RELIGIOUS RIOT. "THE ESCAPED NUN" IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 178, 13 November 1886, Page 1

RELIGIOUS RIOT. "THE ESCAPED NUN" IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Disgraceful and Sanguine Fighting. On Friday evening, the 22nd mat., Mrs Auffrey in her lecturing tour spoke to a iargo audience in the Albert Theatre, Lismore, on "The secret mysteries of the confessional and the inner life of convents." The only disturbance wag that created by a man who wished to stand with his hat on after being requested to remove it. On the following Monday Mrs Auffray lectured at Casino, and on Tuesday last was announced to •peak in the Albert Theatre, LL-more on " How and Why I Escaped," and " How I Was Converted. " When the hall was about three parts full of all sorts and conditions of men and with a number of ladies and children, it was observed that every other man had a stout stick in his possession. Thtre was also a great rush for admittance and the doorkeepers could not take the money soon enough for the many who wished to come inside. Before the lecture began a well known resident in Liemore stood up in the middle of the hall and began to gesticulate and abuse Mrs Auffray. He was soon surrounded by a crowd of excited men, who cheered his remarks, which were to the effect that the lecturer had come there to tell lies and they were determined not to let her do it. Other words were freely ueed with reference to the private life of the lady —words of so disgusting a nature that it is

impossible to reproduce them at this time. Sergeant Sharp, in charge of the police of this district, entered the hall, and Wasj requested by the chairman, Professor Auffray, to restore order. This was a difficult matter to accomplish, although three other constables soon arrived. The sergeant went up to the man who had used the foul language to the lady lecturer, put hia hand on his shoulder and said, "Keep quiet, John; keep your temper ;" but hia comrades, who had mounted the chairs, said, "Well done, : John ; go it, John." At this moment a j man who ig a stonebreaker on the roads cried " Up, at 'em, boys ' and jumping off the eeat began to hit out right and left. Immediately walking sticks, loaded whips, rotten eggs, pieces of bluestone, horseshoes, battens and palinga were produced and flourished in the air. An eje-witness states that both sidea went at each other witW a most murderous fero ;ity. Those who had no weapon* seiztd the chairs and wrenched off the legs and backs. The fight while it lasted was something, it ia explained, to be witnessed, not descrided. Men laid hold of one another and rolled over and over on the floor ; they fought on the seats with ugly weapons, and they pummelled each other under the seats with their fists. The floor became slippery with the blood that, streamed down the men's faces and clothes upon it, or, as it was stated, it appeared as if a bucketful of blood had been poured over the boards. Feads were opened and faces gashed ; on© man had his collar bone broken and another his arm broken, while two men were taken out for dead. The women and children screamed in the agony of their fright, and through the large windows standing some 4ft. from the floor men, women and children endeavoured to make their eecape. It was a scene of disgusting brutality, and unprecedented for many jears in the colony's history. Though several persons were knocked in sensible, no deaths lesulted, but this was not the fault of those engaged in the conflict. The duration of the fighc has boon very variously estimated, but it is thought that 10 minuter or a quarter of an hour wa* the iimit of the hard struggle a good deal can be done in 10 ajinutes with loaded sticks. The Catholic party had conio prepared to figWt the Orangemen, or more propeily speaking, the Protestants who were taken unawares and had to resort to chair backs for weap ons. The latter, at the end ot 10 minutes' hard struggle, retreated to the platform and held that against the assailants, protecting aho the lady lecturer, who stood her ground throughout Some sore ot order haring bean restored, it was announced that tnere wou'd be no lectuie and the Catholics were asked to loave the hall, but they then demanded thtir money back and it appeared as if another set-to was imminent The Catholics were excitedly shouting and threatening from bel<>\v th« pla'form, and the Orangemen equally so trom above. The Utter, when it was seen by the " tioya " wanted to go at it again, left the hall in a body by the back door and escorted Mrs Auffray home. The other party then took complete possession of the hall and delivered speeches of congratulation at the success of their organised action. They retired after half an hour had been spent in thie way, and paraded the streets in a highly barbcrous mood until a late hour. The wounded amongst the Protestants were attended by Dr. Gaggin at the Freemasons' Hotel and subsequently found their way home. The Protestants afterwards decided that the lecture should be delivered at three o'clock on the following Thursday afternoon in the Albert Theatre, whatever the op position. They scoured the country all round on the Wednesday to bring up their men, and on Thuisday groups of determined - looking men came riding in, not unarmed this time, until about 700 had anived, and the town was in a state ot great excitement. The Catholic party also turned up in force, though not so numerously as the other side. All busine-s was etopped The headquarters o f the Orangemen appeared to be at theFreemasona' Hotal, Moles worth -street, and that of the Catholics at the Lismore Hotel, in the same street, the distance °eparating them being about 75 yards. Both sides were well urmed with bludgeons, and not a few carried pistols. The material was there and very hot, and it needed but the smallest spark to set it off ; but fortunately the critical time pas-ed without the upark alighting upon the tinder. It was estimated that something like 1,000 men, armed with ugly weapons, many of these up their sleeves and iv their belts, were in the town at one time The police iorce would hay© been wholly inadequate to cope with any* riot, allhoughjSergeant Sharpe did his best with the few men in his possession, these numbering eight altogether.