The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-07 00:00:00

THE DISTURBANCES IN LANCASHIRE.

'There was much excitement in and around the Borough
Police-court at Wigan, on Monday, as the court and its
approaches were crowded with colliers anxious to be
present at the hearing of nearly three dozen summonses
against the men on strike and their female friends, for
committing breaches of the peace on the recent occasion,
when attempts were made to prevent the knobsticks
descending the Lindsay Pit in Whelley. The mayor and
other magistrates were on the bench ; Mr. Walter May-
hew, representing the Wigan Coal and Iron Company,
prosecuted ; and Mr. Forshaw, of Preston, was in-
structed for the defence. The first batch of de-
fendants was sixteen in number, and Mr. Mayhew said
that the charge against them was for riotous and dis-
orderly conduct on the morning of the 31st of March
at Whelley. He said that on the morning in question the
borough police were called to the neighbourhood to enable
the men desirous of working to reach the pit, and they
were then witnesses of disorderly conduct, which would be
detailed in evidence. Mr. Mayhew made reference to the
unfortunate position of affairs at the present moment.
The first witness called was the chief constable of the
borough, Mr. William Simm, who said that on Tuesday
morning last, about four o'clock, he proceeded to the
Lindsay Pit with twenty-six 'constables, and after remain-
ing there a short time the assistance of the force was
requested to enable the knobsticks to reach the pit.
He took the men into the road, and formed
them in line, back to back, and then began the
work of dispersing the crowd of 400 or 500 men
which had assembled. By the advance of the
police
the colliers were separated into two divisions,
which were subsequently allowed to unite, and then
the officers were hooted, and stones were thrown.
Afterwards the police charged the mob, and succeeded
in clearing the highway. A number of the officers
on duty were then called to identify the defendants as
present in the crowd ; and a knobstick, named • James
Rowe, residing in the neighbourhood, gave particulars
of an attack upon his house the same evening. Witness
fired a revolver to attract the attention of the police,
but they were then too far away. In opening the case
for the defence, Mr. Forshaw requested the magistrates
to dismiss from their minds anything they had heard
or which had been reported in the papers, and to
judge of the case as it stood ; upon which the mayor
informed him that he had no need to trouble himself
on that point, as the magistrates had no feeling either on
one side or the other, and only wished to do justice be-
tween both parties, and to preserve the peace. After
contending that the summonses could not be suppprted
on the evidence, Mr. Forshaw alleged that the men were
perfectly justified in going in numbers to the pit, and
endeavouring to induce their fellow-workmen to join
them. They had as much right to try to persuade the
men not to work as the masters had to try to induce
them to work. Even if the magistrates thought the
charge proved, he urged that it would be quite suffi-
cient if the magistrates accepted the promise through
him that the defendants would not' on any future
occasion assemble for such a purpose, and by that means
they would not widen the breach already existing between
masters and men, and which was sure to be widened if
severe measures were taken. Mr. Mayhew thought the•
best preventive measure was to bind the men over to
keep the peace ; and after one or two witnesses had been
called for the defence, the mayor announced the decision
of the bench to bind over two of the defendants, who had
taken the most prominent part in the proceedings, to keep
the peace for twelve months, finding sureties, themselves
in £5O and two others in £25 each. The remaining four-
teen were directed to find sureties to a similar amount for
six months.