Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1870-10-07 (Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England)

THE RIOTS AT PORT CLARENCE. George M‘Gee, Jas. O'Brien, and Andrew Donaghy, were charged with creating a breach of the peace at Port Clarence Ferry Landing. on the 24th September. Mr Dobson appeared for the defence. Geo. }lendereon, the prosecutor, said he was captain of the ferry boat plying between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence. • On the day in question, about nine o'clock at night, on going across to Port Clarence, there were about twenty persons en board the steamer. On arriving at the Port Clarence landing, a number of persons could be seen fighting. Some of them ran right down to the boat, the prisoners, amongst others, coming aboard, and striking others that were there. M‘Gee was there, but he did not see Donaghy. MacGee and O'Brien had crossed over from Middlesbro' half-an-hour previously. On returning, they said that they had been assaulted. Seeing what was going on he pushed the boat off again into the river, and took above half the passengeis back to the Middlesbrough landing, according to their request. He did not see Donaghy there. (This prisoner was accordingly requested to sit down.) Cross-examined by Mr Dobson: To the best of my knowledge it was 8.30 when 111• Gee and O'Brien went over in the boat. When I got on the landing stage I saw nothing then. It was after the nine o'clock trip that I saw defendants fighting on the landing stage. I did not see any one attack them first. They were thrashing the people. About eighty people were present altogether. I saw several blows aimed at defendants. It was a regular melee. I cannot say that I saw them receive any provocation. When I heard the shrieks of the people on board the boat, I knew it was my duty to protect them in the best way I could. I did jump to one man, who was shouting "Murder," to save him. There are two lamps upon the pontoon. Both sides fought with desperation. I believe one party to have been as bad as the other. I saw the men fighting their way right away down td the pontoon. It was a regular hand-over-hand fight.—Geo. Wilkinson, one of the hands working the boat, said: On the night in question, I saw M•Gee on the landingstage with his hands full of large pieces of slag. He threw them at three men who came aboard the boat. He followed one man right upon the boiler, and struck him there. I never saw O'Brien attacked by anyone. I heard the slag fall upon deck.—For defence, Mr Dobson submitted that the defendants were the victims of a regularly organised attack, and that they simply defended themselves. He called Mary MTade, who said: She crossed the ferry to Port Clarence in company with George MGee, who, on landing, was struck by " one, two, three, four men, knocked down, and then kicked." This occurred after leaving the boat to go to their own homes at Port Clarence. After this M•Gee laid the basket down. She picked it up, and then went home without waiting to see what followed. APGee did not attack the men first to her knowledge. O'Brien was not there as she could remember. Did not know whether many people were there, it was dark at the time. Superintendent Booth said it might save a deal of time and trouble if he stated at once that all referred to by the witness had taken place half-a-mile from the pontoon.— The Bench: It is quite a different affair altogether. It is nonsense asking questions about that.—Defendants were then ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for six months, themselves in bonds of £lO each, and two sureties in £5 each, in default of sureties, to remain in prison for that period.