The sun., 1896-06-21
NEWPIRATES OF PENZANCE
NEWIYN FIsHERMEN THRoW sAB-
BATH-Oh Uo HIT MACKEREL
OVERBOhRD.

Attack the Lowestoft Fleet Fishing In
| naount,s Bay md March on penznnce-
Three War Vessels and Battalion OF
Soldiers Needed TO Quen the Riot.
Tho little Cornish fishing village of Ncwyn
has been attracting the attention of all Eng
land within n month through scenes Of Vi..-
lence which arc startling In God fearing and
law-abidin0 community, and tend to-show how
thin the veneer that covers all Englishmcn
and how strong the old provincial animositics
still are. Newlyn has become known OF late
years to polite society as an attractive and pic
turesque place, frequented by artists who paint
so much alike rs to 10 called tho Newlyn school,
and unique in that II manages TO combine tho
artistic quality Of extreme picturesqueness
with the British Philstine virtue OF equal
cleanliness. It rises from the shore of Mounts
Bay, q mile out of Penzance 20 the west, look
ing out on st. Mchael's Mount, its crooked
steep alleys, impossible to any vehicle, climb
ing the granite bluffs to the cliff above; its
little vino o.covered stone houses, embowercd in
little gardens full OF bright flowers; for the bic
of southern Cornwall around Mounts Bay 10
tho most sheltered and sunny spot in England,
sending early vegetables long before.their rcgu-
lar time to the London market.
But Newlyn is far better known for the dar-
Ing of It's fishermen and tho efficiency OF it's
feet. It Is the chief landing port for tho
mackerel feet in the spring season. Its rcd-
sailed luggerR arc seen not only on the Channel
and In the pictures OF the painters colony, but
in the Irish Channel and the North Sea. where
thoy the swiftest and smartcst of the boats.
A hundred and fifty years ago the Cornish fish,
ermen had the reputation of being smugSlcrs
and wreckers, drunken and goddess set: but
they were converted thoroughly by John
Wesley that nowhere In the United Kingdom
is Sunday so strictly observed as among them,
whilo drunkenness has almost disappeared.
The Newlyn and Mousehole and Portlcven
fisher will not go fishing on Sunday, no matter
how thick the shoals OF herring mackerel
may be nor how high the price in London.
And as they will not fish themselves they cam
not allow goddess men who violate the Sabbath
in their own waters, before their very eyes, to
profit by their piety. This is the cause of the
recent disturbances.
On q Sunday morning in May the blue-jer-
seyed Newlyn fishermen looked out on the
waters Of their bay with no pious feelings. The
bay was alive with mackerel. which they could
not touch for twenty-four hours and hauling
in the fish, their own fish, taken in their own
water, was great fleet of fishing boats stretch
ing from the Lizard to Lands End,a hundred
Of them or more. the great east coast fishing
feet from Lowestoft. that had come down tho
man looks on the Lowestofter as his natural
enemy; he does not speak his Language, he will
no help for 1t, however; all Cornwall had its
deep into 'ff fo pine pipe s on the he
pier and struggled hard to keep down words
unbecoming on the Sabbath.
Monday morning. however, the storm broke
loose. An incredible thing happened. The
heather Sabbath breakers from I'M the east coast
Newlyn pier, from which it was to be carted to
the railway station at Penzance This was
moro than Cornishmen could stand Their
fsh stolen from them, and now they proposed to
take the profits which \ fitting resard for Gods
Three hundred fishermen went down TO the
pier; they swept aside the few POLICEMEN and
boat and threw. the catch into the sea In a
short time thousand men had assembled
been emptied. oyer 100000 mnckerel being
.eien fishermen on Sewlyn pier were wrecked.
launch sent out to intercept and yarn
iyn. men. who tried to run it down with one Of
their boats. A Lowestoft boat that tried to
gunts. Another boat was. seen approae hing
PenEanoe, whom a crowd of 300 excited New
Ing place, and the boat was glad to get away.
s1sr in f ice and sS tor pEE%
asked ths for Selp
Riottng continued on Tuesday. The New:
ya h tn tn be ssa ssna
tho the Lowesiofi sti men on the water. The first
aged the other Lowestofters to fight, and they
soon sailed off toward the Lizard. Then a
coast boat in Penzance harbor AS they crossed
the borough line the Ponzauce women and
children teered at them. and they shouted
back I'VE haye come to take your husbands
licemen OF Penzance, behind whom was drawn
up small body of sailors lahorers. and others,
armed with ice axes, sticks, and Delaying pins.
The rioters had only stones for weapons and
were driven back: BY afternoon II battalion OF
the Berkshire. regiment arrived from Plymouth,
and two Runboats. with the Ferret torpedo
boat destroyer, appeared in the harbor, coming
from Devonport The chain put up ut the
mouth Of Newlyn harbor by the rioters
taken down 1.-The pier taken possession of by tho
sistance was over. The LOwestoft men were
directed To put in at Plymouth with their fish
so as to avoid disturbance.
In the ir conflict the Newlyn men were helped
across the bay and from ST. Ives. on the other
side of the peninsula. They tried to avoid de-
lection by. preventing photographers from
taking pictures during tho disturbance and
driving away rerorters. but as soon order
was restored number Of mon We're arrested
and the leaders will doubtless be punished.
Meanwhile tho fishermen from all the Cor
njsh fishing villages have sent delegates to tho
Home Secretary asking that their contention
that there shall he no fishing on Sunday on
their coast, and no sale OF the fish caught on
that day, be supported. it being a long-estal-
ltshed custom In their country. The Home
Secretary has refused to see the delegates, on
account of the riot, and the I.owestort men,
fish,. mean to fight the case and land their
sunday fish In Cornwall II they choose A
race war over Sunday observance may he
looked for in consequence. in one corner OF
England at least. at the end of this nine
teonth century.