ELECTION BIOTS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1279, 3 September 1886, Page 4

ELECTION BIOTS.

IN CARDIFF* The Cardiff correspondent of ‘ The , Times,’ telegraphing on July 8, says : A terrible conflict occurred at Car« diff this morning between the police : and the public. After the declaration i of the Cardiff poll considerable crowds i collected in the main streets, and the ' police began to hustle the people about. 1 The latter retaliated by throwing a ' few stones, which action seems to have infuriated the constables, who drew their staves and indiscriminately at* • tacked the populace right and left. Sir ■ Edward Eeed, the newly-elected mem- 1 her for the Borough, narrowly escaped | injury on his way to the Liberal Club. About 100 persons were injured alto- i gether, twenty of whom were so seriously hurt as to necessitate their removal to the local hospitals. Mon, 1 women, and even lads, were struck ' down helpless before they knew what 1 was happening, and those in the crowd who perceived their danger ran shrieking with terror in all directions. The ] police were naturally not long in clear- ; ing the streets by adopting this unseemly method. They went as far as -the Theatre Royal, and there lemained ■ drawn up in company order. It was ■ Lore that the most dastardly part of the affair occurred, for though there . might have been some excuse for the , proceedings there was none ’whatever tor what afterwards trans- ( rpived. A crowd of men and boys, , 'cheering, laughing, and singing, ad» | vanced up St. Mary street, not being aware of the charge of the police, and passed them by on both aides of the . road. Other pedestrians walked along , the footpaths, and everything seemed , to be orderly again, when about forty i policemen, who were hidden on the i ■canal side, dashed round the comer of ■ Mill lane into St. Mary street and at* I i tacked everyone within range. The blows of the staves upon the heads of , the unfortunate people congregated •could be heard some distance away. ■ "Women shrieked, and were either trampled upon by the roughs of the crowd or knocked down by the con* stables’ batons. Two women and five men were struck down senseless and bleeding, and others, dazed or helpless from their injuries, were crying bitteily. In all these cases the persons so maltreated were absolutely inoffensive and harmless, The crowd was now naturally highly exasperated, as on all sides men and lads were showing their cut and bleeding heads or faces, most of the persons being apparently quiet, sober, and respectable. Just at this critical moment, Sir Edward Eeed, and his party of supporters passed •down the street en route to the Liberal €lub. They were quite unaware of what was taking p'ace until they were right in the midst of the fracas. Sir Edward had a very narrow escape from being attacked by one of the seemingly infuriated constables, who, in common with his comrades, apparently respected no one, and drew no distinction as to * rank, age, or sex. Eortunately, Sir Edwaid and his supporters managed to get by unhurt, and many of the gentlemen present remonstrated with the police near them in indignant and forcible terras Matters now quieted a little. When the street became somewhat clear it was a horrible sight to see the blood upon the roadway and the flags, while half unconscious wounded men staggered away or were supported by their friends as they made towards their homes. The police who behaved so brutally were almost exclusively strangers to the town, being levies for the occasion, and, in fact, the borough police were in some instances instrumental in saving passers-by from the indiscriminate fury of their county confreres. A very large number of persons evidently sustained mote or less serious injuries, and in no case had the police been ob’iged to act in selfdefence or to interfere to preserve pub lie order. What amounted to an unprovoked outrage was committed by the police immediately opposite the Liberal Club. Whatever provocation the constables mi-dit have received in other parts of the town—and it yet remains to be proved that they were provoked—there was no possible justification for the brutal onslaught committed at this spot The people in front of the Liberal Club constituted an isolated crowd, altogether separated fiom the mob at the bottom of St. Mary street. At twelve o’clock they wore quietly

listening to an address delivered by a gentleman from the balcony, when suddenly, without the slightest warm, ing as far as can be ascertained, a united phalanx of constables, with staves drawn, bore down upon the people and scattered them in all directions. Those who occupied places upon the balcony of the Liberal Club saw blood freely flowing. Gentlemen in the Club crowded on to the balcony and appealed to the constables to stay their hands, but their appeals had little or no effect. The police, of whom there were about twenty«five or thirty at this spot, did not seem contented with dispersing a group of people, for they pursued individuals considerable distances and felled them. The hall of the Liberal Club presented the appearance ot an ambulance ward. Seve« ral men sought shelter in the place of refuge, while others who were injured were carried in In one or two instances the injured were not in a condition to be conveyed home till several hours after they had been attacked. One poor fellow stated that he was attacked while listening to a speech. One constable struck him down, after which others used there staves upon his head. He said he would have run awaj after the first onslaught, but the violence of the succeeding blows from their truncheons rendered him quite incapable. Tt is reported that a woman standing alone with a basket upon her arm was assailed by an who, without a word of warning, felled her to the ground with his truncheon, in another instance several policemen were pursuing a runaway group, when the foremost of the officers struck a man down. While the unfortunate fellow was prostrate and defenceless, each succeeding constable, as he passed, dealt the man a blow with his club. There are many cases of gross and unprovoked attacks upon defenceless women, who were knocked down while walking at some distance from the scene of the disturbance. While one man was lying on the ground insensible from the blow of a policeman’s truncheon, another officer approached him, and, drawing his stave, struck the unfortunate fellow a blow which knocked one of his eyes right out. IN BELFAST. The ‘Daily News’ Belfast correspondent wired to London on the even ing of the 13th July:— This evening serious rioting has again commenced in Belfast. It appeal's it originated with an Orange band which was passing through Grosvenor street on its way to the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of au Orango Hall, While the band was passing along ani altercation took place. Two formidable mobs soon formed and began to stone each other violently. The rioting was principally confined to that portion of the Grosvenor road where Leeson street, the Cullingtree -road, and Grosvenor place have their termini, and it was from these centres of discontent the fight enaminated. The small body of police were unable to cope with the belligerents. They manfully, however, stood between the two opposing forces, and prevented them from coming to close quarters. Several members of the constabulary received injuries. Ample precautions have been taken to prevent a renewal of the disturbances in that quartet. Several persons were admitted to the Royal Hospital suffer ing from scalp wounds received in the affray. Later in the evening rioting of a more formidable nature commenced on the Shankhill road, and was continued up to a late hour. A good many persona have been wounded, some of them seriously. The military have been out all the evening assisting the police in keeping the Protestant and Catholic mobs apart. The rioting continued to night very fiercely, but was stopped shortly before midnight by a terrible downpour of rain. For a time the mob apparently decided to resist the rain as staunchly as they did the buckshot so freely fired by the police. A great number of police and civilians are wounded, and while many of them have been removed to hospitals others have been medically treated in other places in various parts of the town. Orange mobs fired revolvers freely at the police, ani the latter in several parts of the disturbed localities weie obliged, despite all - their forbearance, to fire on the mobs. The encounters, as during the- previous riots, were more between the Protestant mobs and the police than between Catholics and Pro testants. The wrecking of tin houses was continued up to an advanced period Lamps were turned out in the thoroughfares in order to enable the pillage. A very large number of wounded were conveyed to hos pitals, where the majority of them remain.