The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-31
THE KToTs OF HISTORY.
The Excise Mob of 1673-The Wilkes and
the Gordon Riots.

But II one goes back and reads history 1t VIII be
found that mobs and riots were powerful factors
and exercised an influence upon their age which
our own would not tolerate. The earliest mob
of the eighteenth century occurred in Queen
Annes day in 1903 In those times the Church
of England was popular with the English PEG
pie. In November of this year DR.. Sacheverell, a
Tory and divine right man, preached sermon
in which he INDUCED in the favorite Tory doc
trines Of passive obedience and divine right.
The Lord Mayor wanted the sermon printed.
The government ordered it burned. Sachev-
erell became a popular idol. They even went
so far as to lionize him by a parliamentary
impeachment. He was at that time living in
the Temple, and as he went to the trial, which
lasted three weeks the people along the route
assembled to kiss his hands as he passed. Once
in a while the mob turned aside to strike
Wing or burn Convertible, and these outrages
were encouraged by of rank, who threw
money to the rioters. The watchword was
"Church and SachevereI, and every one who
refused to shout was greeted with blows. Bishop
Burnett saw a mans skull cleft in twain because
he refused this pious test They were about to
burn the Bishop and house, when, the guards
approaching, they fled There was no system
attic effort however, of putting the mob down.
in Lincoln Inns Fields they made large bon
fire of the fences and wood -work of a dissenting
chapel. The matter was discussed in Parlia-
ment, and the Queen was implored TO put down
--She riots.
The mob of 1888 against the excise bill of Sir
Robert Walpoe, the next famous 1t
furnishes an instance of the submission of the
House of Commons to demonstration of phys
zeal force openly abetted by the minority. The
bill was supported by a substantial majority
and would have become a law but for the
dacious conduct of the London populaee, who
assembled in vast numbers in the palace yard
and even entered the Hobbies of the
House. Walpole called. them sturdy
beggars. Barnard. Tory member from Lon
don, thought it hard that merchants of figure
and character might not come down TO the lob
bies to consult with their friends the qucs
tions that concerned their own interests On
the night of March II, after he had carried his
resolution by majority Of sixty one, the Minis
ter obliged to make his exit by the back
way. The soldiers believed the bill would raise
the price OF their tobacco, so that they could not
be relied upon, and were ripe for rebellion Fl
nally the bill Withdrawn for two months
and on this night larger mob than usual had
assembled. When the House was rising some of
Walpoe's friends who had been outside came
back and told him what he had to expect Sir
Robert resolved to face the worst, and boldly
marched out upon the rioters. Fifty constabes
had been stationed outside the house to
secure free passage for the members, and
they tried to make lane for Sir Robert A
melee ensued, in which the constabes
stoned and cudgeled friends as well as foes Sir
Robert narrowly escaped st1angulation Swords
were drawn and many wounded. The with
drawal of the bill was regarded as a popular
triumph. Sir Robert and a fat woman intend
ed to represent the Queen, were burned in e1figy.
THE WILKES AND LONDON RIOTS.
1t was some time before England had any
more riots When Wilkes who had been out
ZOO n 20
was elected to Parliament from Nliddlesex, he
was not only declared incapable of sitting, but
was arrested. The London mob rose to protect
their favorite. They rescued him once from the
efficers, but Wilkes surrendered himself and re
Mained in prison two years The day of his in
earceration was the 29th of April, and from that
day to the 10th of May, the day Parliament
opened, the vicinity of the prison was occupied
by mob. On the morning of the 10th the magis
trates appeared with a regiment of military and
the riot act was read Stones and brickbats
were the response. The troops fred and
six were killed and fifteen of the rioters wound
ed One man was shot by soldier before the
order to fire had been given. He was found guilty
of murder by a coroners inquest, but acquitted
when brought to trial, and probably presented
with purse by his colonel The mob in this
case was completely beaten, for Wilkes remained
in prison until 1710, and when he became Lord
Maypr he took his seat and scorned demagogy
{ The mo Popery" riots Of the latter part of
the last century are as famous in English his
tory as the storming of the Bastile in French.
They were named from Lord George Gordon,
who elected president of the Protestant
Association in l7T9 He presented petition
Jan. 4, 1870 praying for the repeal of an act
passed in l77S in favor of Roman Catholics He
called a meeting of Covenanters May 30 at which
it was resolved that the whole association
should assemble in St Georges Fields on the
following Friday, June 2, and accompany him
with his petition to the House of Commons A
crowd of from fifty to enc hundred thousand
men assembled and mobbed the members of
Parliament as they arrived in their coaches
100000 names were signed to the
petition Lord George presented his petition and
9nly six votes appeared for it and 1872 against it,
The mob retired from both houses, and, burning
some Roman Catholic chapels, dispersed for the
night. On Sunday they assembled in large num-
bers, and more chapels were burned On Mon
day and for several days following they robbed
and burned Catholic chapels and churches the
houses of Lord Mansfield Tartice Hyde and Cad
Cox and on Wednesday they destroyed the
Bench and the Fleet prisons, and at one time
thirtysix CONGREGATIONS were visible from one
spot, and on Friday Lord George was arrested
During the riot 2l0 were killed and 24S wounded
Many of the rioters were tried and executed
though Lord George was acquitted, yet he after
wards died in Newgate prison, where he was
confined for libel. The novel of 'Barnaby
Rudge,H by Charles Dickens, is founded upon
these riots.
IN IfJl Il III. ElleStly, Unitarian, preached q
sermon in which he upheld what are called free
principles. On the 14th of July, 1891 about
eighty people assembled, and proceeding to
Priestly's house, they burned his house. library
and laboratory, and for three days held posses
sion of the city and destroyed $3.50, 900 worth of
property. Only three of the rioters were hung
anG DR.. Priestly escaped to America, settled in
Pennsylvania, and died at an advanced age after
having written several works chemistry as
we'll as having made some valuable discoveries
in science
On the 18th of July 1919, a monster political
meeting was held at Birmingham, when Sir
Charles Wolsely was returned. He said he had
taken part in the storming of the Bastile, and
that he would do for England what he had done
for France. For this speech Sir Charles was
shortly arrested But the peopleof Manchester,
fired by this speech, resolved to have a member