The Sun.
London, England, 1831-05-23 00:00:00

OUTRAGES BY TURN-OUT COLLIERS.

(From the ?Manchester Guardian of Saturday.)

We regret to state that some outrages of a very serious
nature have been this week committed by large bodies of
turn-out colliers, upon the workmen employed by Mr.
Andrew Knowles, at his collieries in Pendlebury, near this
town. Some particulars of these outrages will be found
in our report of the proceedings at the New Bailey Court-
house; but as the origin of the dispute between Mr.
Knowles and the men is not very fully detailed, we shall
give some account of it here, adding a few particulars of
the occurrences which grew out of it.
It appears that for some time past Mr. Knowles had
employed two persons in one of his pits (but not for the
purpose of getting coals) who did not belong to the Col-
liers' Union. This gave offence to the rest of the hands;
and, without consulting Mr. Knowles, they took the
liberty of turning thu two men away from the colliery,
and of setting two others to work in their places. Mr.
Knowles, of course, did not choose to have his authority
entirely taken out of his hands, and refused to pay any
wages to the men who had been set to work without his
permission ; on which the whole of his hands, near four
hundred in number, left their work in a body on Monday
week, and have since refused to return to it, unless
Mr. Knowles would consent to employ the individuals
thus attempted to be forced upon him. To this condition
he refused to accede, and immediately set about pro-
curing fresh hands, which the turn-outs endeavoured
to prevent by threats, and in some cases by per-
sonal
violence to those who offered to go to work in his
collieries. Mr. Knowles, however, had succeeded in ob-
taining about a dozen hands, who were set to work at a
colliery in Pendlebury; and as some violence was ex-
pected, eight men who had been soldiers were armed with
fire-arms, and placed in a small building near the engine-
house, under the command of Cotterill, the deputy-con-
stable of Pendleton, for the purpose of protecting the ma-
chinery from destruction, and the men employed from
personal violence. Early on Thursday morning, however,
Cotterill had to execute warrants against some individuals
charged with having threatened one of the new hands;
and he had also to appear at the New Bailey ou that day,
in order to give evidence against them. Of these circum-
stances the colliers were probably apprised ; for, about
noon, a large body of them assembled around the colliery,
and demanded from Mr. Knowles that the new hands
should be turned out. This mandate not being complied
with, one of them struck him with a large stick, and com-
pelled him to seek his safety in flight. They then took
possession of the engine; a number of them descended
into the pit, where the new hands were at work, and partly
by threats, partly by promises, that no harm should be
done to them, induced the unfortunate men to leave the
pits. As soon as they had got to the surface, however, a
furious attack was commenced upon them by the ruffians
assembled. They were hunted about the fields and roads
in every direction, beaten with large bludgeons, and kicked
most unmercifully, until the whole number bore terrific
marks of the violence with which they had been treated ;
and several of them are now in a. state of very consider-
able danger.

Whilst these lawless proceedings were going on, the
men who had been employed to defend the premises,
having no person to command them, did not venture to
act, and rema:ned quiet spectators of the outrage. In-
formation of what had happened was, however, promptly
despatched to Cotter'll, at the New Bailey ; and he ap-
plied for and obtained the assistance of Mr. Greaves, and
a party of the 10th Hussars, who hastened to the scene of
action. On their arrival there, they found a number of
persons assembled about the colliery, who took to flight on
their approach. These were pursued by the hussars over
the hedges and fields, and a number of prisoners were
taken ; but as it turned out that they had merely been at-
tracted to the spot by reports of the outrage which had
been committed, they were set at liberty, and Cotterill,
with three or four hussars, rode on at a quick pace to-
wards thlton, in which direction the greater part of the
rioters had gone. A little beyond the Gravel Hole, they
came up with about fifty men, evidently part of the body
by whom the outrage had been committed. These, on
seeing the hussars, attempted to escape through the
hedges; but six of them, (most of whom were armed
with large sticks) were secured and brought to Man-
chester, where they were lodged in the New Bailey. Yes-
terday morning, Mr. Greaves, the Magistrate, with a
party of soldiers, went into the neighbourhood of Darcy
Lever, where eleven other persons, known to have joined
in the riot, were apprehended, and the whole seventeen
were yesterday brought up for examination at the New
Bailey, and committed, until it be known that the injured
parties are out of danger. A number of warrants were
also issued yesterday against other persons who were en-
gaged in the outrage, which have probably been by this
time executed. . _ _

We understand that some apprehensions are entertained
of attacks being made on other collieries in the neighbour-
hood on Monday, in anticipation of which measures have
been and will be taken, to repel by force any attempt to
commit outrages similar to that which we have described.
In consequence of these outrages, the ' master colliers are
about forming themselves into an association for mutual
protection and support against the unreasonable demands
of their men, which have become utterly insupportable,
and which they must resist if they mean to carry on their
business. They will have only themselves to blame if
they do not succeed; for there is no employment more
readily learned than that of a collier; and if the turn-outs
will not work at wages at which they can readily earn
from 255. to 30s. per week there are hundreds of poor
weavers and labourers who would be exceedingly glad to
exchange their employments for one which is so lucrative.
We are quite sure they will receive every practicable assist-
ance from the Magistrates and the military commanders of
the neighbourhood.

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