The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-01 00:00:00

FATAL 140 T AT SHIELDS.

A riot took place upon South Shields sands on Wed-
nesday morning. One person was killed, and several
others are severely wounded. The rases were held upon
those sands on Whit-Monday and Tuesday, And there
was a good deal of drunkenness in the publicans tents
that were pitched near the race-course. An Irishman of
the name of James Roe, belonging to the Castle-Garth,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, had a tent ,on the sand, and; on
Tuesday night it was pretty well crowded with his coun-
trymen. Riotous proceedings 'were threatened, and it is
evident that they were premeditated, as a nuratier of
formidable bludgeons known as " Morgan Rattlers," pis-
tols, swords, and old blunderbusses were taken from the
rioters after the affray. About midnight on Tuesday an
Englishman of the name of Evans and a peaceable cleat'
and dumb lad, named Johnson went into Roe's tent' for
some refreshment. They had no sooner entered it
than they were attacked by the Irishmen and fearfully
beaten. Evans ran for the police to come and rescue his
companion, but upon Sergeant Richardson and Police-
constable Kidd going into the tent they were imme-
diately knocked down, and on the three officers coming
to their assistance they were also beaten. One officer of
the name of John Mattison has ten wounds on his head,- •
two of hii fingers are broken, and he is much injured. -
Another officer, named Atkinson, is also much inftirici
in the spine. After disabling the- policemen,. who.,were.
left on the sands insensible, the rioters retreated to their
tent, where they commenced firing upon the persons
outside, but it appears that no one was injured. The
wounded officers were removed from the sands_, in
a cart, and were taken to the nearest tavern, *hence
werett.emyationof th e
conveyedriot havingtetbeir hbnymetshisi7
time been
beit,
f
sent to the Mayor, he gave instructions that rein-
forcements of policemen should be sent 'for from tthe
te.he were
marchedprepared down
ow eeneiteot:
Tynemouth and River Tyne police stations. Ino
1,
itches,
meantime Mr. Buglars, the superintendent of police,
mustered all his available force, and pressed al many
as the Irishmen
tthhee
evilciviliaaunsthionrtintiehs.s.Withservice
hos
as
sands, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning,
found every one in the greatest alarm where
he
continued to fire their guns, and rush,
SODS passing, whom they beat unmercifully,ed out upon per-
upon them 'to desist, but they answered He cilled
at him, and on Approaching t by, firing a pistol
g
thrust a sword into his le ( ;near to the tent a person
attack the tent, from 1:i. rders were then given to
immediately rushed out'w ich between 40 and 50 rioters
upon the police, armed with
bludgeons and guns ; the police 'closed up3n them arid a fearful encounter took
tunately. the place, in the midst of which, for-
rived. They cha reinforcements from North Shields ar-
tured 33 of the rged down upon the rioters and Cap-
ra. The rest then fled. Most of the rioters
were
•rn___ ~ , in the second affray, and they werel meniateity removed to the station-house,
where their
wounds were dressed by the police surgeon, Mr. Coward ;
26 of them have been removed to the hospital in Durham.
Gaol, and six or 'mien of them are considered in a some-
what dangerous condition. -On Wednesday afternbon
Peter Campbell, one of the men in custody, a beerhouse
keeper at Willington-quay, and the person who had
commenced the riot, died in one of the police cells. He
had received a contused wound on his head is the second
affray with the police, which had caused an eruption of
blood on the brain, producing death. Some b
dangerously leaded bludgeons, were
taken out of Roe's tent, which, with other information
that has come to the knowledge of
the police; coal=
the impression that the riot had been
premeditated.