The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-13 00:00:00

7R. I DES' OU7RAGES COATIMISSION.

SEVENTH DAY.
MANCHESTER, Thursday.
William Tetlow, examined by Mr. Chance—ls a
brickmaker at Hurst, near Ashton. In 1861 was in
his father's service. Resides near the brick-yard.
Is not a member of the Ashton Brickmakers' Union.
Ceased to be one 20 years ago. Gave up paying
because they illused him. I❑ 1861 the men turned
out, and the masters had meetings. Employed non-
union men, and they wanted an advance, and his
father agreed to give them 13.10 d. They then turned
out, and they put needles in the clay—many a thou-
sand. It was in May, 1861. Some bottles were
thrown into his house about six months afterwards.

His father and self and brother, and the chap that
wed his wife's sister, agreed to work the concern
themselves as well as they could after the strike. The
bottles were thrown into his house about 1 o'clock
in the morning. He was asleep, and when his wife
heard the first bottle she said, " There are some
brickmakers throwing bottles into the room." He
said, " Oh, never heed them." They were thr own
into the parlour, and he could not get down stairs
for the smoke and smell. There was a smell of
naphtha. When he got down stairs he found a bottle-
neck. Some-of the bottles struck the bedroom window
frame, and exploded outside. One or two bottles
were struck against the frame of the bedroom win-
dow. lle found parts of the bottle under the window
outside, and pieces of the room on fire. The blind.;
were set on fire in the room below, and pictures
were broken. They had to have window shutters
afterwards, and altogether the affair cost them
many a pound.
By Mr. Pickering—Had been threatened since, and
used shameful. Had had bricks spoiled four or five
times since, and one time they spoilt 20,000. Men
had come and shouted out" knobsticks." Had been
illused this summer through a disturbance over the
water in the brickyard. Burns and Henry Watson
attacked him in the yard and cut his lip with their
fists. They said it was not his water he was using.
Burns and Watson were union men. They tried
to get him into the water. Watson said, " What
are you doing with this water ?" They put him
into the water. Ile got the upper hand of Watson,
but Burns came and used his fists. His wife came
and talked to them, and they threatened to throw
her into the water. Watson had said in a public-
house they would take his life before the summer
was out. He had been shouted at, and he was afraid
to go down the street.

Timothy Burns, examined by Mr. Pickering—ls
a member of the Ashton Union, and has been for
17 or 18 years. There were men regularly employed
to go round and gauge the bricks and look whether
union men were employed. There was a dispute
about taking water out of a pit. It was in Tetlow's
yard, but he allowed Mr. George in the next brick-
croft to take water out of his pit. This summer he
was called from his work and told that Tetlow was

taking the water. He then thought that the water
belonged to Mr. George, his master. He went and
found Tetlow and Watson struggling, and he parted
them. Tetlow's wife smacked his face, but he put
her away without striking. He had never called
Tetlow a " knobstick," but bad heard that he em-
ployed " knobstick" men. Never believed in spoiling
property, and was never engaged in doing it.
Henry Watson has been a member of the union,
but was not now a brickmaker. Worked for Mr.
George in the next yard to Tetlow. The water was
in their yard, and Tetlow was letting the water run
off in waste. He told Tetlow he must not let it run
off in spite, and he said it was his water, and he
should do as he liked with it. He told him he
should not, and Tetlow struck him, and Burns came
up while they were struggling on the ground. had
heard Tetlow called " knobstick." He did not
employ union men at that time, but had employed
them. Witness never spoilt any bricks. Would
swear he never said he would have Tetlow's life, or
ever heard such words spoken.
James Taylor said he was a master brickmaker at
Saddleworth, 5} miles from Ashton. Had a brick-
croft at Cockbrook in 1859. lle believed the Ash-
ton Union broke up about that time, and the men
were re-forming it. He turned his hands away and
engaged fresh ones—six or seven who were non-
union men at the time. Paid them the same wages
as the others. They worked for him all the winter.
Two union men came in October and asked him to
take his hands back. Ile believed one was Thomas
Harrison. Told them he should keep the men he
had, and one slid, " Then he must take what fol-
lowed." He replied he would—" he would take
potluck." On the 4th of November a fire was dis•
covered in his brickyard, at between one and two in
the morning. Ile got out as soon as he could, and ,
moved some boards from the shed, stopping it from
spreading. The upper part of the shed was all
destroyed. The shed would hold 2,300 bricks, which