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

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, THURSDAY MORNING.
OUTRAGEOUS CON DUCT OF AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS

-GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.

The ordinal), quiet of the county of Kilkenny has been
disturbed by riots of a nature not commcn 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 tut of the employment of
reaping machines fir the first time by several large farmers
in the district, which necessarily had the effect of
abridging the labour usually given at this time of
the year to harvestmen, who travel to Kilkenny and
elsewhere f. eon Connaught to get in the early grain
pr,vious to embarking for England. It appears from
Sunday
a repor's furnished by the local journals that on .
a large number of workers assembled in the streets of Kil-
kenny, waiting to be hired after chapel, according to custom.
Exasperated on finding, however, that binders 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 implemen's, 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 labourwould 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 difficu, ty the congregi-
tions repairing to and returning from their respective places
of worship could make good 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 ovirt act of violence, however, was apparent
till towards evening, when Mr. James Walsh, of Outrath,
near this city, came into town to hire women 29 binders, he
Laving supplied himself with a reaping-machine, and there-
fore not requiring reapers. Mr. Walsh was immediately as-
sailed by the mob, booted 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 most menacing
manner, through Higb-street to the Victoria Hotel, where
he fortunately was able to take shelter without receiving
personal injury. Subsequently, however, the blood of the
turba vulgaris being up, they made serious threatening
demonstrations against more than one farmer who bad the
temerity to offer labourers from Is. to ls. 6d. per day for
reaping, 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 most 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 most violent manner. An eye-witness
describes the onslaught made upon the unfortunate farmer
as a moat terrific affair, declaring that be 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 condition."

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 next
morning it assembled in stronger force, divided itself into
two bodies, and marched out of town to destroy the reaping
machines wherever they could find then. Their destructive
course Is thus traced by an eye-witness:— •

"OUTRAGE AT MOUXTRATII.

"Mr. James Walsh, an extensive and respectable farmer, 1
residing at Outrath, and acting as poor law guardian for
that electoral division, was on the land, superintending the
operations of his workmen in a large field of wheat, some
being engaged with the obnoxious reaping machtne, and
others mowing a portion of the crop with scythes. The
rioters approached the field in three bodies, all proceeding
in the same direction, although not exactly by the came
route. They broke through fences, and made gaps in
hedges as they went, but seemed careful not to trample on
the corn crops, 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 machinit was at work,
and with loud cheers at once proceeded to its demolition.
The men in charge attempted no resistance, but asked to
be permitted to remove the horses, lest the animals might
receive injury in the operation of smashinfy the Irnehine,
and the mob graeou-ly e:ncleeeez,ded to grant the terms
asked, suffering 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 machine being chiefly
of wrought iron and cast metal, they experienced some ditti-
culty at first in carrying out their object, as such stones as
were to he obtained on the land were not heavy enough to
permit of expeditious operations. However, having con-
trived, with infinite labour, to break some of the metal
wheels into fragments, those weighty fragments supplied
means of breaking up the rest, and so, having utterly de-
molished the machine, they marched off, carrying away
wit, them the greater portion of the fragments. The men
engaged in mowing the corn had taken the opportunity,
whilit the rioters were engaged with the reaping-
machine, to slip away with their scythes, which were
sought by the mob before departing, but without (fleet,
as they had, it appears, resolved to permit no reaping
in the country with anything but the hook. 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
disappointed that they were as yet precluded from joining
in the ruernina's rnusentents. Mr. Walsh, from what he
had seen and beard in Kfikenny the previous night, had
apprehended that be might receive this unwelcome visit in
the morning, and had brought a loaded revolver with hint
tt the field fir the protection of his pm p?rty. He was at
the farther end of the field when the first body of rioters en-
tered it, and (iv! moment they made their appearance some
of the women in his own employment ru-hed upon Mr.
Walsh, pinione4 his arms to his stiles, and made a close pH-
sorer I,l' him, whist the mob reinained—not, as they al-
leged, hem having any sympathy- with the rioters, hot to
prevent blued from boing shed on (Wier side. Consequently
the IT cecrling,s here pas seri off without arty person receiving
hiurr, and the mt,l) havino• divided into two sections, one
uent rozh the fields in tiie Bennett's-bridge cr Pigeon'.
Pak direction.

"DESPERATE ATTACK ON MR. HOWISON.
"The two sections into which the mob had separated a
Outrath would appear to testi have again re-united fur a
considerable time. It would seem to bate bees the body
which left Mr. Walsh', land and Lock their course across the
fields that proceeded to the house tf Mr. Howison, the
nearest farmer who had provided himself with another of
Dray's reaping machines, for the number of rioters there is
stated net to have exceeded a hundred, of whom not more
than four or five were women. Mr. Wm. Howison is a re•
spectable Scotch settler, a retired revenue officer, are believe,
who came to reside at the house of Pigeon-park and farm
the lands attached to it a year or two ago. He was engaged
on Mendes/morning in cutting a crop of oats, having five
men and 15 women emp'oyed in the field where the reaping
machine rot long since purchased by him was at work.
Pigeon-park is situate* abcut a mile in a straight direc-
tion from Outrath, and the shouting of the rioters
there or ati 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 he 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 hope 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 his 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 Howison lost no time in bearing the
message, and anxiously urged upon the party the necessity
of giving their attendance promptly, as from the shouting
beard at Outrath 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 ns, the Bennett's-bridge consta-
bulary patty had not yet got their breakfast, and they
looked upon it as unreasonable that thry should be asked to
go on duty before partaking of that wholesome meal. Miss
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 proceedings, and take
a most heroic part in them, in defending her father from his
savage assailan.s, her bandaged arm and wounded and
swollen band gave sufficient proof. On the approach of the
mob, there being still no sign of the arrival of the police,lllr.
Howison endeavoured to draw home the reaping-machine
from the field to the house, In order to put it in a place of
security; however, he had
~not driven horsesthheenjusta
tthe
its Sfartherr
than a lane leading to his farm-yard, w
gate of the field the mob made appearance.eeiugsortue
guns, the fellows were apprehensive to advancing,
they at once took shelter behind the walls, and commenced,
from that post of vantage, to burl s isevers of huge stones
urine the machine, the horses, Mr. Howison anda his
and daughter. The horses became alarmed and
and air. llowis6n seeing that be would be unable to pro-
restsit'ne4,
v
pro-
tect his property unless be actually were to shoot down his
assailants, which be never bad any intention to do under
any circumstances having merely charged the guns with
powder, he asked the rioters to desist from pelting stones at
the horses, off-ring that if they would allow him to
unyoke the animals and take them safely away, be
would not resist whatever proceedings they might
have designed; but otherwise threatening to lire 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
gut', but as at this moment the father received another blow