The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-13 00:00:00

[STAMPED, 141. ADDITIONAL.]

TRADES OUTRAGES COMMISSION.

Sicrr. 12.

William Tetlow, examined by Mr. Chance.—
Is a hrickmaker at Hurst, nee Ashton In 1861 was in
his father's service. Resides near the brickyard. Is not a
member of the Ashton brickmakers' union. Ceased to be
one 20 years ago. Gave up paying because they ill used
him. In 1861 the men turned out and the masters had
meetings. They employed non-union men, sad they
wanted an advance and his father agreed to give them
Is. 10d. They then turned out, and they put needles in
the clay—many a thousand. It was in May, 1861. Some
bottles were thrown into his house about six months after.
His father and self, and brother and the chap that wed his
wife's sister agreed to work the concern themselves as well
las they could after the strike. The bottles ware thrown
into his house about 1 o'clock in the morning. He was
asleep, and when his wito heard the first bottle she said
there are some brickmaken throwing bottles into the
room. He said, "Oh never heed them." Tbeywere thrown
into the parlour, and he eould not get down stairs
for the smoke and smell. There was a smell of naphtha.
When he got down stain be found a bottle neck, Some
of the bottles struck the bedroom window frame, and ex-
ploded outside. One or two bottles were struck against the
frame of the bedroom window. He found parts of the
bottles under the window outside, and pieces of the wood
OD fire. The blinds were set on fire in the room below, and
pictures were broken. They bad to have window shutters
afterwards, and altogether the affair cost them many a
pound.

By Mr. Pickering—Had been threatened since, sad used
shameful. . Had Wake spoiled fear or five times
since, and ante time they spaded 20,000. Men had come
' and shouted "Knobstickm" Had been ill-used this sum-
mer through a disturbance over the water in the brickyard.
Burns and Henry Watson attacked him is the ymad, sad
cut his lip with his fist. They mid it was not hie water
he was using. Burns and Watson were union men. They
tried to get him into the water. Watson said, " What are
you doing with this water " They put Inm into the
water. He got the opperband of Watson, bat Burns came
and used his fiats. His wife CUM and talked to them, sod
they threatened to throw her into the water. Watson had
said in a publio-house they would take his life before the
summer was out. He had been shouted at, and he was
afraid to go down the street.
Timothy Burns examined by Mr. Pickering—ls a mem-
ber of the Ashton union, and has been 17 or 18 years.
There were men regularly employed to go round and gauge
the bricks, and look whether union men were employed.
There was a dispute about taking water out of a pit. It
wee in Tetlow's yard, but he allowed Mr. Oeorge, in the
next briehoroft, to take water out of his pit. This summer
he wee called from hie work and told that Tallow was
taking the water. He then thought the water belonged
to Mr. George, his master. He went and found Tetlow
and Watson struggling, and he parted them. Tetlow's
wife smacked his face, but he put her away without
striking her. He had never called Tallow a knobstick, but
had beard that he employed knobstick men. Never be-
lieved in spoiling property, and was never engaged in
doing it.
Henry Watson had been a member of the union, bat
was not now a brickmaker. Worked for Mr. George, in
the next yard to Tetlow's. The water well in their yard,
and Tetlow was letting the water run off in waste. He
told Tetlow he must not let it run off in spite, and he
said it was his water, and be would do as he liked with
it. He told him he should not. Tetlow struck him, and
Burns same tip while they were struggling on the
ground. Had heard Tetlow Galled " Knobstiek." He
did not employ union men at that time, but had em-
ployed them. Witness never spoiled any bricks. Would
swear he never mid he would have Tetlow's life, or ever
heard such words spoken.
James Taylor said he is a master brickmaker at Saddle-
worth, 51 miles from Aabton. Had • brick-croft at Cook
Brook in 1859. He believed the Ashton union brokeu
about that time, and the men werereforming it. He turned
his hands away, and engaged fresh ones—six or seven,
who were non-union men at that time. Paid them the
same wages as the others. They worked for him all
winter. Two union men came in October and asked him
to take his old hands back. He believed one was Thomas
Harrison. Told them he should keep the men he had,
and one of them said, "Then he must take what fol-
lowed." He replied he would, "He wield take pot-
luck." On the 4th of November a fire was discovered is
his brick yard at between one and two in the morning.
He got out as soon as he could and removed some boards
from the shed which stopped it from spreading. The
upper part of the shed was destroyed. The shed
would hold 2,300 bricks, which were spoiled. A
aumber of barrows and other property was destroyed, and
the loss would be about 401. Thought at the time the
premises had taken fire accidentally, but finding bottles
of naphtha and oil left on the premises he thought it must
have been maliciously done. Hs offered a reward of H.,
but did not discover the offenders. Worked comfortably
afterwards up to 1864. Employed non-union men up to
1861, but employed union men afterwards, because he
wanted his work done, and to go on comfortably.
Jsmes Clifford, examined by Mr. Pickering—Worked
for the last whims in 1850. There was a union about to
be formed of brickmakers at the time. He and the men
employed by Mr. Taylor were Dollllllioll men. One of the
unionists came, named James Meriden, and asked them
if they would join the union. They answered they did
not know. Remembered the fire at Taylor's, yard. Hs
had no watchman at the time, but had afterwents. Had
been a member of the union, but left it because he did not
like it.

John Butterfield said he is the son of John King Butter-
field, who bad been watchman in Februery, 1861, at Mr.
Barlow's brickyard in Droyladen. Seine nimi came at the
time and threatened him if he started watching. There
were two or three, and they kicked up a regular row.
They said they would do something at him if he started
firing (the bricks). His father went that night and lighted
the fire. His father's bores after this had its throat cut,
but only akin deep. The horse had his back sinews out
and had to be shot there and then. This was six months
after. His father continued to watch and fire after this.
The union men were on strike at the time, bat Harlow's
men were at work. . _

Joseph Firth, examined by Mr. Pickering—ls • member
of the Ashton Trades' Union and bad been president one
quarter of lest year. Was • member and went to the
bottle-throwing at Kirke'a. He was there with Burke and
the others, and received a pound. He believed Kolar
was engaged to carry out tbeaffair and paid all the money.
The reason for the attack on Kirke's and Clifford's places
was that they employed non-union men. He had not been
oonoerned in any other. He did not know of any depre-
dation' while he wee president, but if there were any ho
should pay for it as president. He was president in 1860
or 1861, and remembered paying Honor 161. or 101., but
could not remember what it wee for. Thought it was for
spoiling bricks. The secretary gave him the money and
entered it ea he liked. His duty would simply be to pay
the money. The money was kept in • safe with Ave keys,
which were held by five different persons who had all to be
present when it was opened.
By Mr. Chanoe—lied only been at two of these affairs,
and never intended to be at any more. Ho did not
approve of these outrages and should be glad to put • stop
to them.
Before the commissioners adjourned to lunch, at one

o'clock, Mr. W. P. Reborn served His fallowing eerie on
the court in reference to the box they bad threatened to
force open:—" To Messrs. Pickering, Barstow, and Chance,
barristers-at-law, commissioners acting at the Arise
Omer, in Manchester, under the ' Trades Union Com-
mission Act, 1867.'—1, the undersigned William Prouting
Roberta, of 44, Princess-street, gentleman, attorney for the
Brickmakers' Burial Society of Manchester, for whom I
am appearing in the said courts, hereby give you were'
that the rid society deny your right to seize or authorise
the seizing of their boxes (the same having been seined
and taken away from their possession, as is said, by your
authority and connivance), and they require you to cause
such boxes to be taken back to the place and places from
which they were so illegally taken. And they deny your I
right and the right of all persons to open the said boxes'
by violence or otherwise. And U any violence is used to
the rid boxes, or any boxes or property belonging te
them, they will bring an action or actions against you
under the Bth section of the said sot, and also against all
other persons by whom such violence is authorised or
practised. And they desire me to require you to atop at
once the practice of examining them in private, either be-
fore or after any public examinations, or at any other time
or times, such private examination being most unfair and
partial, and calculated to entrap Into admissions and state-
ments the persons subjected to them. And they desire to
conform to the law in all respects. And lam to intone
you that the act of parliament under which you are act-
ing gives no power of seizing of boxes, or of breaking them
open, or of private examination.—Dated this 12th day of
September, 1867.—ISigned) W. P. Rormirra."
Joseph Frith having been recalled, said that on one
occasion his carter was carting bricks to build the Man-
chester City Gaol, out of the Ashton district and into the
Manchester district. His carter got a good threshinr, and
so did Samuel Lees, who went with them. Witness
afterwards sold about 40,000 into the Manchester
district, and had delivered 30,000. On one ocession the
carter was obliged to bring his bricks back and put them
in the yard again. Manchester would not let the brick
setters set Ashton brick,. The Manchester union rimmed
• circle of four miles round Manchester for ten districts, or
121 square miles, and were two powerful for Ashton, and
the weak always fell to the wall. Them was no objection
by the Stockport or Oldham unions to Ashioa bricks.
The Manchester union was the only one that claimed that
monopoly.
James Harrison said, in answer to Mr. Chang" that be
is • master brickmaker. As a journeyman ha was a
member of the Ashton Trades Union. In 1868 hie brother
had some clay that they were grinding by machine, and
the men said they must not use it. The clay was net lit
for bricks without grinding be ruse of time being lime in

(TWOPENCE

it. There was • reedy saki for such bricks, if they could
have supplied them. Three men come and gave notice and
went away. This was on • Wednesday, and on the Sun-
day following the shed was on fire, in which bricks were
drying. About 3,000 bricks were spoiled. Could not find
out who did it. Were only employing three or four union
as. That was the only damage they had sustained. Once
afterwards they were fined 2s. for using moulds out of
shape, and as they had • good deal of work, sooner than
18 or 20 men should be stopped, they paid the fine. Some
of their fowls had been poisoned. A neighbour was knocked
insensible by • man on his way home, the other Sunday
night, and there was reason to suppose he had been mis-
take, for their watchman.
Joseph Smith said, in 1863, he was manager of the Ard-
wick Brickmaking Company, and during the night a quan-
tity of timber bad tar thrown on it. They were having
timber from Mr. Bennett, but bad ceased because of Ben-
nett's carters being threatened, and one of their horses being
killed. We wire machine brickmaken, and Bennet*
thought we had better get our timber somewhere else.
The tar thrown on the timber was set alight, and the
timber destroyed, or rendered unfit for the purposes in-
tended. On one occasion a stable was broken open of theirs
and • grey mare being tied up by the bead, shavings were
placed under it and set on fire. The horse died within a
couple of hours. This was at three o'clock in the morning.
A neighbour woman gave alarm of the fire, and said that
I she saw three or four men like brickmaken leave
the 'tables. When the horse was found it
bad struggled and pulled the by-catch down. In July,
1864, their brick carts had the kicker-bars withdraws
while the carters were lunching in the Ashton Old-road. If
this had not been discovered the five carts would have been
a sad the bricks in them when started, and the horses
wool d base beeninjured. A womansawahandbrickmakerdo
it, and told the carters. On mother occasion be left a
boy to take some lettere to the Post-office, and as he went,
three or four brickmaken took him and threw him into •
pit of water 10 or 12 feet deep, and left him there. A
=ohmic was puling, or the boy must have been drowned.
One man took him by the shouldthe end the other by the
feet, and they throw him five or au yards into the water.
Knewelno reasonfor it, bat tbattksywenaaken of Woke
by machinery. In June, 1864, some brr,kmakere set fire to
a joiner's shop belonging to them. A bottle had been put
into his house since that containing gunpowder, and •
flannel saturated with spirits. On the Ist May some bricks
made by machthery were sent by them In carts, and three
bad-brickmakers cause and cut the ornaments from the
horses, and the traces were cut. One of the carters came to
tell him, and he went to see what wee taking place. There
were three bticicenthers, widths, beat him, and one while
he was down struck a knife at his shoulder but it went
into the ground, and the blade broke off. It was about
three in the afternoon. He ran off as soon as he could, and
went into • wheelwright's shop, where he got • hammer.
By that time there was onlyone brickmaker following hint,
ar.d he turned on seeing the hammer. He went back to
the place where the knife had been struck at his shoulder,
and felted •• rises of the blade of the knife in the ground
two to thresusehse long. That was is 1864. He left the
company's service in consequence of that attack, his
friends pomading him to do so for fear he would come to
some serious injury. Ultimately the company gave up
making bricks by machine, Laving so many break-downs of
machinery in the place that they thought hand brick-
makers got ink) their employ under false pretences, who
caused these break-downs. Machine-made betake were
much superior to hand-made.
Thomas Cole was about fourteen years old. About
the latter and of 1864, about seven o'clock, he wu going
home from the works, when two men, dressed in brick-
makers' clothes, threw him into • pit. He could not
swim. A stranger coming by got him out. It is • pit in
as open field, with • road passing it. One man took bold
of his hands and the other of his legs, and threw him four
or five yards. Was going to the poet-office. Had said
nothing to the men.
John Cole, • brickmaker, mid he remembered, in July,
1864, there was • machine briokinaking company in Aril-
wick. Was taken into custody iu 1864, on a charge of
drawing the kicker-ban from some brick carts, but he had
done nothing of the kind.
James Broom said be was a carter in the employ of Mr.
Mainland Bennett, and remembered, three or four years
sego, one of the homes in the stable bad its throat out.
There were seven cuts, and one laid the windpipe bare. It
was in the night. The horse recovered. They carted
timber to the machine brickmakingeonoern at the time, and
it was supposed to bedews by brickmaken.This was • white-
faced hone •
among four in the and was the one em-
ployed always 12 take timber to the stables,achine tirickmakera.
The court adjourned to Friday (this day).