A LONDON MOB. IT IS SUPPRESSED BY THE AUTHORITIES. NO PUBLIC MEETING ALLOWED IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE. DESPERATE FIGHTS WITH THE FOLLOWERS OF THE RED FLAG. HOW A PROCESSION OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND EXCITED MEN WAS DISPERSED.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 233, 17 December 1887, Page 4

A LONDON MOB. IT IS SUPPRESSED BY THE AUTHORITIES. NO PUBLIC MEETING ALLOWED IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE. DESPERATE FIGHTS WITH THE FOLLOWERS OF THE RED FLAG. HOW A PROCESSION OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND EXCITED MEN WAS DISPERSED.

Ox the night; of November 13th Trafalgar Square was occupied by troops acting in conjunction with the police. The business of the great hotels of the neighbourhood has been nearly ruined since thesa demonstiations have begun, and aU of the sho])s near the Squaio ha\e lost their best customers. The police, therefore, in forbidding meetings in this Square, have simply acted in the interests ot the large property-holders of this vicinity. It must be boine in mind, in oidor to understand this struggle o\or the possession of the Square, that the police luuc not forbidden political meetings, or even Socialist meetings in London. Hyde I'ailc an I a number of other places tuo free for public diseussioi^ ot all kinds On the 13th there was the strongo-t effort that has yet been nude to hold a meeting in the Square. .All the Radical clubs of London had been notified to gather at that point at 4 o'clock in the afternoon for the purpose of protecting against the impiiVonment of O'Brien. This was merely a nominal excuse given in oidcr to gi\o a political colour to the meeting, but none of the liish leadeis here ha\o sympathised lor one moment with the attempt to meet in Trafalgar Square. They have held that the fact of buing foi bidden to meet in other places would detract from any public sympathy with them in a struggle to overcome the police to meet at thi-> pai ticnlar point, yet theie wcic many of the Cvtieme Libe'iah w lio aided the meal popular moNcmeiiu upon theSquiuc. Thej expected by meio foiee of o\uwh..lmiu« numbers to overawe the p ilice, to sweep them a-iile, choke up the ttju. ire and In. ld a monster mass meeting, [delegations fiom lUdieal clubs in the pi minces came m on the tiam in previous night. It was planned to June at lea-t 100,000 people come to the Squpr<\ ]\lany of the people who had agiced to come ■were respectable and hw-abidmg cituen^ under other cheumstanees The ni-^ht befoio, Sir C'lnr'cs Wauvn pc-.ted all o\er London in piomiuenl placa huge letteied piorlamition upon white poster-, forbidding political pUKt^sions approaching Trafal'jai Squaio h>i the purpc^e of holding ti r.e 'ting theie. f l hue hud been gieut e\eiu:ncnl t!uoi<'^lioi't London foi alnut twen< j -four houi ■>, lor ever} one bclie\ed that n Jinal tc>t of police authoiity w to bo made, uid many timid ]>eople weie doubtful a» co the result. Fiom eaily in the day (he police weie found all aiound the Sqiiaic in great numbets. A'noub 10 o'clock a double rank of policemen was stationed in a continuous citric, shoulder to shouider, extending aiound the whole lino ot the Squaie. Mounted policemen f iced (hem on the corners oppo-ito the . v 'quair\ At all of the street^ abo\e St. iUutm\ m the-Kield-s Chinch there wue a number of mounted police who patrolled the streets crowing St. Lane. In Slut tcpbnry Avenue there w.i a large platoon of mounted men. Down l'all JMall thcie wcie police oiiicei^ at eveiy portion beyond (lie hue of the club-s. At Piccadilly cueu-. theie weie mounted scntii.es. From 2 o clock until 4 gicat crowds of si^ht^eei'H sw opt down tow aid the Squaie, nearly all of them well-dieted ami opposed to the meeting They came out for the purpose of seeing a light, if theio «iii to be one. The day wa» L;rey and cloudy, "with ocasional spits of lain. At 3 o clock there wcie upwaid of 3 00,000 people in the Strand, downXoirhumbeiland A\enue, Parliament-btreet and theenwion* of the square. The Square it-elf was kept absolutely empty ; no one was allowed to oa^ thiough the double rank ot police. Tiaflio was not for one momont checked, and the streets running tlnough the >S(juaie we'o Ice))t open fiom iirst to latt. At 4 o'clock theie be^gan to appear ■Mgn 4 ' of disoider. Sounds ot mutic weiehcaid from the wc?t. Shouts and cues came also from that direction. E\eiy now and then gioups of boys -would &tait a panic in the stieets and the ciov/d would .an like a flock of sheep away fiom the Square. A number of piocessions Mere slopped on their way. About 4.20 o'clock theie was a

Most Dramatic Spectacle presented. Rome of the Socialist leaders ap peared in waggons coming down Pall Mall. The leading weggon was a large, open van, with a tarpaulin cover rolled up like a reefed sail. Upon the front seat were four men. Behind them was another waggon containing a brass band. The musicians were in uniform. A third waggon, also well filled, had above it a red flag. A great crowd followed these three waggons. The fact that they had been able to penetrate thus far seemed to argue that the police had been overcome, and it looked for two or three moments as if there was to be a lively struggle. The band played defiantly. The waggons stopped exactly in front of the " World " office at 4.20 o'clock. They were now within forty or fifty feet of the double lino of policemen. Back of them as far as the eye could stretch down Fall Mall, was a noisy, cheering, dense, moving crowd of at least 100,000 people. At the front of this procession stood a stalwart, swarthy compiexioned man with a fierce black moustache and short cropped whiskers. He was dressed plainly, and wore on his head a soft black hat. He carried a red flag and waved it vigorously as he pointed in the direction o* the Square. Heie were elements of a riot. The agitators had reached to the very inner circle of police guards, and bask o£ them was a howling, hooting crowd. It was impossible for a moment to determine how many in the crowd sympathised with those who were contemplating an attack upon the polico to get into the Square. The policemen who stood between them and the Square were armed only with batons. The Socialist leader waved hia red flag after a moment's halt and they advanced with the band playing. A broadshouldered inspector caught the leader by ; the shoulders, tore his nag from him and turned him around, spinning him as he | fihoved him back. At this Beveral inspectors rushed at the horses' heads of this procession of leaders and turned them around, ] amidst a perfect tornado of hoots and groans which resounded from those behind. The avvQfib of the leader was, howeyer, so prompfc, and the action of the police so decisive, that the crowd back of them for a moment hesitated. Two police officers •""one" had walked right into the niass of rough-looking citizens, made the arrest, had dragged the man back into their

own ranka before the crowd could make up its mind what to do. If there had been et good leader, with courage-, undoubtedly the man captured would have been rescued in a moment ) but the crowd hesitated-, and in that single moment, by hesitation^, they lost their chance, and the threatened riot and outbreak fell flat, for at this very ittoment of hesitation there ■appeared around thecorner-, inoving xip frotn NorthumberHand Avenue, a 'detachment 'of Ldfe'osfta,t I ds, inarching seven abreast.

It was a SpHmflta SiKht 'The square was now just begi&'tfing *e> foe lighted tip. It Was now nearly da>rk. The' gle.'iming lights of the Square shone tipon the glistening helmets and breasbpla'bes of this splendidly equipped set -of oavalrymen as they moved up on their powerful horses with tho even motion ot machinery. As they marched up they were met with cheers all around the square. This cheer from the outside crowd had a very disheartening efl'ect upon the agitators. The Life Guards swung slowly around the Squaie.clearingthe ttreets as they went. Afc their head was Mr Haughan, one of the city ma^i&trates. He wore a high silk hat and a light overcoat over a civilian dioss. There was a very resolute look upon 1m- regular-featured, grcy-moustaehed faco. He was there for the purpose of reading the Riot Act. He role as well as tho two stalwart oflicers upon hia right and his Me. As they passed loiuid the Wquaio, dealing everything before them, theic came clown St. Martin V lane a regiment ot (Grenadier CJuavds, with | their great fur shakos bobbing in donbe ! lines, above -which appealed the gleaming bayonets of their guns. The hca\y tram)) | of their feet upon the asphalt was heard clear across the square. They formed in double lines, giuuding the approaches to the National CJalleiy. | Thcagitatois had lctolutcly refused to believe that tho troops would bo called out. Tiiey had calculated (jnly on dealing w ith ! the police. Thoy did not lull back at once. 1 They stood, «avagc and ugly, blocking up j Cockspur - street, die police oilicer \entuied too tar into chi< ang\y crowd, and then he was. hu-tlo L Ho \\ib turned aiouud halt ", do/en tii:i-^ Ai\d -Uuck, but he was icfroard b> ci.ih.Mi~. One plucky gentleman, e\i<leu.ly .1 .'lubnuui, who had juo«t come dov. n to cc w hat w a-, aoiug on. inched to the as^ist^ncc ot this oihc^r and dealt PvX\acre blow h to 1 ighc and left with his cane and c^coitcd ibe olhcv i back to his a--oeiaK;~. Tin-, niiicky -..'ifU-nan was repeatedly t lieeied l^v t!-« law and Older people on tho &idewalL The agilatois t' a- i> Iv _c proportion of the ciowd in ci-.ili v\ «l:e^ was aji 'in-»t them. A< they hc-il.Ted a -ivo-ni ticlachment of Hoi-c tUiar '- < ■""!"» e tioltincr to the S({uaro and ]'>ineil t!n> ' -i pih-^l. TJjcsc two budu l < ol -\i . ahy mo\ cd.uound t lie Square at a *! (i w \. all:. cVaiin^ tlu 1 croud as fa-t -^ iluy v. o >'(! ; ath' r a*- a-iy one point. Th" police cha'ged «c\cial timoh, but no h\>\\* v^ie -tiuck. The crowd fell back, p i u?-:i i<- ken, rt c-\eiy a'Uance rn',\e.nent ot the a'llli'M itii --. Tr.einoui^cvi nolicj uhaigo'l the sidewalks n- well as the -n"ei-. Wu'iiu the minutes the C'leikcnAoH p. tv >c -io\, for thi-s is , v.hero llic lc.idei , i<\v<- ln-r.i who came so near the police, wa- d.'uci back. It was bioken up, liut only t\>o oi tlnee ano-ls w eic made

Air st cf C. Grancun, IrX.P. The shaipi^t biu-h ot the day m-,is in Pall Mall. Heie a lai^e pio'jc— ion, canyixVX banner, «a> chained and bu,k> n up by tiic pohoe without the aid of tioop^. , Tlu police attu-wa.d-i curie clown to the Square on their way to {he yard, cairying the cap t mod b.umci.-. oi the i cittcvcd procc^ioii. They wcic cliccicd by many and recfhed with tiroa'i> i>y a Mnallei number. The crowd where it naleJ to got into the Square fiom the Cockrjnir--ueeb side made Iv.o ofchoi attempt-, one fioui the .youth oa^-t corner and al^o one 110 m the mnlhoa*t. CnnninLha-n <'<*ahain. member of I'.uliamcnl, lieaded <i body of about 1,000 men who mule a deKi mined lu-li at the >outh-oabb eornci. Theic the police were pn-tcd four cleej) under bupeiiutendonfc llaic, of (t. Division, and the artack thciefoie made little or no imjjiCb^ion uj)on their lank^. (Juihtiin, ho\\e\ci % , v/as immediately ane&tcd, and Jo!ui Burns, a well known bouiah^fc who followed him, was next taken and led m&i'le the Square, ilis Besant, it appears, albo made an attempt to enter the Squat e, but hei lequc^b that r-he mitfhfc be m re- ted v.as disregarded. Duiinn- the .stuifrglc several windows in the Gian ' Hotel were smashed. The people fiom the hotel-* ehceicd tlie police 1 c[»eatedly foi 1 their ;4«itLint behaviour, a'ld in >'etur») the c\ov>d Looted ami gioaned bub fell back at the appearance of the troop.

A Very Desperate Attempt was made about 9 o'clock by the South wark Socialistic clubs to make an entrance into the Bquare at the north-cast coruei , opposite St. Marbins-in-the-Fields. They had been massing; in the back street-; for .some time, and then marched do\uiSlmfte.«-bury Avenue twelve feet abreast, and in a .solid line which went as far as the e3e could reach. Entrance here into the Square is by some lifteen descending 1 steps, about twenty feet broad. A single lile of patrol-men were standing in line along the first stop. The crowd halted for a moment, but suddenly a rush was made for the stairs. Then the line of policemen bolted like ninepins and in a moment 500 men were down the stairs, where, however, they were met by a solid body of police within the Square, and were slowly beaten back. They still hung in heavy masses about St. Martin's Church, and a strong charge which was expected from them might have been more successful, but just as the intention of the crowd became apparent, the tramp of the Grenadier C-Juards was heard as they marched down from St. George's barracks. The crowd melted away, and those who remained stayed to cheer the xedcoats. The guards drew up in front of the National Gallery, and there remained until the crowds had been gradually worn out by the disturbing tactics of the police.

Energies of the Unemployed. In "Northumberland Avenue the crowd was also great, but from this quarter no very determined effort was made to take the Square. The energies of the unemployed were here devoted exclusively to hooting the police and running whon they were charged, with the smashing every now and then of a store window and the wafting every now and then of a nosegay of Billingsgate toward the hotel balconies, on which were ladies who were reviewing the scene and who could not refrain from cheering the police for the exemplary manner in which they performed their trying task. In the avenue there were only about a score of horsemen and some fifty patrolmen, who were, however, not allowed to draw their truncheons. At least a score of times the mounted men drove the mob down to the Thames embankment, but no sooner were their backs turned than the crowd assembled again. The roughs did not have even the saving grace of courage in a bad cause. Though they fled like sheep before any force, however small, when a single policeman, an orderly from Chief Constable Howard, carrying a message to Scotland Yard, was galloping down Craven street With his horse, they jumped upon him like wolves. At last, about 6 o'clock, seeing the futility of kindly treatment, the police ' were ordered to draw their truncheons and dear ;

the way, which they succeeded in doing in ' very short order. In the melee many were hurt> however. Four of the wounded were brought into the Victoria Hotel As is always the case on similar occasions, the rabid agitators had conveyed themselves to pla<oes of safety, leaving their dupes to bear the brunt of the fray. Of these four wounded, two were little boys, one of whom will die, several of his ribs having been pushed through his lungs. Of the others one was u servant girl, who !>aid she had come oub to see the fun. It cost her a 'broken leg. Late in the evening the rumour became Current that 10,000 men wero marching up from the east end to take possession of the Square and hold it till to-morvow and then hold the meeting. By the moonlight the Square presented a strange appearance. The ground was covered by an interesting assortment of nondescript hats, and but with two exceptions all the Miop windows facing tho Square arc smashed. Mcrely's Hotel and the Gi'and Hotel aie almost deserted, the guests having become alarmed and left such exciting quarters. The proprietor of the latter says that the demonstrations of the unemployed have in the past month lost him 6,000 guests.

Tho Strongest Demonstration of the day camo from the Clerkenwcll crowd. They began to assemble at 2 o'clock. Banners were displayed bearingas emblems, " Kesistance to l_> lants is. duty to Clod," and " Put youi tnibt in Go:l and keep your powder dry." Heveial speakers addressed the meeting iioin a eai t, including Mr Poole and Mr Oir, .if the Home Rule Union, Mr Fultcr, W. Moni-, and jSlife Bezant. Monis mged the cunvd to proceed to Trafalgar Square. Mrs Besant said that if the loacleis weic arrested, an attempt was to be made to ies>cue them, and if they knew of a woman being- amongst them they might tight more than they would for men. She meant, if not opposed by physical foice, to icach the north side ot the Square, and they nu'st follow her there a > bia\c men should do. Api occasion was then foimed, including two bands of the East Fins-bury Kidical Club, with about a do/en banneiSj most oi which were led. When the signal was gnen to start many diuins 1 oiled. The pioi e->biou must have numbered noaily 100, 0C0 men, who had foimcd themsehc-. in i rmio feoit of older, and a laigo number ot whomweie aimed with hea\y .sticks-. T'neie seemed to be a geneial dctcimination to foice their way through to Trafalgar Squat o, c\en at the c\}>ense ot fighting. The oiowd pioceeded aloua the Cleikenwell Ixo.id the Theobold llo.nl and llait-sticet in an orderly m.inue), amu-ing themselves singing the " Mm -,dllai-e," at the bfiino time waxing the \lc\ banneis and slick-, in a d< li.tnt manner. On i caching the open >pace at the to]) of Shafte-bury Avenue, near Seven Dials, the iirsfc collision with the police took place, and a scene of drcadtul dwmlerand con(licl piesented itself. Tho^e behind, on becoming awaie of what w a> going on in fiont, followed the ad \ ice ju-t given them, and with eric- ot " l'ie->t> foiward !" continued to advance. A geneial fight with ihe police eiiMiod, the Litter u-.ing 1 their sta\cs ficely, while tlie nv_mbei^ of the mob retaliated with the ii >(ick<. The mounted police charged in am mg the ciowd and hit out light and Icit, but sufiored from a perfect storm ot Midis which weie huilcd at them from a distance. The tirst obstacle the agilaiois met with was at Wellington-street, whcie a strong cordon of police was stationed to prevent the procession pioc:cling fuither along the Strand. As soon a^ the procession came up to Wellington -4icet the police drew their truncheons and stood shoulder to shoulder in splendid oidcr. The leader of the procession was an cited. Ko sooner had this happened than a t-ciioub riot occuved.

Hundreds of Men Set Upon the Police and the police retaliated. The battle "was short, and fierce, but the police pro\ed the victors and the proce^ionw-, were compelled to go up V/ollin» ton-^tr< ct and turn down Tavistock-sticet, pas-ing Covent Garden on route to Trafal^ui .Square, where they weie promptly lepul&ed and scattered. At night the Squaic v. a-_- both under militaiy and police patiol. Sn Chailes Wan en has been .successful in maintaining iiis proclamation of that niylit. The agitators, who swore that they would sweep aside the London police like so many flics, did not at any time in the day hliow any real courage. Their lcadeis tailed to come to time when it was a question of fighting instead of speaking. Some of the most noi&y of the agitators, occupied windows in the neighbouring hotels, w hoi o they could safely observe what was going on, aud gather material for futuio indignant protests against the vile ot law and order in London. It, is stated that about 200 citizens and forty policemen were injured, and fifty persons arrested, among them being the bocialist Burns. Some of the injured were woll enough to leave the hospital after treatment. One patient was dreadfully burned with vitriol squirted fiom a syringe. Another declares he was bayoneted. Two policemen were stabbed with knives. Late at night a meeting of the Metropolitan Radical Federation was held. It was determined to hold a meeting of delegates on Wednesday at the London Patriotic Club premises, and recommended that a further attempt be made to hold a meeting in Trafalgar Square next Sunday afternoon. The papers this morning all agree that nob since the days of the stormy forties, the period of the Chartist and Bread riots, have such scenes been witnessed in London. Certainly not since then have the military been called out and actively employed to assist the civil force in dispersing the populace and clearing the streets. Some twenty police are in the hospital. Of the mob nearly 100 were injured ,and the injuries of some will be fatal. One hundred and twenty men aro confined in the Bowstreet and King-street stations.

Sentences on the Rioters. Summary sentences of from one to six months' imprisonment or heavy fines were passed on (he rioters Messrs Graham and Burns were remanded for trial, and were released on bail. .Mr Gladstone, replying to the Secretary of the London Radical Club, says :-—" As I understand the matter, the Home Secretary stated on Saturday that he intended to prevent yesterday's meeting in Trafalgar Square, and he believed that its prevention was within his legal power. The question is one of great moment to the inhabitants of London. It will be generally felb that the state of the law in regard to it ought to be promptly tested and ascertained, and until a decision can be had it is tho duty of every citizen to refrain from all resistance to the decision of the Executive of Government, which is clearly entitledto administer the laws according tb what it may be advised is their true construction." Bradlaugh, member of Parliament, has written a letter protesting against the pro- ! hibition of meetings in Trafalgar Square. He denounces what he calls the brutal conduct of the Government, bub appeals to workmen to leave tho right of holding public meetings to the law courts and the vindication of Parliament. His advice, combined with that of Gladstone, will be potent with the Radical Clubs.