The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-08-14 00:00:00

RIOTS AT COLNE

(From the Manchester Guardian.)
,syye are exceedingly sorry to learn, that serious disturbances
01);a4rred, during the last week, at Colne, arising principally
police the Opposition of the lower orders to the constabulary
• This feeling broke out with such violence in April
last, as to make it necessary to increase that force for a time,
rurn the number of about ten or twelve, to some fifty, sup-
ported for several days by a military force. This had the
effect of
the suppressing for a while the lawless proceedings of
gaiirPulace and it was hoped that the police were steadily
violeing ground in the estimation even of those who had been
weekrVY ° pposed to them ; but it appears that, about three
viol Since, this opposition was revived with increased
tn Ince, and was shown more openly and boldly from day
Y, till at last the rabble proceeded, at nights, to the
unreaking of windows, and making some murderous attacks
f "II the Officers by large volleys ,of stones, in some cases
,;ofla the house-tops. The first party attacked was Mr.
ueolton, a solicitor, of Colne, whose public conduct, on
"ayeral points, had rendered him especially obnoxious to the
,hble. His official and private efforts against the chartists,
niadvocac of the new poor law, and his efforts in the
establishment of the new police, were sufficient to mark him
out as the first object of their vengeance ; and, accordingly,
Tuesday evening they began with demolishing about 14
of his windows, and making a dreadful attack with stones
upon the police, many of whom were severely hurt. Partial
disturbances again took place on Wednesday evening ; and
ou Thursday evening, about ten o'clock, the town was en-
tered by a mob of 200 Men, under the command of a leader,
armed with pistols, pikes, bludg, and stones, who for
hours had complete and uncontrolled possession of the main
street, where they broke about 200 windows, and committed
some very severe personal injuries. Commands to fire and
-charge were distinctly heard, and have been deposed to.
A military force was sent for to the barracks at Burnley ;
but the rabble had made their attack so rapidly, and dispersed
so instantly after it, that, when the military arrived, the
town was perfectly quiet. Next day a public meeting was
advertised to concert measures for the protection of life and
Property ; but, when the hour of meeting arrived, the chart-
ists and the rabble had taken possession of the room, and
the magistrates and respectable inhabitants were obliged to
assemble at the King's Head Inn, where, among other
measures for preventing a repetition of the scenes of the
preceding night, it was resolved that a deputation, with one
of the magistrates, should proceed to Burnley for military
assistance. Detachments of cavalry and infantry were in-
stantly despatched, and, by their presence in the town till
Sunday morning, secured the peace of the place, and for the
present all is again quiet. We understand there is much
eornplaint that the troops should be-sd soon withdrawn, and
the magistrates quite partake in that regret ; but they were
informed, that the orders to officers in command on such
occasions were such as to require the troops to return to
barracks. This seems strange, if it be so ; and probably
some further inquiry will be made into it. In the opinion of
Our informants there is not a town in England so completely
under the dominion of mob law, as this unfortunate town of
Colne ; and the general opinion of the respectable Inhabitants
that, in such a reign of terror, the remedy must at least
e a permanent military force in barracks.

FURTHER RIOTS.-A MURDERED.
Since the above was in type,CONSTABLE we have received some further
accounts from Colne, from which we learn, that, on Monday
night, there was a repetition of the lawless scenes which had
Previously disgraced the town, and that they ended in the
murder of Mr. Joseph Ilalstead, a gentleman who had been
)list before sworn in, and was acting as a special constable.
The statements which have reached us in reference to this
utter, are not very explicit ; but so far as we can learn from
tn, the following are the leading facts of the case :—At an
rlerlY hour on Monday evening, it became known to the po-
_.e and the naagistrates, that the desperadoes who had corn-
tzted the outrages on Thursday intended to renew them on
postenight, and that assemblages were collecting for that pur-
K:, a Short distance from the town, on the road towards
In consequence of this discovery the magistrates
of issued f!nnunonses to a number of the respectable inhabitants
Inn, -;°;?1, calling upon them to attend at the King's Head
tion o'f:#l be sworn in as special constables, for the preserva-
and wit Peace. peace. About seventy were accordingly sworn in,
beeChn the magistrates and the police (who we believe had
ed t reinforced subSequently to Thursday night, and amount-
put ° stmlO thirty or forty men), went into the streets for the
outPh"e of dispersing the assemblages of people which they
t find there. They paraded several of the streets with-
tenllleeting with any serious opposition. At length, between
eleven o'clock, it was announced that a large body of
ii;`'Plelvere entering the town from the Keighley road, and
dire Innestrates, with the police and constables, moved in that
!ction to meet them. As soon as they came in sight of the
whether
the latter halted for a moment and fired two pistols,
nether loaded with ball, or if so, whether directed at the
constables, could not be ascertained ; but at all events no
diasrnage was done by the shots. When these pistols were
thehagd, the mob set up a loud shout as if about to charge
constables ; but finding that the latter were advancing
(pr.' them, they gave way, and turned down St. John-street
mch runs towards the south side of the town, and is at
angles with the main street), intending, no doubt, to
passtde right of the constables, and get into their rear.
;Plc constablea, however, guessing their object turned down
!'arliatnent-street, which runs parallel with St. John-street ;
on arriving at a cross-road which forms a communica-
,,lon between the two, they encountered the mob, moliately attacked them, and a sharp conflict ensued, theresult
nf. which was, that the mob were routed and driven off the
ground, leaving two or three prisoners in the hands of the
police, After they were gone, the police and constables pa-
trolled the streets about ; and at a short distance from the
Pot where the principal encounter had taken place, they
found one of the special constables,llr. Joseph Halstead, a
respectable manufacturer of Colne, lying on the ground, with
his skull fractured in a most dreadful manner, having appar-
ently been struck a terrific blow with an iron bar, or some
other weapon of the same kind, by which the fore part of the
skull had been .completely driven in, and his face so fright-
fully disfigured, that it was with great difficulty he was recog-
nised. He was alive when discovered, but perfectly insensi-
ble, and breathed his last m a few minutes afterwards. Ano--
ther constable, too, Mr. Templeman, manager of the Colne
branch of the Craven bank, was found to have received a
desperate cut on the back 'of the head, apparently inflicted
with a sword, or some other cutting instrument. A sergeant
of the police also received a severe stab in the shoulder dur-
ing the affray ; but it is hoped that neither he nor Mr. Tern-
pleman is in any serious danger.
We have been informed that the circumstances under which
Mr. Halstead and 111 r. Templeman received their wounds
were the following :—" They, with three or four other con-
stables, had gone towards the south side of the town, and,
without knowing what was going on, turned up one of the
streets leading towards the place where the conflict was going
on between the constables and the mob. When the latter
gave way they encountered these gentlemen, whom they
attacked on all sides, with the results which we have already
mentioned.

, As soon as the shocking murder of Mr. Halstead was made
!known to the magistrates, they set on foot the most active
Inquiries for the purpose of detecting and apprehending the
murderers ; and, some information having been procured,
Iwarrants were immediately issued, and several individuals
cv ere apprehended during the night ; one of them, a well-
novvn chartist, was taken in the act of trying to conceal a
lillusket by thrusting it through a sky-light upon the roof of
'ls house ; and on examining him, his shirt was found marked
with recent splashes of blood.
As soon as the disturbances commenced, a messenger was
despatched. to Burnley for the military, and a troop of dra-
Tris were called out and galloped off to Colne immediately.
~,TY were, however, as before, too late to be of any service,
we believe they shortly afterwards returned.
the most
the last accounts left Colne the town was quiet, and
tee juost active inquiries were making, with the view of de-
,icerning aednd b
the ringingriots to justice the parties who had been
in .

he Debats. says, " We will acknowledge that, if there be
-t-,,FhPular reminiscence in France, it is that of the great. cap-
butl,‘lose name is associated with our immortal victoris ;
The
if there be a forgotten family, it is the imperial. family.
toulea,B°ll, of Napole6-n, in dying, carried with him to the
1)10, the remnant of interest which was attached to the
ro;°,l;_ ef the Emperor. France has pardoned in the Empe-
the,' 'he insupportable harshness of his domestic government,
1812 heard-of rigours of the conscription, the disasters of
bic andlBl3, and the evils caused by his unbounded am-
d • " and in the popular mind the hero has been almost
-ethed . .
The image of Napoleon is, everywhere, from
.the
"'°!e The
to the public monuments, but Bonapartism
thoextinct ; even the eclat of the glory of the Emperor crushes
Wherese who ridiculously attempt to cover themselves with it.
the e°Pll4wlB
M. Louis Bonaparte arrested ? At the foot of
tt orm,ll of Boulogne—of the column raised b the rand
honour of its chief ! It was reserved for Bonagpar-
w to exPleo on that spot."