The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-02-13
GREAT MOB IN LONDON.
Thousands of Socialists and Workingmer
Taking Possession of Everything.

Defying the Police and Marching from Traf-
agar Square TO Hyde Park. Destroying
Property Along the Route-The Saloons
and Shops RaideL.
The Starving mechanics Of London
on Saturday held mass meeting in
Trafalgar Square around the Nelson
Monument, and it resulted in a riot. The
proceedings were opened with an assem-
blage of ten thosand men, Police were
present in large numbers. They at once
saw that the SocialIstic element of Lon
don greatly prednminated in the crowd,
which was also managed by well known
Socialists, and extraordinary vigilance
was ordered to preserve the peace at all
hazards. Conspicuous among the lead
ers of the multitude was Mr. Burns, who
ran as the Socialist candidate in Noting
ham in the recent election. IL sneered
at the police and acted generally as if he
wished 10 bring about a conflict between
them and the people. Finally he assembled
the pedestal -! the NriSo4 Column for
the purpose oil delivering haraugue.
He was we'll aware that this act would
not be tolerated and the police politely
ordered him to get down. This he re-
fused TO do, appealing to the crowd to
resist "interference with the exercise of
popular rights The officers, however,
were determined and they pushed their
way through the excited and resisting
mass of humanity and by force removed
Mr.. Burns from the pedestal. The crowd
by this time had vastly increased and the
mobs. The stir in the elevated spot
where the Burns incident took place was
easily perceptible over almost the entire
area covered by the concourse and the
sight of the helmets and uniforms in the
struggle WAS accepted as visible proof of
the commencement of the fight against
the law The int lligence was responded
to with general and fearful howl and
an attempted rush from all directions to
the point of interest. Burns had now
been removed some distance from the
position he had attempted to occupy
He became emboldened by the cries of
the throng and made IA desperate effort to
recover his lost ground. He was so
effectively helped by the mob that the
officers on the spot were brushed out OF
the way and the orator was soon pressed
up against the monument. He qIickly
reascendrd the pedestal, accompanied by
a number of other ) cialist leaders
Burns bore red flag. and he waved 1t
to the aSsemblaGe as i signal of his tri-
umph over the authorities. He was
greeted with deaienlng shouts, repeated
over and over again. Burns now lei
surely finished his address He then
read tercely- worded resolution. Ac-
cording to later eStim ties there were
fifteen thousand persons engaged in the
Trafalgar Square de monstratiun. Two
thirds of the crowd were bona tide un
employed wolkingmen, while the re-
mainder were Socialists. The two see
tions were not in accord and there we've
frequent collisions between them. The
workingmen took no part in the riotous
acts that followed the meeting in Traf
algar Square. The Socialists, aroused
to fury by the TRADES o; the SPEAKERS in
the square. created Il three hours reign
of terror. J"welry shops were broken
into and their contents carried off by the
mob. Carriages containing ladies were
stopped on the streets and the "c 'upin
forced to alight. Some of the rioters
entered the vehicles and drove at the
head of the crowd. The mob swept
through the streets. shouting: smash
the windows; let's get inside in shops"
All d, Gently uttired persons who en-
cnuntered the rioters were maItrcated,
the wearers of silk hats meeting with
particularly rough usage. Lord II .udolp
Churchill app,artd 1t a window of the
Carlton Club hnil'iin. wien the mob
reached there. lie WAS loudly hnotcd
and menaced with cienched fists 10y tie
rioters. The leaders of tie SociI lists,
especially Burns Hyndman. Williams
and Champion, the last named of whom
is an ex captain of artillery, will proba
bly, be prosecuted. The most violent
acts were committed on n ut h and South
Audley streets and Oxford street. Prob
ably two hundred shops and d"z"n club
houses were seriously damage Il and about
fifty shops w-rs pilag"d. including Jew
elers. bakers, bu' chrrS, aud wine shops.
Hundreds of in ti-nsive p'ople We're NAL
treated. I he police were p,wcllesS at
first, but they ultimately succeeded in
restoring order by breaking up the ranks
of the rioters into small qu4ds The
military were kept under arms all the
evening, while Policemen patroiled the
streets