to-night. There
are two troops of Hussars under arms and one company o
the 49th Infantry. It was reported this morning !het • large
i number of men and women left here to go to Oldham and
S Hyde, in addition to the mob that proceeded to Ashton.
2

(From the Manchester Guardian of today.)
With the approach of evening the streets of Stalybridgs
ware again crowded, and at half-past six o'clock Market-
street, the Hydes, and Melbourne-street were ►lmost i
minable. Many of the public-houses in those districts
were entered by the mob, some of the landlords were
roughly handled, and others were compelled to
distribute food and drink. At the Victoria and
the Back Inns the mob were extremely demonstra-
tive, and Mr. Maitland., of the Victoria, was se-
verely injured. A number of special constables were
also attacked, and others driven from the streets to
the town-hall. Some of the shops were plundered, but
this part of the disturbances was not, at sight o'clock, so
serious as in the afternoon, and was conducted without per-
sonal violence. The number of persona perambulating the
streets was estimated at about 12,000. Their amusement
appeared to be to jostle the more respectable inhabitants,
thrash the Stalybridge police, and beat the shop doors sad
window shutters, to the no small terror of the inmates. At
the town-hall and police-office acts of violence were
reported almost momentarily, hut none of a serious nature.
The police and military, consequently, made no attempt
to clear the streets, their policy evidently being not to
act till the outbreak assumed more serious proportions,
or as one of the functionaries at the town-hell expressed
himself, "till the mob began to riot." The only appear.
once of military being in the town between Ave o'clock
and eight was the marching of a picket to relieve some of
their compsmocs who were on guard at the District Bank.
About half-past eight o'clock the crowd in the centre of the
town divided into mobs, as on Saturday night, the ma.
jority of them visiting the Castle Hall district. They
demanded bread at the shops of Mr. Ralph Whitehead, at
Mr. R. Garside's, at Mr. J. Ridpway's, and Mr. Kenyon's.
Grosvenor-square. While they were here, about 50 police.
men marched down, followed by half a dozen of the cavalry.
and an attempt was made to clear the streets. A few stones
were thrown at the police, and they were hooted sad yelled
at, but noes of them were injured. The mob gradually dis-
period, but again concentrated in Market-street, and a
portion of the infantry was sent to get in advance of them.
By 11 o'clock the 'areal& ware perfectly quiet.
STOCKPORT.

There was some maitement amongst the operatives at
Stockport yesterday, in oonsequenon of a new regulation
of the Raid Committee which imposes a larger amount
of work for the relief eves. Hithetto three or four hours
labour per day has been required of the men, and some
appear to have worked in the early pert of the day and
others towards the close. The committee have decided
that the recipients of relief shall attend the workyarll
" • • --

durin the whole of the day, and this alteration the men
feel aggrieved at, an they say it will deprive them of
the opportunity of taking occasional Jobs. Yesterday some
of the men ref used to work under the new regulatioo, and
during the day they collected in knots round the mien'
relief stations in the town, and pre expression to their
disapprobation of the altered toluene in hires and 'bouts.
but no violence wee nutted to. It was confidently hoped
last night that the disagreement will be peaceably ar'
ringed•

HT DE.
COMMITTAL OF FIVE PRISONERS TO THE
ASSIZES.

A portion of the mob, after Mewing Dukinfield, pro.
ceeded to Hyde, when they were joined by a consider•
able number of the more nthiehiwrons of the operatives.