The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-11-07 00:00:00

-

=~,. -;

M.r;.

----- - ---- - • ---
COVENT' G.IIIDEN TITE/ITILE.
--......... •
Ifthe Public have hitherto thought the Proprie-
tors and Managers of this Theatre imprudently
obstinate, they must, new, think them absolutely
Insane ; for as have to detail a scene of system.
etic,"deliberate outrage committed.ri the persons
of the I'eople of this metrupolis, such, as we are
confident, is not to be found in the annals of Bri.
tisk history. We utterly discredited a report,
which was publicly circulated in the courses(' yes-
terday, " that a considerable number of persons
" were appointed to be present in the Pit, for the
" express purpose of' silencing, by force, every
" one, who s!iould express any symptom of du-
ii‘ approbation." As 'so one of the public prints
has given any account of wnat tusk, place in
1 the Pit, we shall state ' what came under our
übserration last night. About thirty hired ruf-
fians, and a strong corps of carpenters and other
workmen, were introduced in small parties of
ions. and five into the Pit, over which they
dispersede themselves, and mixed without ob.
serration amongst the ' company, who, at the
early part of the performance wire not very
numerous. These esiscreanir, fur such we do
not hesitate to call either than, or their em-
ployers, did not enter the I'it passage by
the tarsal doors, but were passed under the Stage,
and gained from thence the I'it fluor..-as we have
already observed, in .simill parties. In the first
act of Othello, Mr. Wieuhat, whose name ap-
peared in our report of yesterday—hissed—and
=as instantly knocked dot/n; a ecueral rush was
then made from all parts of the ht by the Ruffians,
in the direction of the Orchestra. Every person
in their way was overset, ant several Ladies and.
Gentlemen, many seats di•iant from that (Ai whict
Mr. W. e as, were kteecked %leen, and some of them
math hurt. The two frt,nt seats wets instantancome.
1 y occui•ied by the Ruffians, and the persons there
seated dispossessed and drives back. A Geoelenian
I eemediately Ischia(' Mr. Wiestuai.e sawing stall.
mission, was immediately attacked by abut ten-
or those miscreants, and beaten almost to pieces;
after being knocked down, as often as he at.
, tempted to rise, lie was struck by Every one with.
in reach of him ; and when under the benches, he
was kicked on the head, fare, and several parts of
the body, with the most sa% Age brutality. At
length he raised himself against the wainscot of the
Orchestra, and while pressed ter by several per.
sons, and with liN head and neCe resting on the
spikes, he received at least thirty blows from the
assailants, on the face, which bled so copiously that
the orchestra in that place was covered with blood.
That our Readers may feel confidence in this as.
senion, we call upon the Performers in the or.
chestra to contradid this statement, if it it not cur.
rect. Thus beaten and ntaino..d, the Gentleman
was dragged out of the Pi!, as al;o was Mr.
Wrennui.r, whose hat one of the miscreants seized
and kept. Mr. WIENIIOLT immediately applied
at the Public Office, where Mr. READ heard his
complaint, but stated les inability' to grant
a warrant, unless the na.r,e of the party
could be ascertained. This Nil-. WIIINDOLT was
unable to do, but solicited a %%arrant for theft..
long committed by the man who had stolen his
hat. This Mr. RSAD was also unable to grant.
Mr. WIENHOLT persevering in his solicitations,
Mr. RBA!) dismissed hint with " You have had
my (answer." Mr. WIENDOLT then returned to
the Pit, where he is vain respired the assistance
of an officer to secure the MOO who had stolen his
i,at, and who he pointed out. In the mean time
the riot and contusion in the house had reached i.
climax. The company, after enduring the assaults
~r the ruffians for some time, at length con-
ceotrated for their personal ;reelection, and a bat-
tle royal took place, in which much serious injury
was sustained. The ruffians w ie, however,
finally routed ; numbers of them, Iled at an early •
period, end these who remained, at last called out
for quarter, and were permitted to retire.
Amongst the persons injured by this most scan-
daluus outrage, are--
1 The GZNTLUZAN we have meittioned ;

Mr. CASELEY—IIead very lou:.11 cut ;

Mr. IIEMING....Two woundi in the (high, from
the spikes of toe Orehesti a.
This Gentleman was kicked, when on the
grafted, repeate,ily, still junmell upon, by one
villain,- who, on his calling out "Murder im.
mediately rushed out of the Pit.
Mr. R. BAIL KER....A spike through the hand.
Mr. G0W1AM.....A danorous wound iii the

arm, with a sharp instrument. •
'ln this outrage, the " workmen" were more
noospicuous than the other RutEans....they,
lvverever, kept edging near the doors, whiels
many of them, whose lives would certainly have
been in danger frond the awakened fury of
ibe people, fortuna.ely made their escape. The
expulsion of the %Oben' pet an end to the con-
test; and tho remainder of Othello and l'he Blind
Boy—the performance bf a hith latter the Pub.
ic. appeared to feel as a gross insult...were
performed amidst the shouts, groans, and exeera-
'Huns of the company. 'The rattles, horns, and
other instruments of harmony, were numerous.
Placards reared ti:4,ir heads in almost every part
of the House. Fran! many parts of the Boxes
:they were displayetl, and withuot molestation in
*every instance, except one—in which an " Or.
derly" female, by an unexpected snatch, tore one
down. It was, however, quickly replaced.
The f.nuales were again driven from the Private
Boxes, by the exclamations and allusions of the
Company ill the other parts of the House.—
Large Placards with sentiments and hieroglyphics,
expressive of the resentment of the Nish, against
the privileged circle, produced a very sensible
effect on the inmates of the Private Boxes, why
may now be convinced of the hopelessness of their
experiatinos, that the " cantulle," the vulgar
briitts, will be subdued, pulverised, extirpated: •
Of the placards, the most important was nee
inscribed
TERMS OF PEAC.P.
Old Prices—No Private
And A DO N 'll discharge.

Since thefirss and second night, there has been
•ot!hing like the scene presented last night, nor at
#;••••• .. ••• ..... ol .1.......... _

"4111.1`;.9,. •e, 4 -.. •

t haw

•, • ,

STATESMAN.

7 7(y31

By this savage outrage the ProFriators, Marva.
gerb; and Agents of the Theatre, have given the
46 coup de grace" to their characters,, as well
private as public; for laying aside every consider-
ation relative to the origin of the disputN it may
now be presumed that nu man, whatever may be
his sentiments as to the propriety oe impropriety
of the Prices and Private Bole?, can either defend
the conduct of the Nlanagera, or give them fur.'
titer countenance. We have heard mush of
the illegality of the 16 conspiracy" of public op-
(((( . By what name, that is nut too
mild for the offence, shall we call that
conspiracy, which has for its object the b..afing
of the People of England into a compliance with
the mandate of Theatrical Mopsupoltits ? Hi-
therto the Ruffians hired in th.s service have
escaped, for want of a knowledge of their
names. The Proprietors have raised this corps,
by the all-powerful influence of gold—it
now remains to be ascertained, whether the
judicious application of that metal in the
shape of a reward, fur the discovvry of the
hired ruffianl, who have committed these outrages
on the persons of the suffering individual,, will
not produce its due effect. Such a reward, w u
understand, wig he advertised, with a proetise of
indemnity to the p:ti ty discovering the conspiracy--
the parties to which greatly Hatter themselves, if
they expect to escape a prosecution.
Snugly as they may believe their arrangements
to have been made, and stiffly as they have been
supported by swearing, there are too many indi-
vidnals implicated in the transactions of two and
'thirty nights of violence and brutality, to induce
a hope that the real authors can be concealed from
the knowledge of the people of England.

The signal fur the " assault" last night was,
taking hold of the ends of the Belcher hatidker.
chiefs tinder the chin.
The wretched, venal, crin.Ting Prints, tie llark.
rtinCourie-r, the despicable Post, and contemp.
!ible Freer—the daily hirelings of the Proprie.
tors, we have not, at present, time to notice—.
but unmask them we will.

The people must now see that there is a deter.
mined, deliberate intention to subtitle them on the
part of the Proprietors ; we, theriefore, most ear-
nestly repeat our admonition. to tho politic to re.
strain from the commission of any damage or injury
within or n ithout tho House, and to confine the ex-
pressions of their disapprobation to the Theatre
alone. Even the appearance,of tumult by 001w:fed
assemblage of a number of persons out of doers,
ought by all mean,' to bo avoided, &hat the ene-
mies of the People may be deprived of the power
of misrepresenting their dispositions and intentions.
To tins admonition, we bill acid a caution to
thus., who visit the Theatre---to concentrate thrm-
selves as much as is practicable in the Theatre--
for the pnrpcse (and that solely) of protesting
themselves against the assaults of hired ruffians.—
The parties who express ilkapprob.ition at the
Theatre, attend without preciteerl, they Linn
no plans, they Attend without previous fn.'s:lira.
cy—not so the ruolialis--they Are a regnlar
nixed body, conspiring against the freedom of
opinion of the Briti:b