Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1879-08-09 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

DESPERATE POACHING AFFRAY.  At the Manche-5M.; -COU;t7l'Olinae-c;;;;,li;.men named George Reed, Thomas Jackson,William Harris, and Samuel Mottershead, all stalwart-looking men, were charged with night poaching on the estates of the Earl of Ellesmere, at Worsley, near Manchester. The occupation of none of the prisoners is known, except Harris, and he is a collier living near the scene of the affray, and his real name is said to be Gerrard. For some tinie the keepers in the employ of Lord Ellesmere have had suspicions of pcaching, but do not seem to have been able to ascertain by whom the depredations were committed. They therefore decided to keep a watch, and this was done on the night of Friday, the 18th June. They secreted themselves in a good position. About half-past one o'clock on Saturday morning the four prisoners, with whom were two other men, who have escaped, were seen approsching from the direction of the railway line which runs near. They were noticed to be carrying something, which aftersrardsturned out to be a bag containing &quantity of game. The keepers allowed them to come near to them, and then rushed out upon theta; but the prisoners were well armed with stones and bludgeons, which were produced in court, and were extremely heavy weapons. There were five keepers and , under-keepers, and six men on the side of the prisoners, and a despera.a struggle ensued, lasting for some time. The poachers defended themselves with the bludgeons, and made the most strenuous efforts to escape at first; but when they saw that that was hopeless, they set upon the keepers with greater fury, and, using foul words, called upon each Other to murder them. No firearms were used. r.e poachers were gradually overpowered, Mottershead being the last to submit. When the two men who have escaped saw how the struggle was turning they made off, and the other men were secured and given into the custody of a police-sergeant, who happened to come up after the conflict. Evidence was given by all the keepers who were engaged in the fight, William Hurst, keeper to the Earl of Ellesinere, described the manner in which the prisoners fought Joseph Wynne, an under-keeper to the earl, said he seized the prisoner Jackson soon after the fight began, and stuck to him. He was struck on the shoulder with a stone, and hurt severely. Jackson said "There are only two of them here, let us only go into 'em, and we'd murder them." While he and Jackson were struggling they both fell into a pit of water and sank together. When they came to the surface Jackson said to him, " kill the devil." They seratnbled out of the pit bolding on to each other all the time, and Jackson, seizing his opportunity, dealt Wynne a heavy blow on the back of the head, from which blood flowed profusely, and he also received a blow on the bead from another of the men. Thomas Rowlands, another of the earl's underkeepers, described how he struggled with Mottershead, whom he secured alter being roughly handled. Nathaniel Groom° and Jonathan Hewitt, under-keepers, corroborated the evidence of the other witnesses. The Bench, characterising the offence as a most serious one, committed all the prisoners to the Liverpool Assizes.