The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-21 00:00:00

THE RIOT AT BIRKENHEAD.

EXAMINATION OF THE PRlSolllhuer,
tri,‘ After the despatch of our parcel on Thaw.
Superintendent Ride, of the Liverpool police form, ---",70
I remember the 27th of November. On thet dad;
sent to Birkeshead with thirty men. I arrived h:7
past elevens, and was marched up and into the T
I found a crowd collected about the Towa
fromta'r e
acleared4 acted(ll
upon, p oa 6:(7 Inor
"f
theth. 'eft 'wuinge aefita Hall,
mwthltihatit%"446:4l4E
single file to clear the space in front of the centred it
the Town Hall. We sane oat from the pollee-8E --do:
our object was to clear a space immediately in frouceer'
building, to give aeons *co rgola who wire Kole etre- the
meeting. At first the crowd gave way. but up • b.;
called to by the performs who were standing in the 'roe.' steadfast, they refused to move, and endeavoured ro
re m
theme. Ives of the spun trom which they had reti4;"
preemie' closely on the polka. Whilst 1 was *teased emtb&
endeavouriog to persuade those immediately is trout With.
way, I heard a soles behind me of penalise. I tweed
rne and I 6116 the officers tiring their sticks. I meld
tqbow It commenced. The officers dispersed The co•!b, sadf It!
lowed them into the street. The mob afterwards refaced
with re. terf0::::
threeleld or more. They came up Muketaterv. Th.about belt-pot 12. They yys
`.
were armed din bludgeons, and I saw two or three
police, and the sub seemed to be in an infuriated sate
se for a reinforcement of • hundred additional m'ee
Shortly after thin the Rev. Mr. Brown arrived. I
him address the people. He celled upon the people to es
quiet, not to commit a breech of the peace, and to deli
up the bludgeons they had at his feet. They nompdisvee
with his r, quest. Mr. Brown then went into the 't on
Hall. Immediately alter he went into the Town Ball, there"
was a rub made to gain admittance by the door that lash
to the police-office, by men of the same chareetr
bad before removed. They were siting in a Hoot:awe
, way. The police et the sr trance p d them ',Nog
llso mob appeared to consist of dock labourers and cur
tore. I saw very few persons respectably drersed amorggii
Mem. On the police reacting their adtaksion they wary
obliged to as their sticks. This appeared to bate km by
the men on the road, wro formed • dense crowd, for the
began to throw "tones and brick ends ; thou falls" on to
mob as well as the police. I dispersed the mob, cad they
retired into the general body on the road. Toe rows eon.
tinned to be thrown, and I formed the men, some 4
or lt,
outside, and directed them to charge the mob. We hie•
needed in clearing the space in front, and called upon the
officers inside to come out, From the confesioe wt eb p
uiled they did not. Saw handy di of stones thrown; the
windows and sashes were demolished. 1 Will assaulted
myself. From my experience as a superintendent Os
emergency was such u justified ths police thewsticks. I have been able to identity Fonda and fleemy.
I sew them at the !nineteen in Bi!keshead. Atter the matt
bed been removed the first time, Pude came and paraded
is front of the Town Hell, and said It was brutal work?!
Hagerty was In the road with other.. I did not ate Iliad.
anything; but I law him in conversation. This washer
the first riot had been dispersed, and about the time attar
mappearance.
Cross examined—My orders were to Tr port myself to lir.
Superintended kl'Hargh at Birkenhead. When I marched
into the Town Hall, M'Hargh re quests me to take me see
round to the other aide, and go in by the door of eke
nperietendenbregistrar's cffice or the magistrate's prima
door. I filed the men in, and I suggested to him the de.
arability of removing the men that were occupying the whole
ores, and in front of the doen. lam • pike °filar in Bit.
kenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire. All the police are 11666
in in the same way. In this cue it was my suagution; and it
W6B left entirely to my dieeretien, becatme I sou the niny
officer who commended the party who did so. I remised no
iorructions of any kind from the magiatratee, except
making the !application for additional force. The crowd
had occupied the space and were shindig in front of the dote
at half-past 11. Toe persons at the rear were not wrest
forward at this time. They were +Mediae quiitly sea
peacefully at that time. The area within the pouttem
not as full es it could hold. I thick 600 or 600 punt
might stand in the area. Ns spot was perfectly mew; they
were standing in such groups. I placed no man in me rest
of the market. The crowd could have very easily Mind
without getting over the well et either end. By doing m's
they would ,have lost their placer, union the crowd in the
street was removed. The In! ring VFW called for 1 o'clock.
I didn't see the crowd armed when I first arrived; had they
been generally I most have noticed it. I .0 self Birnie
several times during the day. I recollect seeing Bina
about half-past eleven o'clock. I can't ay how he war
employed. He was in the eastern end of the buildieg.
I saw him in front of the area before twelve o'clock
engaged with the other officers in removing the cud. I
don't know whether he had a staff or not; my imprrsioa
is that he had a stick, and that be was assisting is disputing
the crowd. The men did not retire as quickly as I could
wish. Mr. Superintendent firliergh was the chief officer in
command. The epees before the Town hall wet clewed fiat
at a quarter before twelve o'clock. Then were no policemen
I mint
no
polio.
arianveetodit toontnhrnt
arCionwt
andetoregrine"ouileii:alatblieibngunteriethg.hoc.eblpmCied
to
an"alontropdilltifsomtintertoe:th:hleirrinatir:::thotiewend.dt isroeNlpswia"orsee::::::::titemdcothien,:ionliwdcfaeoshp:e eeeplerae:anocittrthihtn:::
.4m:dill:cal t'iroPtweinmuthe:o
emiLso
warent yluatutr thist ad'MPuitthimely2e.ow'aleMree:.kWar. miThileiadern.y Jnlldieldnalnwl°,:sP:s:t:thhetbldoortitll3,

sad one or two ether gentlemen • bat I don't know whether
they were magistrates. This was :nee the melee' of the crowd.
When the crowd came in front of the Town-hall they eider

eblow:tufo
wilato.cosimgpoe..eraisiovedredirthoreinth wykaleal, etpubinumgtptufokeurtwooor fie
.kdeerpboocthl ikelierroir n
row the
wall. Some persons of respectability were adeei•ted into
the area for the purposes of being admitted to the meeting.
I should distinguish in this way : there was a bill pond op
at the Town-hall, stating the meeting was to be attended by
ratepayers. lam enabled, by my knowledge, to dituaguith
between a navigator and a decently dressed pence, thouth
L cannot distinguish between a decently drewd person
and a ratepayer. There were not, to my knowledge,
pumas appointed to distinguish between ratepayers and
others. The bill only specified ratepayers." I deal
know by whom the bill was signed. I does know the nue
her of ratepayers is Birkenhead. I don't k..ow whatnot.
ber the hall will contain ; but I think 400 or 500 perms
would fill it. I understood the doers were open to the
public when perwa. were going in. The centre door wet
pened that day, bat I don't know tact it b is
existence. I mad* a report ; and, in conneiiiin with s sop
plementary report which wee afterwards made. I took the
statement of the men. The Rev. Mr. Brown arrived beton
dee second attack. I wt, quit* near to him. 1 bead the
Rev. Mr. Brown speak. Mr. Bretbereon and another
eetholio clergyman wee with him. Mr. Bretherton bad a
up on, aced a brown overcoat. I don't recollect ulnae Mr.
Boothe:ten to go into the moving. I law him titer, addle's-
ing the magistrates in the room. A copy of my report
was promoted to the council; the original is an the bob
of the poliewoffice. I cannot say by whom the first bloc
was struck.
The court then adjourned until next morning.
Yesterday the examination of the prisoners was resumed.
The Brat witness examined was Mr. Riceard Brown,
boot and shoemaker, residing opposte the Town Hall is
Birkenhead. He we. an eyewitoess from a room window
over his shop of the whole of the riot, from it, commence'
runt to its close ; and, in answer to (pastime from the
counsel for the promeutioe, he described it in detail.
Hr
twice eight end nine o'clock of the morning of the 17th of
November (the day of the riot) he saw a great number of
;anon' in front of the Town !flail. and consulted neigh.
hour as to doting his premises. He &wed shout 11 o'clock.
and about 20 minutes alter it he saw the police strikisg the
mob. Some of whom retaliated. Before he locked he
door end west up stain 40 or 50 men pawed he
shop, after the first row was over, and be heard
some of them say that the would go to the docks and get
weapons. One of them mid, 1e I'll go and get a stick sod
knock their brains out." About 20 minutia to one he
observed a large camber of men cornice toward' the
Town-hall, flourishing weapons in the air. Oas of them had
a poleaxe. After describing the g I facts connected
wick the riot, the wittier deposed to seeing the primer
Brown after the riot, standing by in an excited state. Ile
sew the prisoner Pollan holding a weep= and menacing
the police. He sew Pollee-constable Kelly lyieg opposite be
door, epperently deed. In a few minutes Kelly got up and
struggled towards the Town hall. As Kelly was endeavour-
ing to get into she Town hall wither sew • man whom be
knew strike kith with a poker.
Mr. Conway—Never mind naming him. He B not here.
In contieuation, the witness deposed to seeing the wiadows
of the Town-hall broken after the polies had got loside the
hall; and to the Rey. Mr. Browne and Mr. Brettorton
addreedug the mob.
The wittier underwent a lengthy
George Stephen.
lames Kelly, of the Liverpool polies force, who was mat
dangerously wounded by the mob, wt, wet examined. lie
identified the prisoner ream as taking an actinism' is
the riot.
Poliewoffirser Fallon, of the Birkenhead police, ideetifird
the pdsonen Ilsuarty and Griffin. Haggsrty attempted
to go into the ineedng sad witness entrap:el to Pub biro
back, whew Haggerty raised his hand and struck Dim.
tomlolol4llll. bead to defend himself. That was about eke
deeleleageame the disturbance, when the bricks and
MOM Mime theorem. Pathan was in the first mob. The
pieces Griffin Ind Haggerty were concerned in the owed
.in. Wham had known Griffin four years. Griffin hod
Webb bin .hand, and wee fighting polio:eaten No. 4101
re Mbaband force.
Ia cane urination by Sir George Stephen, the wit"a
midi he had no general knowledge as to who were aid who
amerionetelolowt
hreethtepeeryethree
pinimßrirdkewnhaseadri.t
uTphbeyplaciird did not
Specify what class of ratepayer would be admitted. Could
eeusld.ered himself bound to obey it, and ascutatbd"uitponY' but
141 • kept. at the door of the Town hall,
IMO ea begs and other people who wen going to end
=ate: epeeulation. Kept out all those whom be teas
were not ratepayers. Was not aware that it wen
gellerted to the magistrates that the mob, after having bee
diegoseed, were avaseesabling armed. Notwithstanding that
ha taw ea armed mob reassembling, did oot report it
mwskillalea. The pass-word was mot to the ouperintendea
br edam N 0.23, of the Birkenhead force. Doing the ..
t
terbate the prisoner Haggerty seised witness's stick, end
_
hreettempt to recover his stick the prisoner fell. Ise
lean.* mussel, in continuation, examined the Witness as
ooaddleable length, after which
gorir.soofrinatoy
therOili oat,
thatseid hue
thtehyousaughtedthtleyehdaufd now
e nr
e 0

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