THE PLOTS AT TIMARU AND CHRISTCHURCH.

Dunstan Times, Issue 924, 2 January 1880, Page 3

THE PLOTS AT TIMARU AND CHRISTCHURCH.

Disgraceful no s occurred on the 2t>,h ultimo at the above places The Krieu lly Societies of Timaru having arranged to hoi,l a pubdc demonstration and apor's oti that das, and the Orangemen determined to take pan in the proeessi-m, when this became known great fears sVore entenai ie-l of the result, and from the .specc of alfdrs on the Thursday evening, Inspector Pender an ticipaiing disturbances, communicated with Mr Richmond Beet-ham. R M., an-i after coiisu-tation it was decided to telegraph to Christchurch for police assistance, when twenty constables, under the command of Inspector Hid son, were despatched by train on the Friday morning, arriving at 10,15., exao ly at the very moment they were wante 1. In the morning the Orangemen having ass- inbled in th ir lodge ro.uu, Mr Bcethatn and the Mayor procee led thither with the few of dissu.idhig them from taking part in the procession, hut were n it successful. The Foresters and Oddfellows, together with the Fire Brigade assembled at about half-past 9 o’clock at , the Forester's Hail, in George street, the point from which it had been deci led that , the procession should start. At about 10. | 15 about 40 men were seen ctiling down | B irn ird street, and the fl vg which they car 1 rie l indicate ' immediately that they were the Orange party from whose presence so much unpleasantness was expected. Some of them were arm-d with swords anil other weapons, and having drawn up in a line at the end of Barnard s’reet, proceeded to invest thenis- Ives wi*h regalia of their order. No sooner had they done this than a large crowd wore s«-en coming from the direction of the railway Station. They walked in a disorganised mass, hut their'firm tread and determined looks bespoke the errand on which they had come. Not a word was spoken until they had reached the south end of the line of Orangemen in Bam ml street, where they formed a bloeka 1- to pro vent the procession from marching, and called in menacing terms to the other party til take off their colours Inspector Pcnde immediately rode un. and dashing with his I horse in fnin* of them, ended nnnn them to keep back at their Own peril, Mr B -ethnm came up and placed himself between tbe two parties. He then addressed tbe Catholic party, pointing out the mischievousness of th-ir conluct and reminding them that there were women and children prfsent. whose lives won hi be ,-n 'angered if >hey resorted to lawlessness The Or.an -e----i men still remained passive spectators of the scene, but the Catholic party became more mona mg in their attitude every mo. merit, and vehemcn Iv demanded that the other party should take off their colours. The scene at this juncture was most exciting, and there appeared very litt’c hope of a Collision between the two parties heino averted, but immeliate'y Inspector Hickson with a large posse of police—in,-ludin ; the Tunarn men as well as those he hid brought with him from Cliristchnr.-h -arrived and were drawn in a line across the street The procession then began to move nn George street, but no sooner bad the Orangemen turned to follow than the line of policemen was brok»n through by tbe crowd and they w -re surrounded. One of tbe officers of the Orangemen drew his sword, and would probably have donesommischief with it only ’hat he was dissuade 1 by Inspector Pender from using it, and it wag returned blip Hess to its oahharl As soon as (he Oran 'emen were cut off from the procession there was a alight, effort, made to tear ■ f thei" rc.-a-ia but the - noliee snec-o ’e ' in preventing ; t , me : scarf being torn off The Oran; m-m ' on finding the way blocked np, .an 1 no | . possibility -f proccc bng further, retreated into the Foresters’ Hall The. space in front of die entrance to the Hall having bren cV.ired. special consbablcs wereswo-n in. , The Oiangi-trte’, stoo l in the doorway . and in front of the Hall, ami still the op- .

posing faction continued to clamour for them to take oti their regalia, but their commands were not complied vith. Air Beetham then rea l the Riot Act. Immediately after the Orangemen decided to divest themselves of th ir insignia. Efforts were then made to dispeme the crowd but all arguments were of no avail -they still remained. Henceforth matters brightened up, ami the danger of a disturbance being removed, some bits of fun were indulged in. The precaution wis taken to close the public Louses at 10 a.in., including the tent on the sports ground.' No further riots have since taken place, but the row is exdected to be renewed on New Y car’s Day.

One of the most disgraceful outrages that has ever taken place in Christchurch {says the Press) occurred on Boxing day, shortly after 930 a.m. in Manchester street. The Protestant Alliance Friendly Society was marching in procession down Manchester street en route, for Prehbleton, where they intended to hold a picnic, when they were savagely ami brutally assaulted by a number of men who salbed forth from Barrett’s Borm.h Hole, ami commenced striking indiscriminately with a number of pickstaves. Same of the assailants came from the right-of-way close to the hotel, others dropped from the windows, and indeed the whole aflair s-eme l to be a preconcerted movement. The people in procession, quite unprepared for such a savage ami brutal onslaught, broke ami scattered in every direction, the assailants using this weapons right and left, and, tearing a banner from the bearers, bore it to the back of the hotel. A number of men were more or less wounded about the be id, and four very seriously. The police have taken from the premises of the B rough Hotel a large number of pick handles, which are in use on the Tramway works. The police were early on the spot, though reduced in numbers, owing to the bulk of the force having been telegraphed for from Timaru. The greatest excitement prevailed in the city. The police up to 2. p.m. had mrb four arrests of persons alledged to have been implicated in the outrage A number of special Constables wen sworn in.