The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-17 00:00:00

RIOT AT LURG4.N.

LURGAN, SATURDAY EVENING.
There has not been such a riot in this part of
the north these thirty years as occurred in this
town last night. The rioters were the cambric
weavers, who are at present in a state of excitement
in the rural districts, on account of a reduction of
wages which has taken place, consequent upon the
unhappy condition of the foreign market, and the
limited demand in the home market for linen
goods. About noon, a public meeting, attended
by upwards of 1,000 weavers, was held at a place
called Shane-hill, which is three miles distant from
this tswn, and at the meeting speeches weremade
denunciatory of the reduction of wages, and expres-
sive of the strongest hatred and opposition to the
power-loom weaving carried on by Mr. Malcolm
and. others, of Lurgan. Between three and four
o'clock, after the meeting was over, the weavers
came into this town in a body, their numbers
having increased in the meantime to between
3,000 and 4,000 persons. Mr. Malcolm got intima-
tion of their coming, and he closed his factory, and
barricaded the door within, as he suspected an at-
tack. His power-loom workers were all in the inside to-
gether with head constable Wearron and nine of
the constabulary, who were armed, and determined
to resist any attack upon the premises. Mr. Hand-
cock, J. P , Lord Lurgan's agent, was on. the ground,
and when the mob stopped in front of Mr. Malcom's
establishment, ho addressed them and advised them
to go quietly to their homes. The mob shouted
iociferously, and used menacing lanugage, calliug
upon Mr. Malcom to close his power-loom factory
and turn it into flour mill, or else they would % reek
it. A great many of the crowd carried bludgeons,
and others had fire-arms. They then paraded the
town, and when it became a little dark returned to
Mr. Malcom's establishment again, and literally
swarmed round the factory, which is situated in
the rear of the dwelling-house. They renewed
their shouts and menaces, and then commenced a
most violent attack with stones upon the doors and
windows of the building. Firearms were discharged
frequently, and the police were obliged to sally out
of the factory, and charge the rioters with fixed
bayonets. They succeeded in capturing three of the
rioters in the charge. The main body of the mob,
having been driven away from the factory, though it
had been their determination to destroy the machin-
ery, then assembled in front of the dwelling-house
and the large building used for lapping rooms, and ,
flung showers of stones at windows and doors. After
demolishing 210 panes of glass, they went away
uttering threats that they would return well armed
again, and destroy the factory. Two of the rioters
were severely wounded, one receiving a gunshot
wound in the jaw, and the other a wound in the hand.
The doctor who attended to them has serious appre-
hensions regarding the life of the one wounded in the
jaw. The rioters distributed themselves over the town
and when passing the factory of Messrs. Armstrong
and Watson, attacked it in like manner, and
smashed a great quantity of glass in the windows.
They remained in the town till about 9 o'clock,
when they left, much to the joy and satisfaction of
the inhabitants, who were thrown into a frightful
state of alarm by such lawless proceedings.
Between 8 and 9 o'clock telegraphic messages
were sent to Belfast, Portadown, and Dublin by
Mr. Handcock, for police assistance, and at 10
o'clock 20 of the constabulary, unGler the command
of Sub-inspector Milling, arrived here, by special
train, from Belfast. They were kept under arms
all night, but there was no further disturbance.
Mr. Malcom, whose establishment has been so
wantonly singled out for attack, is a highly respect-
able manufacturer. lie affords employment to 200
persons in his power-loom factory, and nearly 1,00
weavers, sewers, and hand-spinners in the country
daily. and if be were obliged to close his establish-
ment and give into mob law and violence, the loss
would be great to the community..
This morning, at 10 o'clock, the three prisoners
namely, Wm. White, Thos. Fugard, and David
Lynes—were brought before W. N. Miller, R.M.,
John Handcock, and John Greer Esqrs., for exa-
mination. Two of them are charged with being
ringleaders. The investigation was private, but
re
the result was that the prisoners were sent, p. r
train, under a
police escort, to Armaghe Gaol, it
being unsafe to allow them to be kept, one night in
the Lurgan Bridewell. They are remanded for 8
days.—Freeman.

•
The Paris letters mention two mercantile failures, the
firms being Bourdon, Da Buit and Co., and Ponson,
Philippe and Vibert. The liabilities, especially of the
latter, are rather extensive.

THE STA VELEY COLLIERY ACCIDENT.-
TWELVE PERSONS SUFFOCATED.

STAVELEY, MONDAY AFTERNOON.
To the briefdetails of this disaster which appeared
in our impression yesterday, we have now to add
that the colliery is known as the Hollingwood pit
and is the largest at these extensive works, employ-
ing about 300 men. The men left the pit on Satur-
day afternoon at four o'clock, when everything ap-
peared to be safe, the furnace man being the only
person left in the colliery. The duties of the furnace
man commenced at 6 o'clock and terminated at 6 on
Sundaymorning. Whilsthe wasinthepithe thought
lie smelt a strong smell ofpowder smoke, but took no
notice until another man came to relieve him. At
seven o'clock the furnace man was called away by
a workman connected with the collery. At four
o'clock the same morning a son of Fowkes, a horse
keeper, was down the pit, and he noticed some
smoke issuing from the lamp room or cabin in the
pit bottom. He communicated what he had seen
to some other persons, who conveyed the informa-
tion to Mr. Daniel Cooper, the resident principal
underground steward. Mr. Cooper then selected
twelve of the most experienced men at the works to
accompany him into the
pit to put out the fire.
They each took a bucket and descended the shaft,
wheninstructions were given lay Mr. Cooper to
Charles Vardy, a deputy, to open some air doors.
Vardy had his doubts about the propriety of doing
so, but he states that the order was a positive one
from Mr. Cooper to do so, which he did, the con-
sequence of which was to stop the ventilation, and
the foul air backed up the fire upon the men' for
700 yards up the incline, and it was necessary then
to dam up the air. Before this was done, Mr.
Buxton, the underviewer at the Springwell col-
liery; made several attempts to get to the place of
the fire, but he could not get nearer than 700 yards.
Now the serious nature of the accident became evi-
dent, and telegrams were therefore sent to Messrs.
Woodhouse and Jeffcock, of Derby, engineers to
the colliery, and to Mr. John Hedley, the govern-
ment inspector of mines for the district, for assist-
ance. Mr. Woodhouse was in London at the time,
and Mr. Jeffcock received the message when in
church, and he instantly secured some assistants
and proceeded tc Staveley by special train. Mr.
Hedley also reached Staveley by the first available
train, and immediate measures were taken to arrest
the progress of the fire and to extricate the bodies
of the sufferers. For the safety of the works
the ventilating furnace was allowed to go out, and
in order to maintain a current of air water was
pumped into the pit by means of two fire-engines.
This was accomplished without much difficulty,
owing to the proximity of the canal to the colliery.
Mr. Jeffock and his assistants and Mr. Hedley pro-
ceeded down the pit in the afternoon, when it was
agread to dam up the incline, and a number of men
were set to work for the purpose. After being in
several hours they came upon the bank, and at 8
o'clock they went down the pit again to see the
progress of the fire and to confine the foul air at
the back of the incline. This was effected at ten
o'clock on Sunday night, and after it had been com-
pleted all the workmen were drawn out of the pit
to await the result of this measure. Between one
and two o'clock this morning Mr. Woodhouse,
mining engineer, arrived at the colliery, when Mr.
Jeffork, Mr. Hedley, and Mr. Buxton went down
the pit and found the air circulating through i,s
proper course. Another dam was put in about 900
yards down the inclme. Mr, Woodhouse and Mr.
Hedley then held an interview, and tliey went to
the bottom of the incline, close to the seat of the
fir'. Finding it dangerous to proceed further
down they retraced their steps, and between the
bottom of the incline hnd the last dam which had
heen put in the following bodies were found, quite
dead :

Daniel Cooper, resident head under-viewer—
inarri.Nl, hut no children.
AlexAnder Cooper, colliery viewer, brothei to the
las -named, who was on a visit to his brother.
Akx-inder Scott, manager of the ventilation of
the pit—mlrri,id, left a widow and two daughters.
Thomas Scott, son of the last named deceised.
Joel Walters, deputy—widow, 8 grown up per-
sons.

George Wagstaff, collier—widow, but no family.
William Chapman, collier—widow and 8 children.
Thomas Truman, lamp-cleaner—married, but no
family.

The following perscn9 are still in the pit, and no
do❑bt is entertained about their lives having been
lost :
Joseph Corns, collier—married, but no children.
Richard Fowkes—horsekeeper.
Fowkes, son of the last named.
Thomas Scott, collier—unmarried,
Win. Truman, collier—married, widow and 7
children.

The bodies were found in the position of men
escaping from suffocation, and the distance from
the first to the last discovered was 200 yards. The
bodies were placed in a workshop to await the co-
roner's inque,t, which was commenced last evening.
It being impossible to recover any more bodies
at present, Mr. Woodhouse and Mr. Holley held a
consultation, and determined to completely dam
up the fire in one part of the pit.

'HE ALLEGED HOCUSSING AND ROB-
BERY OF A CALIFORNIAN DIGGER.

Yesterday a very lengthened inquiry took place
in the Board-room of St. Jitrnes's Workhouse, before
Mr. Bedford, the coroner for Westminster, touch-
ing the death of James Wilson, who was found by
the police on Thursday night last, in Regent-street,
in adying state. _

The case excited more than ordinary interest, as
it was ascertained that the deceased had lately
arrived from the California gold diggings, with a
very large amount of money in his possession, and
that, hayinab been inveigled into bad company in
London, he had been hocussed, and robbed of all
he possessed.

The following evidence was adduced :
John M'Donald, 135 C division, deposed that
on Friday night last he found the deceased lying
upon the pavement in Regent-street, in an insen-
sible state. A stretcher was obtained from the
station-house in Vine-street, to which he was con-
veyed, and Mr. Toth4l, the divisional surgeon,
promptly attended to him, but he died during the
night.
By the Coroner—The deceased was 35 or 40
years of age. He was dressed as a seafarin man.
There was Bs. 6d. upon his person and some trifling
articles of property. He had a bruise upon the
nose.

By the Jury—The deceased was seen at a public-
house in the neighbourhood, in the course of the
same afternoon, with some disreputable characters,
but I have not been able to trace any of them.
Mr. Frederick Tothill, of No. 8, Charles-street,
St. James's-square, said be had opened the body of
the deceased, and from the appearances he was of
opinion death was caused by congestion of the brain,
brought on by excessive drinking.
Inspector Webb, of the C division, said he had
received a letter from the deceased's brother at
Brighton, stating that the deceased had been in the
police at Hong Kong, in China, and that he after-
wards went to California.

The Jury said they had no doubt the unfortunate
man had been hocussed and robbed.

Vordict--" Died from disease of the brain brought
on by the administration of ardent spirits.

HORRIBLE STARVATION OF AN INFANT.

Yesterday evening a lengthened investigation took
place at the Prince of Orange Tavern, -Victoria-road,
Pimlico, before Mr. Bedford, coroner for Westminster,
touching the death of Henry Clark Tordoff, an infant
twelve months old, which was occasioned by starvation
and neglect of the mother, Mary Tordoff, under circum-
stances of a most unparalleled nature. The body of the
unfortunate infant was a mere anatomy, and greatly
shocked the jury and all who witnessed it. A great
quantity of evidence was brought forward, but the
history of the case may be condensed into the follow-
ing brief statement :
The mother of the unfortunate child is a woman of
dissolute habits, occupying, at the time of the child's
death, a miserable abode in Old Pyestreet, Westmin-
ster. She was frequently in the practice of leaving the
deceased without any food, clothing, or care being
taken of it. A few weeks back she was apprehended
for the desertion of the child, and sentenced by Mr.
Poynter, at the Westminster Police-court, to three
months' imprisonment, at which period the poor infant
tvas taken to St. Margaret's workhouse in a most deplor-
able state, being in a frightfully emaciated condition,
house;saa
andb de coveredhra.enJohn
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covered with a few rags which were swarming with ver-
min, and the body was not only frightfully emaciated
but literally a mass of corruption. • Every possible
nourishment and the greatest attention was paid to the
unfortunate babe, but it never rallied, and died on Fri-
day. On a post mortem examination he found the
stomach inflamed, the ventricles full of thud, and the
the
result withered and bloodless. The whole was
result of long neglect and starvation.
The jury, after commenting upon the
of the case, returned a verdict of
manslaughteraddrefulangaatiunrste
Mary Tordoff, the mother of the child.

riding between London
gentlemen who were with
sAhoomrJseeu,stice of Peace seeing -a
parson nave ory
a.A.d
HS:lmAltpsrteaß:T:aotiandtT.e.ti—oy
him, "Do you see what a beautiful horse that proud
parson has got ? I'll banter him a little." " Doctor,"
said be, "you don't follow the example of your great
Master, who was humbly content to ride upon an ass."
__"why, Sir," replied the parson, "The King has mad
so many aims Justices, that an honest clergyman can
hardly And one to ride if he had a mind to it."