Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-08-24 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE FURRIERS' STRIKE.  Mark Ilacht, IS, describing himself as a tailor, of Spitalfields, was charged, at the Woeship-street ' Police-court, on Tuesday, with assaulting Nathan Littlestone and a Police-constable in Commercialstreet, Spitalfields.—Mr. Ogle, for the prosecution, explained that the premises of Mr. Koenigsberg, furrier. were " picketted " by men who tried to prevent persons going to work kr Koenigsberg, on whose premises there was a strike. The man who now charged the prisoner with' assault, had w,rked for Koenigsberg, and the other afternoon sought work there. Being observed togo in on Tuesday morning, he was attacked by the "pickets," among whom was the prisoner. The latter, said Mr. Ogle, had never worked for Koenigsberg, and therefore he wai simply a paid agitator. —The prosecutor gave evidence that when he was about to enter the premises the prisoner said to him, " You shall not go to work there," and prosecutor replied, "I have got no food." The prisoner then said he would murder him if he went there, and, taking hold of him, hit him over the head with the umbrella produced. They had a struggle, and a constable came up at the moment of the assault and took the prisoner in charge. The prisoner cross-examined him as to the blow, which was denied; but a lad named Simon Josephs corroborated, and a police-constable said he saw it given with the umbrella. He, the constable, had been sent on special duty to the spot in consequence of the riots and disorderly conduct around the premises during the strike. He took the prisoner into custody at the moment of the assault, and then the prisoner kicked him about the legs, which were badly bruised, and would not walk. There was a mob of Jews around, some of whom jumped on the witness's back to get the prisoner away. The prisoner addressed the magistrate and said he had committed no assault. He spoke to the prosecutor, who said that he received 40s. a week, and could not throw up his work. Prisoner said he thought it was a shame that he would not "scab "the shop.—Henry Newman, of Canonbury, who said he was an agent in the boot trade, then came forward for the defence. He said lie was outside the premises that morning, and saw the prisoner speaking to Littlestone. Witness told the prisoner to have nothing to say to the man. They walked away together. Witness saw no blow giu-en. He saw the prisoner in custody, but did not se,, him kick the policeman.--Mr. Saunders (the magistrate) remarked that it was worthless evidence, for the witness had seen nothing.—Mr. Ogle crossexamined the witness, who admitted that he was not in the fur trade, but he was chairman of the Fur Workers' Society.—Mr. Saunders said that it was one of the worst cases of the kind he had heard. The prisoner had assaulted a man to prevent him doing his work, and when he was properly in custody he abused and assaulted the constable. It was an offence that must be put down, and he sentenced the prisoner to three months' hard labour.  Mr. Edward Fitzgerald, the master of the Clonmult Foxhounds, has met with a serious accident. Whilst riding to a funeral his horse shied and threw the rider, whose foot caught in the stirrup. The horse reared and kicked Mr. Fitzgerald, fracturing the lower jaw, and inflicting severe injuries to the head  Telegraphing from Sophia on Tuesday the Times correspondent states that the latest despatches from Crete report that the inhabitants of 15 disturbed villages had proposed to submit to the authorities on the sole condition that liberty, life, and property would be protected. Shakir Pasha had replied with the full required assurance of a complete amnesty, and the populations have returned to their usual avocations.