The Derby Mercury, Wednesday, 2
September, 1863
ALARMING RIOTS AT MATLOCK BATH.
WE have received the following reports of the alarming riots
which took place at Matlock Bath on Saturday. About 3,500 working
people from Sheffield, amongst whom were many Irishmen, arrived
by special trains, and having access to two waggon loads of
beer, they soon became excited and desirous of indulging in
a "row". Our correspondent says:-
Three monster trains were filled, and in all it is said that
about 5,000 excursionists were poured into the place. They
brought with them an immense quantity of drink, which was served
out to them in a field adjoining the ferry, and by four o'clock
drunkenness and broiling began to be the principal features.
Shortly after this time a fight commenced on the parade, and
as though the malady were infectious, six or seven others were
instantly got up, so that the whole length of the parade presented
a scene of the most disgraceful and revolting description.
The police, as well as they could, managed to restore order,
and having captured one of the principals were removing him
in order to take him to the station at Wirksworth, when they
were set upon by a vast and infuriated mob and their prisoner
was rescued. Stones and other dangerous missiles were hurled
at the officers, and for a time their lives appeared in great
jeopardy. Manfully, however, did the officers fight - there
were but five of them - rushing amongst the crowd with their
staves, and felling the foremost of their opponents. They were,
however, outnumbered, and being overpowered were obliged to
retire. Mr. T. Smedley's and Mr. Roper's houses adjoining,
were then attacked, many of the mob having become possessed
of the idea that one of the officers had secreted himself within.
To satisfy them, one of their party was permitted to search
the houses, and failing to find the officer he informed them
of the result. After considerable wrangling the mob withdrew
to the railway station, and the trains shortly after bore them
away. Such a disgraceful scene has never before been witnessed
in Matlock, and it is hoped will never be repeated. We were
extremely sorry to notice amongst the foremost of the mob,
men wearing the uniform of Volunteers - disgracing not only
themselves, but their Queen and country - and to hear "Men
of Hallamshire Rifles" shouted as the rallying cry in
the midst of such dastardly and outrageous proceedings. Mr.
Brown, who is the Mayor of Sheffield, accompanied the party,
and we believe expressed regret at what had occurred and offered
to give the names of the principal instigators to the police.
At the time of the occurrence a despatch was sent to the deputy
chief constable at Belper, and Mr. Moran speedily arrived with
a posse of men, but two trains were gone away and the third
was already filled on his arrival. Too great credit cannot
be given to the police officers who maintained themselves against
such superior numbers, and to Mr. Moran for the speedy arrival
of a stronger force to meet further emergencies which might
have occurred.
(From a Correspondent)
Last Saturday Matlock Bath was inundated by the importation
of above 3,000 Sheffielders, en employed by Messrs. John Brown
and Co., Atlas Works, with their wives, &c. It is a fact
that many of the men, and not a few of the lads, conveyed by
three large trains, were intoxicated on their arrival, and
they had not been in the place very long before fights had
lost much of their novelty by their frequent occurrence. A
fight between about half a dozen English and the same number
of Irish was commenced in the middle of the afternoon, near
the stables belonging to the Old Bath Hotel. The police very
wisely forbore to interfere amongst a mob of some two or three
hundred infuriated men for some time, but the roughs at length
began hitting them on their heads with sticks, when the police
(of whom there were about five in the place) drew out their
staffs in self defence. Upon this they were set upon and beaten
in a most brutal manner, but they succeeded in securing one
or two of the ringleaders, and locking them up in a beer-house
close by, which had already suspended business. Just at this
stage Mr. Brown, the employer of these men who is the Mayor
of Sheffield, said he thought the police were too ready with
their staves, whereupon the men near him thought they had free
license to go at the police, and they did so. They used their
sticks, hurled stones and other missiles, and broke open the
door of the house, but did not then succeed in rescuing those
who had been locked up. Many other fights took place, but the
greatest row and riot took place at the railway station, in
the evening, between six and seven o'clock. The police had
marked one of the ringleaders of the afternoon row, and when
he went into the station in the evening, four of their body
took him into custody, and brought him out with the intention
of taking him to Wirksworth lock-up ; but no sooner was he
brought out of the station yard, than there were loud shouts,
both by men and women, of "Are you going to let the b--- bobbies
take your mate", "Take him from them", &c. &c., and
immediately a mob began to collect, and before the man could
be got over the railway bridge, a distance of little more the
100 yards, there was a mob of some 300 or 400 men round the
four or five policemen, shouting and yelling in a fearful manner.
The man in custody had been dragged over the bridge, struggling
so violently as to tear all his clothing off, except his trousers
and neckcloth. The police had hold of the neckcloth, with one
hand each, and were using their staffs with the others, when
their prisoner slipped hiss head through it and fell on his
back In a second he was put on his feet, and hurried off, almost
before the police, or even the greater part of the mob, knew
he was gone at all. The police were now hooted at, and assaulted
worse than before, stones and bottles flew in all directions,
some men tied up stones in their handkerchief and struck about
right and left. At last the police were jammed against the
wall near Smedley's spar shop, and if they had not managed
to get out and run for it, some of them would most inevitably
have been murdered. However, they were beaten, some one way
and some another, the mob giving a cheer of exultation, and
a shower of stones and bottles as a farewell. Just before the
last train was started, and when the whole of the rioters had
got into the train, a party of about seven policemen arrived
from Belper, under Deputy-chief Moran, who immediately headed
them and marched them to the station, in conjunction with two
or three from Wirksworth, and the Matlock men. Mr. John Brown
had some conversation with Mr. Moran, and he undertook to produce
the men who were wanted. The last train for Sheffield left
directly after half past seven (the proper time), and the place
immediately became as quiet as it normally is without excursionists.
Many natives of the place expressed their surprise that they
were not charged by the Superintendent of police to assist
him, as there were plenty of them about, if they had been slightly
organised, to have given the rioter the quietus in a short
time. The police from Belper left about ten o'clock. Several
of those men who were in the place all day got some bad bruises,
one or two having their uniforms torn in several places.
A large body of excursionist are expected from the Saltley
Works, Birmingham, next Saturday, when we trust a larger staff
of policemen will be in readiness to keep down anything like
a recurrence of such disgraceful scenes.
______________
Another correspondent informs us that at the request of the
Mayor of Sheffield the 3,500 excursionists were fed by "Henry
Hutchinson, of the Victoria Hotel, High-street, Sheffield",
who sent a scale of charges for xxxx beer, porter, all kinds
of wines, and meats, the latter including "choice sucking pig
at sixpence per plate". Two waggons loaded with beer, were
drawn by eight horses, and by these means an unlimited supply
of beer was at hand without troubling the Matlock publicans.
We hear that Mr. Brown told Mr. Moran that the police were
to blame in the early part of the affair, and that if they
attempted to take any prisoners murder would be the result.
Mr. Moran replied, that he had assumed the command of the police,
and if Mr. Brown would pledge his word to facilitate the operations
of the police hereafter against those who were at fault, he
would not attempt the arrests then. Mr. Brown said that he
would be responsible for his men if Mr. Moran would be for
the police, against whom complaints may be made. This amicable
arrangement was made in time to get the Sheffield trains off
as stated above. As for "Mr. Henry Hutchinson" who ventured
to sell liquors, &c., without permission of any county
magistrate, we hope he will not be lost sight of whatever proceedings
may be taken with respect to other offenders. |
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