“RESCUE KELLY!”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8608, 19 December 1913, Page 6

“RESCUE KELLY!”

EXTRAORDINARY SCENES ATTEMPT TO LIBERATE A MURDERER. 10,000 ANGRY PEOPLE MARCH ON MANCHESTER. RAGTIME ROUND THE GALLOWS*. Sr Tolejcrjnh—l*. Association— OopyrlebJ (Timas—Sydney "Sail" Special Cables.) (Received December IS, 6 p.m.) LONDON, December 18. Extraordinary scenes occurred aH Oldham over tho execution of a man, named Ernest Kelly, who was hanged yesterday at Manchester for murdering a man named Bardslcy, a book-; seller, at Oldham on July 26th. Several thousand Oldham women and youths marched to Manchester as a protest against the Homo Secretary’s’ (Mr Reginald McKenna’s) refusal to allow ah appeal. Tho sympathy for Kelly was due to the fact that Edward Hilton, his accomplice, was reprieved. Mr McKenna explained that Hilton was under eighteen and mentally defective. The Government’s decision was given from a window of the Oldham Town Hall at a late hour on the previous night, and a crowd of 10,000 porsons f groaning with disappointment and uttering fierce cries of anger, forthwith marched to Manchester w r ith the olv. ject of rescuing Kelly. “Rescue Kelly 1” someone shouted. The cry was taken up everywhere, and the crowd trudged through tho dreary suburbs, arriving at Manchester early in the morning. The clatter of clogs was heard half a mile away, coming in the direction of Manchester. Carrying three flare, lights stolen ,en route, and armed with \sticks, crowbars, and stones, tha crowd clattered through the streets toStrangeways gaol, breaking two miles of street lamps, as well as the windows of tho fire station and tramway cais. The people found one hundred pollen at tha gates of the gaol. The police apparently understood th« crude sense of justice which brought Oldham’s women and young people to Manchester. A boy aged fifteen walked up to tho prison walls between tho police and read tho notice proclaiming that Kelly would that morning bo hanged, The boy then repeated- the news to tho crowd, which gradually worked itself into an angry state._ “Rescue might be possible,” shouted someone; “Let’s get him out!” Six hundred police meantime arrived in taxi-cabs, and the crowd was driven quietly through the Manchester streets. Five constables were slightly injured, the crowd shouting cheers for Kelly and execrations on tho Government. * The crowd then started singing ragtime. They were reinforced at daylight by many Manchester people, and there were well over 10,000 near the prison at 8 o’clock. At three minutes past 8, the prison bell tolled, tho people muttering;—“He’s gone!” and taking off their hats.