Weekly News. — 1892-02-18 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

OUTRAGE ON ENGLISHMEN IN BRAZIL.  POLICE BRUTALITY.  Mr. E. A. Barham, in the Rio News, a paper published in English in the Brazilian capital, gives the following account of an outrage perpetrated on himself and two other Englishmen by the police of the city: Messrs. Templeton, McNaught, and myself are employed in the London and Brazilian Bank, and, together with other members of the staff, live in the bank house, Tijuca. On Sunday, January 3rd, Mr. Templeton and I left the house for a stroll up the road, and on returning We were met a short distance from our gate by Mr. McNaught, who was wearing a mask. At this moment a "bond" passed by, from which two policemen alighted, and approaching Mr. McNaught told him that to wear a mask in the street was contrary to law, and that he must hand it over to them. Mr. McNaught at , once took off the mask and was handing it to them, ' when Mr. Templeton, who, not understanding the language, thought the wearing of the mask the sole cause of the trouble, snatched it from Mr. McNaught, and tore it into two pieces, throwing them over the bridge against which he was standing. Without more ado, one of the policemen drew his sword and struck at Mr. Templeton's head, just missing the skull but almost severing the left ear. We were then forced to accompany them to the "bond" terminus at Tijuca, where wt expected to get a proper hearing, and went quietly enough, and yet we were hustled and insulted the whole way, and Mr. Templeton was again struck with the sword. Templeton's ear was now bleeding profusely and Mr. McNaught bound it up with a handkerchief, which was afterwards torn roughly away by one of the men and we were marched off to prison, having to walk a distance of several miles in our slippers, not being permitted all the while to exchange a word with one another, and being subject to vile insults and blows. We were first marched to the house of a sub-delegate, who refused to see us until morning, and consigned us to the station at the Fabrica, where we were searched and threatened with sticks and swords, and finally thrown into a stinking cell of not more than 7ft. square, where we had to spend the night, being forbidden to converse with threats of having our brains blown out. In the morning one of the men (not in uniform) took a rifle and sat in front of our cage, carefully loaded it and pointed it at us with his finger on the trigger, and threatened to blow out the brains of the English dogs. At 9.30 a.m. we were again marched to the sub-delegate's house, arriving there at 9.45. The sub-delegate was not at home and would not return until 10.30; and for three-quarters of an hour we were forced to sit on a doorstep right in the glare and heat of the sun. All this time Mr. McNaught was without a hat, and we were nearly all faint with heat and with thirst. The sub-delegate when he eventually arrived, took the statements of the police but refused to listen to Mr. McNaught. The police here stated that we all three bad been masquerading, and on being remonstrated with had violently assaulted them, tearing the coat of one in the struggle and only being captured after a determined resistance. From this place we were consigned to the central police station, and although we were in slippers and McNaught was without a hat we were compelled to walk the whole way. The policemen were drunk when they arrestea us and on the way to town on the Monday morning they stopped at several vendas to drink,and the more they drank the more quarrelsome they became, striking at almost every negro they could reach. We arrived at the central police station at about 12.30 p.m.. after being three hours in the sun and without food since the previous evening. On our arrival we were immediately taken before one in authority who understands English and who treated us with great consideration. After relating our experiences to him we were put into the common prison, where we remained a few hours and were then released without fine or admonition, and we have since had our money returned to us.  Troop-sergeant Major Adcock, of the Ist King's Dragoon Guards, stationed at Shornclitfe, committed suicide on Monday by shooting himself with a rifle. The deceased had been in the service for 26 years. At the meeting of the Parsonstown Board of Guardians a tall and powerfully-built woman, who had applied for admission to the workhouse and been rejected, returned, and with all her might flung a lemonade bottle at the head of the chairman, the Earl of Rosse. It passed between him and Colonel Biddulph, and was smashed on the wall. Subsequently she attacked with mud and stones a number of guardians passing through the town, and put them all successfully to flight. She was at length arrested and sentenced to 10 months' ha. prisoninent.  -'l-low ia your new noaraer r - astieu 01w ooarcting-house keeper of another. "Oh, he's quite lost his appetite," was th- reply. "Dear me; how fortunate you always are with your young men!"  A gentleman while stopping at a Dublin hotel one morning called out : "Is the sun shining, boots ?" "Arrah, it's not, yer honour; sure it's myself does that kind of work," replied the boy promptly. "Do I brlieve in second love? Humph! If a man buys a pound of sugar, isn't it sweet? and when it's gone don't he want another pound, and isn't that sweet, too? Trak, Murphy, I bclieve iu second !AVM"