LYNCH LAW IN ENGLAND.

Timaru Herald, Volume LV, Issue 5515, 17 September 1892, Page 4

LYNCH LAW IN ENGLAND.

A large assembly of Leylon commoners and others met m Church-road, Leyton, preparatory to the removal of certain alleged illegal obstructions by tha Eaist London Waterworks Company on the Leyton Lammas lands adjoining the company's works at Leabridge road. The leader of the agitation against the company is Mr Musgrave, a member of the Leyton Local Board. Some thousands of the " commoners " marched to the lands, where they were addressed by Mr Musgrave. He recounted the history of the movement, and said that the water company had not asked the commoners to sell the land, but had told them they must sell it. He however, contended that the company had no such compulsory rights, and although they had paid £935 into coart to the oredit of the Commoners' Committee, the latter refused to sell, and he had warned the company that he would resist their enclosures. He oalled upon eight of the commoners to give m their names and addresses to him and to the police inspector, and then oome and pull down the fenoßß. He would himself lend a hand and take his fnll share of responsibility. Bight persons gave m their names and proceeded to the field on the further side of the Lea-bridge road. Across the field midway the eix-barred iron fence of the company stretohed, surmounted by a barbed wire, and the crowd hastened across the meadow towards it before their leaders. These soon arrived by a cirouitous route on the further side of the fence, on which they had no sooner placed their hands than every rail was Boon clutched by hundreds of other hands. In a moment the fence was over and Boon torn up. Mr Musgrave then direoted attention to a tall wooden fence adjoining, and the leaders, armed with bbwb and axes, approaohed it, The crowd, however, got to it first, and it was Boon swaying m their clutches, its solid wooden posts, four or five feet m the ground, being quiokly torn up. Beyond this was a similar fence, Bft high, whioh was also pushod over and broken m pieces. The orowd wore looking for something more to destroy when Mr Musgrave pointed towards the railway line laid down by the water company m the next field. Every one went back across the read to the rails m question, which extended from the Great Eastern Bailway Company's line acrosß the field and into the waterworks, being ujed by the water company for the conveyance of coal into their pumping station. A considerable length of the line, sleepers and all, was torn up and carried aoroßs the field. Mr Musgrave, whose clothes were torn m his exertions, then mounted a cart, and said — The water company do cot possess these lands. They covet them, but they have not got them. They have refused to remove the obstructions when called on, and bo wd have done it for them. T now ask you, having done your work well, to eo.quietlj away and spend the reßt of the day m amusemeut. lam quite sure tbat there is no one who takes an interest m these lands but must feel that what we have done to-day is jußt, right and proper. — (Cheers )