The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-13 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, THIIRSDAT MORNING.
OUTRAGEOUS CONDUCT OF AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS

-GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY._

The ordinary quiet of the county of Kilkenny has been
disturbed by riots of a nature not common in Ireland, and
the Government has been obliged to send troops from the
Curragh in order to quell the turbulence of the agricultural
population. The tumult arose cut of the emplayment of
reaping machines for the first tittle by several large farmers
f
in the district, which necessarily had the effect
abridging the labour usually given at ,this
tenetime
of
x
and
the year to harvestmen, who travel to in the early s
gr
from
e
orn elsewhere from Connaught to get
previous to embarking for England. It appear
the reports furnished by the local jo
toss f Kil-
urrinatbhethat on Sunday
a large number of workers assembled
i
kenny, waiting to be hired after chap at
according.ustom.
Exasperates on finding, however, t at bi
nders only were
required, and learning that this was owing to the use of
reaping machines, which do the work of forty men per diem,
they proceeded at once to the farm-houses of the gentle-
men who had procured these offensive implements, and
committed the series of outrages detailed below. The
peasantry are, it should be added, quite unfamiliar
with reaping machines, and their anger at the results
accomplished by them is, perhaps, natural. The following
particulars relative to the riots are taken from the Kil-
kenny Moderator : "Oa Sunday last the principal
streets of our city were crowded to an extent quite unpre-
cedented with agricultural labourers offering themselves
for hire for reaping the harvest. There was, in addition to
the labourers which the city and surrounding districts
usually supply, and the accustomed contingent of Con-
naughtmen, a large influx of men from Tipperary and
the King's and Queen's counties, so that, as the market
was glutted, the farmers were for a time under the halluci-
nation that labour would be more cheaply obtained now than
last season. However, it would seem that a combination had
been entered into not to work under a somewhat exorbitant
rate, and consequently, the overtures of the employers
were fiercely scouted by the crowds, and those few
of the labourers who seemed inclined to accept the moderate
wages offered were set upon and intimidated by the others, so
that the city was kept in a constant state of noise and turmoi
throughout the day, and it was with difficulty the congrega-
tions repairing to and returning from their respective places
of worship could make goad their passage through the blocked-
up thoroughfares, to say nothing of the risk which they ran
of coming in contact with scenes of riot and uproar. No
indication of any overt act of violence, however, was apparent
till towards evening, when Mr. James Walsh, of Outrath,
near this city, came into town to hire women as binders, he
having supplied himself with a reaping-machine, and there-
fore not requiring reapers. Mr. Walsh was immediately as-
sailed by the mob, hooted and threatened in the most violent
manner, informed that his machine would be broken to frag-
ments, and threatened with serious pains and penalties if he
dared to put it to work. He was compelled to run the
gauntlet of infuriated reapers, who hooted him and
brandished their hooks over his head in the mast menacing
manner, through High-street to the Victoria Hotel, where
be fortunately was able to take shelter without receiving
personal injury. Subsequently, however, the blocd of the
turba vul9aris being up, they made serious threatenine
demonstrations against more than one farmer who had the
temerity to offer labourers from ls. to ls. 6d. per day for
leaping, and the parties assailed were fain to take refuge in
the police barrack, and, after remaining there for a consider-
able time in a state of siege, to steal home by back ways and
bye-lanes from the town. The only very serious case of riot
-which occurred during the evening was, we believe, one in
Patrick-street, where a luckless farmer, having been hooted
and pointed out as a leveller of wages' by a body of men,
was assailed in roost Amazonian fashion by a phalanx of
women—females of the most infamous character in the
town leading the charge—and knocked down, kicked, and
trampled on in the roost violent manner. An eye-witness
describes the onslaught made upon the unfor; unate farmer
as a most terrific affair, declar leg that. Le never expected to
see the man get up again, had it not been for the assistance
of a stalwart young man, who came gallantly to the rescue,
drove away the viragoes who surrounded his friend, and
:succeeded in leading him away, in an exceedingly bruised
and battered c-indition."
While these disgraceful proceedings were going on, the
police and the magistrates remained quite apathetic, and
the people of Kilkenny are described as exceedingly indig-
nant at their conduct. The mob then dispersed; but nest
morning it assembled in stronger force, divided itself into
two bodies, and marched out of town te destroy tte reaping
machines wherever they could find them. Their destructive
course is thus traced by an eye-witness:--
"OUTRAGE AT MOUNTRATII.
" Mr. James Walsh, an extensive and respectable farmer,
residing or Outrath, and acting as poor law guardian for
altar electoral divishln, was on the land, superintending the
.operations of his workmen in a large debt of wheat, some
b, ing engaged with the obnoxious reaping inaelime, at .d
others snowing a portion of the crop with scythes. The
riotets approached tie field in three bodies, all proceeding
in the same direction, alihouglr not exactly by the same
route. Tney broke through fences, and made gaps in
liedaes as they went, but seethed careful not to trample on
wire corn crop, and evinced no disposition to do any harm
to any one or anything but Dray's machine. The advance
guard marched directly to where the machine was at work,
nod wilt loud cheers at once proceeded to its demolition.
The men in charge attempted no resistance, but. asked to
be permitted to retaove the horses, lest the animals might
receive injury in the operation of smashing the machine,
and the mob graciously cendescended to grant the terms
:asked, soffit-log the removal of the horses, and then wreak-
ing their vengeance to their hearts' content on the object of
:their dislike. The composition of the irerolline being chit fly
4 f wrought iron and cest metal, they experienced some ditii-
citify at first in carrying out their object, as such stones as
%vete to be obtained on the land were not heavy enough to
permit of expeditious operations. However, having eon-
ttrived, with infinite labour, to break some of the meal
wvheels into fragments, those weighty fragments supplied
means of breaking up the rest, and so, haviug utterly de-
molished the machine, they marched off, carrying away
wit's them the greater portion of the fragments. The men
(engaged in mowing the corn had taken the opportunity,
"4"fahii:t the rioters were engaged with the reaping-
:machine, to slip away with their scythes, which were
sought by the mob before departing, but without effect,
as they had, it appears, resolved to permit no reaping
in the country with anything but the le.mk. The second
body of rioters had arrived in time to take part in
the work of smashing the machine, but all was over before
the third had come upon the ground, and they seemed much
tfisappointed that they were as yet precluied from joining
in the morning's amusements. Mr. Walsh, from what he
'had seen and heard in Kilkenny the previous night, had
apprehended that he might receive this unaelcorne visit in
the morning, and had brought a loaded revolver with him
to the field for the protection of Iris property. He was at
the farther end of the field when the first body of rioters en-
tered it, and the moment they made their appearance some
ft the women in his own employment rushed upon Mr.
Walsh, pinioned his arms to his sides, and made a close pri-
soner of him whilst the mob remained—not, as they al-
leged, from having any sympathy with the rioters, but to
prevent blood from being shed on either side. Consequently
the praceedings here passed off' without any person receiving
injury, and the mob having divided into two sections, one
went through the fields in the Renuett's-bridge cr Pigeon's
Park direction.
"DESPERATE ATTACK ON MR. llowesoer.
"The two sections into which the mob had separated at
°wrath would appear to not have again re-united fur a
considerable time. It would seem to have been the body
which left Mr. Walsh's land and took their course across the
fields that proceeded to the house of Mr. Howisou, the
Nearest farmer who had provided himself with another of
Dray's reaping machines, for the number of rioters there is
stated not to have exceeded a hundred, of whom not more
than four or five were women. Mr. Win. Hovvison is are

spectable Scotch settler, a retired revenue officer, we
who came to reside at the Louse of Pigeon-park and farm
the lands attached to it a year or two ago. Ile was engaged
on Monday morning in cutting a crop of oats, having five
men and 15 women employed in the field where the reaping
machine Lot long since purchased by him was at week.
Pigeon-park fs situate about a mile in a steaight direc-
tion from Outratb, and the shouting of the rioters
there, or as they proceeded along the way, was heard
by Mr. Howison, and the cause at once suspected, as
the rumour had gone abroad the previous evening that
there would be an attack made on the reaping machines
wherever they were to be had. In consequence Mr. Howl-
son armed himself with a gun, and his eldest son, Richard,
aged 21, with another, in the ope that the display of fire-
arms might intimidate the mob. He, however, took another
precaution, which might have been expected to have suf-
ficed to prevent the outrage which followed. Keeping with
him, beside his son Richard, his second son, Andrew, aged
18, in order not to weaken hie effective force, he despatched
his daughter, aged 16 to the village of Bennett's-bridge,
about a mile'from his farm, to call upon the police of that
station, consisting of a constable and five men, to come to
his assistance. Miss Ilowison lost no time in bearing the
message, and anxiously urged upon the party the necessity
of giving their attendance promptly, as from the shouting
heard at Out rath there could be no doubt the mob had been
engaged in breaking Mr. Walsh's machine, and they would
doubtless be very shortly at Pigeon-park, on the same
mission of destruction. However, it would seem, as Miss
Howison herself informed us, the Bennett's-bridge consta-
bulary 'party had not yet got their breakfast, and they
looked upon it as unreasonable that they should be asked to
go on duty before partaking of that wholesome meal. Wee
Howison waited for a little while, and left the barracks, and
returned to Pigeon-Park as fast as she could. She assured
me that she arrived there fully a quarter of an hour before
the mob made its appearance on the ground ; that she was
there at least in time to witness the proceeding., and take
a most heroic part in them, in defending her father from his
rr
savage assailas, her . bandaged arm and wounded and
swollen hand gave stitfielent proof. On the approach of the
mob, there being still no sign of tbloiemaerrtiebrael
roefalphienpgo-lTincsec,iNiilnre.
Howison endeavoured to d
from the field to the house,rianwordderitvoputtbiet
wheat
nojrusaset place
fata rtee
tiorf
security ; however, ha had not r en _
than a lane leading to his ferin-yard, 1
gate of the field the mob made its appearance.
udvanSceienig, and
Seeing the
guns, the fellows were apprehensive as to -
they at once took shelter behind the wall:, and commenced,
from that post of vantage, to hurl showers of huge stones
upoe the machine, the horse!, Mr. Howison, and his suns
and daughter. The horses became alarmed and restive,
and Mr. Howison, seeing that he would be unable to pro-
tect his property unless he actually were to shoot clown his
assailants, which he never had any intention to do under
any circumstances, having merely charged the puns with
powder, he asked the rioters to desist from pelting stones at
the horses, offering that if they would allow him to
unyoke the animals and take them safely away, he
would not resist whatever proceedings they might
have designed; but otherwise threatening to fire upon them.
The answer to this proposal was another volley of stones,
one of which struck his right arm and disabled it, knocking
the gun from his hand. His son Andrew caught up the
Run, but as at this moment the father received another blow