The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-21 00:00:00

7R-IDES' OUIRAG'ES COMMISSION.

FOURTEENTH DAY.

MANCHESTER, Sept. 20.

The court opened at the usual hour, Mr. B. T.
Williams, barrister, of the Temple, was present to
watch the proceedings on behalf of the Amalga-
mated Carpenters, Mr. W. T. Roberts represented
the trades generally, and Messrs. Cobbett and
Wheeler were present on behalf of the Masters'
Association.
Mr. James Johnson, sworn—ls the representative
and a partner of Messrs. Knowles and Co., colliery
proprietors of Pendlebury. They employ about
3,000 colliers. There was a colliers' union, but
they had not employed union men since 1816.
About 1,400 men left last November to join the
union. There bad been no dispute about wages to
lead to it. Some of them had privately joined and
persuaded the others. The wages were then higher
than they had ever been, and this took place when
the trade was depressed in Staffordshire and Corn-
wall, and the agents of Messrs. Knowles obtained
500 colliers from those counties and double the
number came of their own accord, hearing the re-
muneration was good. Until they got the cottages
emptied of the old families they had to purchase
beds and bedding and provide temporary lodging
for about 150 of the new men. About 1863 upwards
of 300 colliers turned out at their colliery at Stone
Clough, but most of them came back on the old
terms. The wages of men and boys would average
22s.—the men's wages would be about 295. Many
of the 1,400 who had left had given up the union
since, and come back. In March last there was a
fire in the store room where the new corners were
accommodated. It had been an oil store, and burnt
freely. There were £5OO worth of stores, and the
damage done was about £BOO. If it had not been
early discovered, there must have been an explosion
from the near proximity of a gasometer and a ton
of blasting powder, which would have caused an
immense loss of life. It had been rumoured
that great mischief was intended, but there
had not been a threatening letter. Two
letters came from the union, which witness pro-
duced. The contents were of no moment. One
of them, dated Dec., 1866, from the committee,
asked why, as masters had unions, they objected to
the men. Witness read one of the letters, dated
the 18th of May, which came from the society men
who had left them. It stated that the men knew
and were ashamed to say they had put the company
to great expense and inconvenience, but they (the
men) had been led on like fools by men who cared
little so long as they got 30s. a week, and were
made 'somebodies.' They offered to make the union
into a sick club and return to work if they might be
taken on again and have their faults overlooked.
Mr. Knowles replied that he could not enter into
any negotiations, but they afterwards took on any
of the men who came back and offered themselves of
their own accord. Did not think the fire originated
iu spontaneous combustion or through accident.
They were told that a man named Tattersfield had
said there would be something serious before long,
and he feared it would happen the following Sunday,
which it did. Tattersfield afterwards denied saying
so. The fire broke out in a shed adjoining the build-
ing destroyed.
John Walworth, sworn—ls a wheelwright living
at Pendlebury, and remembered the strike at
Knowles's Colliery. Remembered the new hands.
He had six of them lodgers. While they were there
the windows were broken—six panes were broken
while one of the lodgers went to the front room to
write a letter, and there was a shout of " knob-
sticks," and stones were thrown through the window
at him. They lived with witness about four months,
and had to be guarded to and from their work all
the time. About last Christmas he was attacked
by a drunken collier.
William rulford, collier, said last year he was
working for Messrs. Knowles, after the strike. One
night in September a bottle was thrown through his
chamber window and exploded. Stones and bits of
bottle flew on to the bed where he and his wife lay.
Some of the union men had told him he would rue
coming to Pendlebury, and called him a "knob-
stick."

Samuel Potts, police officer, said he remembered
the strike, and he had to report a great many dis-
turbances at the time. Stones were then thrown at
the men continually for about five minutes. Ten
policemen had to be placed on Messrs. Knowles's
property to guard the premises and colliers.
Joseph Robinson, a collier from Bristol, said he
came to work after the strike, and was waylaid and
beaten by the turnouts. Afterwards had his windows
broken. Went back to work at Bilston because it
was dangerous to remain at Pendlebury.
Joseph Robinson, collier, from Bilston, Stafford-
shire, said he worked at Messrs. Knowles's. After
the strike a man named Wilson knocked him down
after cries of " Knobstick," while he was walking
with his wife and child.
Henry Jones, one of the colliers, said he was
knocked down at his own door in February by union
men and rendered insensible. Some of them were
tried and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.
John Barnet, a Bilston man, gave evidence that
he was accosted while working for Knowles and Co.
at his own house door, and was felled by union men
who professed to have come to ask if he would join
the union.

Matthew Bowling, a factory operative, detailed a
case of outrage in which, last December, he was
attacked one dark night, and had his skull broken,
and was badly beaten on the supposition that he was
a "knobstick" collier.

Thomas Halladay, vice-president of the Miners'
Association, said the delegates for the different lodges
met every Monday fortnight. There are 50 lodges,
and a delegate attends from each. They looked
after accidents and wages, and sought improvements
in the law when desirable. The weekly subscription
was 6d. His duty in case of a dispute was to go to
the master and hear the reason, and report it to the
meetings of lodge delegates. Went to Mr. Andrew
Knowles after he had locked out his men, but Mr.
Knowles would not hear him. His object was =to
bring about a reconciliation if be could. He heard
the master usually first, then the men, and then
made his report. Witness is a lecturer, and had
lectured the colliers not to use violence when strikes
occurred, endeavouring to persuade them they
would always best advance their cause by the ob-
servance of peace. They had all their receipts and
payments carefully entered, and all the books of the
association were ready and open to examination if
the Commissioners thought fit to look at them.
They paid the 1,400 men for the six months they
were locked out in 1866 for being union men, and
in the former strike in 1863 he should think not less
than £16,000.
Moses Cotton, secretary to the Miners' Provident
Society, said he remembered the men being prose-
cuted for the assault at Pendlebury, but he did not
know that any money was spent out of their funds
to defend them. He produced all the books and said
there had been none destroyed and no erasures.
Mr. Pickering said he found an entry of £BlB on
behalf of victim members—how was it expended ?
Witness—To supportmen on strike. Men on strike
were supported, but if they got into trouble money
was not paid for that.
John Mason, warper, stated that in November he
was iu company with a man named Doherty at a
public-house in Ancoats who offered him a glass of
ale. Ile suspected it was poisoned and threw it away.
He went out with Doherty when a man named Ilall
came up and threw vitriol in his eyes. Doherty was
sentenced to four and Hall to six years' penal servi-
tude for the offence.

Doherty was placed in the witness box, and said
he also was a warper, and a member of a union. lie
denied that he put anything in last witness's glass.
His disagreement with Mason was because the latter
employed women, and he thought it would have the
effect of lowering wages.
The inquiry had not concluded when our report
was despatched.

DEATH FEO3I SUFFOCATION.—As a number of
people were stacking corn on Mr. Featherstonhaugh's
farm at Park Hill, Hylton Castle, near Newcastle, on
ThuNday, the iron supports gave way in such a manner as
to topple a large stack to the ground. A girl, 19 years
old, was unfortunately buried underneath, and was suffo-
cated before it could b 0 =wired.