The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-07 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION

POLITICAL COMMOTION IN

WALES.

(From the Shrewsbury News.)
During the week, a good deal of excitement has been
occasioned in this district, by a squabble between some
of the Ltanidloes weavers and some half dozen con-
stables. In all remote country places, any incident that
causes the slightest possible disruption, the semi-somno-
lent routine of every day life, is regarded with the
utmost awe and amazement—the smallest trifle is aggra-
vated to a degree of momentous importance, and people
stand aghast at the mere mention of an affair that one
would hardly take the trouble of listening to elsewhere.
This was ludicrously illustrated on Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday. An affray took place at Llanidloes on
Monday, in which some excesses were committed by a
portion of the mob ; and on the following three days a
belief was pretty strongly entertained, from the town
just mentioned to Shrewsbury, that the populace were
about to rise en masse, and carry bloodshed and devas-
tation throughout the entire principality at least. The
more timid members of the community calculated on
witnessing a Cambrian version of the Reign of Terror,
in which Messrs. Hetherington, Powell, Jones, and
other members of the National Convention were to
figure as the Marat, Denton, Robespierre, and Fouche
of the scene. These apprehensions were further
strengthened by the Cassandra of the Journal, who on
Wednesday morning lugebrenisly croaked forth her
wailings after a fashion calculated to strike consternation
into the hearts of the other old women who put
faith in her anise gossiping. She told that limited seg-
ment of the public, of whom she has got the ear, that
the Chartist Revolutionists at Llanidloes had for some
weeks been arming themselves in pursuance of the ad-
vice of the villains who are their leaders, and that when
the last advices left, the town was in possession of the
rebels—all its inhabitants and property at their disposal
—the former to be murdered and the- latter con-
fiscated. Then we had all manner of rumours about
expresses to Lord Clive; and his Lordship, who is just
the man to cut a prodigious figure when a tempest rages
in a slop basin, was complimented for ail the activity,
z'al, courage, prudence, and what not, which he might,
could, would, should, or ought to display on the occa-
sion. And all these qualities he did display after the
usual fashion. He arrived at the scene of action when
the row bad subsided, and nothing remaining for him to
do, he determined on doing nothing.

Intelligence being pretty extensively, circulated on
Wednesday and ThurAay, that little danger of a re-
newed outbreak was to be apprehended, tranquillity in
the public mind was rapidly restored, though the ex-
citement was attempted to be revived by the Chronicle
of yesterday, which in its exaggerations of actual occur-
trncets, if possible, exceeded its foolish contemporary.
The Chronicle persists in charging Messrs. Powell,
Jones, and others with inciting the populace to armed
violence, including massacre and plunder ; and rhapso-
dizes in a manner utterly inconceivable in any person
who has escaped his first childhood and not fallen into
his second.
Now we trust we are as sincere friends to lax and
order as our neighbours. We have no partiality for
Chartists, even without their pikes and guns. But our
antipathy to Chartism shall not lead us into a sacrifice
of truth, for the sake of showing our repugnance to doc-
trines we do not happen to approve of. Our means of
knowing the opinions, or at all ev,,nts the expressed sen-
timents of the Chartists leaders in North Wales are quite
as extensive, to say the least, as those of any other Journ-
alist. Indeed the speeches of most of these people have
appeared in our columns. and we must say that no
such thing as an appeal to arms is anywhere advised.
That some mischievous or mistaken zealots have re-
sorted to physical violence is too true ; but surely the
way to counteract these evils is not by putting the public
on a false scent as to the cause of them, and indulging
in argue and rhodornontaditig generalities, which may
mea❑ an:,.thing or nothing just as one is disposed to in-
terpret Cieal. So far from tr❑e is it as to Mr. Powell
(ihe eEpt.eial bugaboo of tae Chronicle) being an ap-
prover of violenis•, that we have it from an eye-t% itness
of the whole fray at Llanidloes, he was mainly instru-
mental in calming the disturbance, and his efforts to
bring the business to a peaceable termination was sus-
pended only by utter exhaustion.
We 11:.re give what we have every reason to believe is
a faithfel unvarnished account of the unfortunate trans-
action, diveEt:.(l of the lurid colouring with which the
otli, ten Sliretrslotry pipers have surrounded their

n.lrrsitives. It will he s;!,m that the conduct of seine of
po7ulace was reprehensible in tl.e extreme, and we
trust tier pur;isliment wid be proportioned to the mag-
nitude of the of.-nee. We cannot, however, but con-
demn the silly temerity of the authorities in attempting
to-brave an- armed and excited mob with a constabulary
force scarcely more than suflicierrt to quell an ordin•iry •
stre4 brfttot.- They must have deemed the populace!
!:ore or less than men to have resisted the temp-
t.tion to riot held out- by the preposterously disproper-
ti:;rwd run:hers brought against them. 'Well might the
Sahns exclaim with Macbeth—" the attempt, and
not go deed confounds us!" Then, again, as if to
tender the preservation or peace next thin.- to an im-
possibility, they were led to action by Catel7pole Blink-
horn, who is violently obnoxious throughout the entire
county of Montgomery, and who unhappily experienced
the extent of his unpopularity almost to the endanger-
mont of his life.

We may here mention that we are authorised to con-

Indict the assertion that the mob ransacked the cellars
of the Tretvytlien Arms, and insulted the females.
There is no truth in either statement ; nor is there in
that which represented one of tile constables being hid
in the cellar. If he had been there, he could not have
escapd detection by the mob—if they had been there
also.

The outbreak has been exclusively confined to a
. very few of the most needy and reckless of the lower
orders. A great deal of fuss has been made, with a
view to foster the belief that a spirit of revolt prevails
among the people, who are represented in a state of or-
glnized brigandage. Nothing can be farther from the
truth. A more loyal or peaceably disposed set of men
than the working classes of Llanidloes, Newtown, and
the neighbourhood, do not exist ; and none who depre-
cate the late outrages more, and for the best of all pos-
sible reasons, because none have so great a stake in the
maintenance of tranquillity, which is essential to trade,
Upon which their very existence depends.—The follow-
ing is

FROM AN EVE WITNESS AT I.LANIDLOES.
On Tuesday last a Hot took place here of a very se-
rious character, caused by an attempt to apprehend ten
persons for taking, it is supposed, guns, beef, and other
food faom various farmers in the neighbourhood. Some
of the parties lent the arms willingly, but others did so
under fear of violence ; the latter complained to the
Magistrates and the issue of warrants against several
who were well known was the consequence. The Ma-
gistrates, knowing the inefficiency of their own officers,
solicited the assistance of policemen from London, two
of whom were sent down, who, with one from Shrews-
bury, one from Welchpool, and four from Newtown,
arrived in this town late on Monday night. The Ma-
gistrates in the mean time had sworn in many special
constables, not men belonging to this town, but from a
neighbouring village, Llangerrig, telling these men that
their services were wanted for the purpose of assisting
to make an equal distribution of a quantity of grain
about to be distributed to the poor, as the men of this
place were likely to take too great a share unless they
lent their aid. On the Tuesday morning, this force being
arrayed in front of the Trewythen Arms, proceeded to
execute their order by seizing three persons who were
pointed out to them in the crowd which had assembled.
One of the individuals had a spade on his shoulder
proceeding to his work. Four of the crowd here in-
terfered, but the London policemen used, without a
word of explanation, their staves so dexterously that
the captured were taken inside the inn and hand-
cuffed. Each man went home for the best weapon he could
get ; others tore down the iron palisading of the Town
Hall, and again made their appearance before the lan,
loudly demanding the release of the men. The police
rushed upon tho crowd, who received them so steadily
that the assailants were astonished and before their
surprise was well over, each man of them was either
measuring his length on the ground, or escaping, somc
into the tavern, and others running pursued by the mob.
I 'lto, notorious Blinkhorn was overtaken and so roughly
tre:lted that it is said his life was dispaired of. Those
who went into the inn were also pursued ; the doors
instantly broken, and their lives would have fallen a sa-
crifice, if several who had influence with the mob and
' who took no part in the fray had not rescued them,
' and afterwards hid them from the populace. The
Special Constables did not strike a blow, some in conse-
quence of finding how they had been cheated. Some
instantly threw down their staves and ran away home,
whilst others turned round and joined the populace.
Then commenced the work of destruction. Every door
and window of the inn in front and behind were
smashed to atoms, and those which could not he reached
from out were broken from the inside. The women
during the whole fray being most active in inciting the
men by their cries and carrying them stones. The
leaders oldie Political Union were roost active in say-
inai the lives of the officers, for several would have been
killed if they had not interfered. The policeman from
Poole was badly hurt, likewise Blinkborn, from New-
town. The others escaped with but slight bruises. The
whole of the officers escaped without further violence,
Sarne being carried through the mob in open day by the
Unionists, and others being led at night, when all was
quiet. It was thought by most of the tradesmen, that
if they bad been consulted, aipd the nature of the war-
rants properly explained to the populace, no opposition
Ivoula have been (aired ; but the tuistahen zeal of our
Magistrates has aroused such a spirit of defiance, that
Cvcn rnilitarr ferce will not quiet it. In the course. of. the day many
i. the ne b, rumours were afloat as to the intent of
be
„,....,,_•,u,lt was fully expected that an attempt would
stirs'w-leat: Izthe night upon the Caersws Workhouse.
to be hid at iv,eiritied by a meeting being called,
that evening. The ofiq-
ers r; f' the Politie:lndUinnr instantly called a counter
iiicet-e; in the tow and
p..opir_. of the folly at last persuaded the
". of destroving prnpery, or
.f„1:!1;g• t',2o4.elmet, on private imlivid-tres. Tile meetiog
tarn siiarated quiet;y, and when w.: left, we saw the