LATE ENGLISH NEWS. RIOTS IN ASHTON UNDER LYNE, AND LOSS of LIFE.

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 274, 13 January 1849, Page 3

LATE ENGLISH NEWS. RIOTS IN ASHTON UNDER LYNE, AND LOSS of LIFE.

Ashton, Tuesday, August 16.— This town was last night thrown into a state of great alarm, by the inti. mation received by the authorities, that it was the intention of the Chartists and Repealers to create a disturbance and draw out the plugs from the various factories round the district, to as to obtain a geneial turn out of the hnnds employed. About a few minutes before twelve last night a po 1 ice constable, named James Bright, was walking down Bentinck-street, and when about fifty yards below the Chartist meeting room, he was shot through the breast by some person not yet discovered — although the perpetrator was surronuded by at least fifty persons, armed with guns, pikes, &c. Two other policemen were afterwards puisued, but they managed with some difficulty to reach the Town Hall in safety. A meisenger was then sent to the barrack, but on his way thither he wjs met by an armed mob, who compelled him to turn back. Another messenger was next despitched, and gained the bainck by a different road. In a very few minutes the miiisiry were under arms, and on the spot where the roob had been collected, but previous to the ariival of the military a large body of fcpeoial constubles, the borough po'ice, and several mounted special constables had attacked the mob, whom they soon put to flight, taking two of them prisoi.e s. They also found a pike on the road, the shaft of which is about eight feei lon», and the bliide about twelve inches, sharpened on both sides. An immediate search was made for arms, and they anestcd a man named William Healley, of Newton Moor, a weaver, who had in his possession a loaded pistol, a butcher's st'el, powder, 6lugs, Chartist M.inual, shot bag, pike head, wadding purse, aSlatei's pick, sharpened knife, &c. A man n mied William Penny was in his company, and had tome gun caps ; ath'id, named Thomas Lees, a cotton spinner, had two boxen of Lucifer matches; a fourth, named Wil> Han Eden, a shoemaker, had a pike handle, two

knives, ami twu- hall tickets. There were, m the whole, twenty two persons taken into custody on the occasion. A quantity of ball cartridges have since been found in the garden of Mr. Binns, of Dunkin • field, past which place a number of the Chartists moved on the road to Hyde, where they succeeded in drawing the plugs from the boilers of Messrs. Hibbeit and Messis. Thorniley's mills, llpre also the police and specials were promptly on the spot, and prevented and further outrage. Tuesday, Noon. — Since writing the above, we have learned that a person named George Shawcross wai shot through ihe calf of thp leg with some slugi, while passing the end of Bentinck-street, at half.past ten o'clock, and that a man who works at Mr. Fowler's (the potter's), was stopped in the street, becanse he bad a muffler round his mou>h. The mob thought he was a policaman in disguise, and pierced him througli the thigh with a spear. This morning, a number of pikes which had been found in a field were brought to the Ashton Town Hall by the police. The handles of many were quite new, and of others the heads appeared to have been rtccntly broken. On their way to Hyde, about two o'clock this morning, the mob stopped at the residenco of Charles Hindley, Esq., M. P., 1 Dukmfield, Lodge, in front of which are placed lome small pieces of cannon. One of these pieces th»y carried with them, but finding it too heavy baggage on their w^iy, they left it on the road behind them. Another man, named Brads haw, has been wounded in the thigh by a pike. He was attacked in a square near the chuich, and the weapon was driven almost quite through his leg. The mob call themselves the " National Guards," but when the military made their ' appearance they had departed. Great fears were entertained by the authorities in Manchester that some attempt might be made to disturb the peace of the town ; every precaution, however, had been taken, and there is not the slightest probability that any attempt wll be made there. The Confederate Clubs met last night in Manchester with closed doors : all of them were said to be crowded. Ashton, Wedn e sday. — There was a great excitement ! during the whole of yesterday. At half-past five o'clock the examinaiion ot the prisoners commenced. There was a strong police force in attendance, some of the men being armed with cutlasses. More than twenty prisoners were examined, and about half of them weie discharged, the rest being remanded. No evidence was brought forward implicating the murderer. The inquest is to be held this afternoon. With reference to the death of the unfortunate policeman who was shot, the Manchester Guardian gives the following particulars :—: — " The last peison who was in his company, and who saw him stabbed with a pike, and afterwards shot, was an old man named John Warren, who lives in Yorks'reet, Charlestown. It seems that Warren was seeking his daughters about a quarter before twelve o'clock on Monday night, when he found himself suddenly in the midst of a consideiable mob of men, many carrying pikes. When Warren first saw Bright, be wai advanc ing up Old-street towards* Bentinck-street ; and on reaching the latter street he turned towards the Town Hall, The aimed mob were then crossing Old-street to go toward Stimford- Street. Bright and Warren were together in Bentmck-street; when Warren heard Bright say, on seemg 1 the array of pikes, as if in astonuhment, ' Well !' Warren passed him ; but hearing something behind, turned his head, and saw that some one had knocked Bright 's hat off. Th nking that the policeman was in danger, Warren, though quite an old man, returned to hitr, and heard him asking tho^e about him what he had done amiss towards tli-m that they should ill- Use him, dec'aring that be had never done them any haim, aud begging that they would uMt hurt him. At this time they had suiroundcd him, bu none of the pikes were then levelled at him. Just at this moment another policeman named Taylor was passing along Stamford-street, when he was descried by some of the pikemen ; a shout was raised, and he was instantly pursued down Stamford-street, and a shot or two were fiied alter him. The great bulk of the mob seemed to huve joined in the pursuit ; but two or three individuals, a tei going as far as the corner of Mr Slatei's house, stopped there and then returned to Blight, One of them levelled his pike, and thiust at B.ight. At this time Wairen had liol.l of his arm, and was enti eating bun to get away as fast as poisible. Seeing; the pike, Warren seized the blade with his left hand, and in cluing so received seveial slight wounds or cut's Irom the edge, one across the ball of the thumb, and others across the inside of his fore and middle lingers. Another pike, or the same, was next thrust at Bright, and penetrated quite tbrou^k his right thigh. Bright made no resistance, nor did be muke any out. ciyon receiving this formidable wound, but Warren being alarmed for his own safety, began to wa'k quickly away towards Wood-street. He looked round alter he had gone a few yaids, and then saw a man present what seemed to him to be a small pocket pistol at Bright, and fire, and W«rren s-iys he saw the flash, and Bright fell immediately. This so much alaimed Warren that he immfdhtely ran off, and got away. He says that Bright was looking towards Stamfordstreet at the time he was sho', and that those from whom the shot came stood at or near the corner of fStamford-street. Wairen says it was no great length of a barrel, but it mi^ht have been a long pistol, or something of that sort. He thinks about forty or fifty I of the mob canied pikes, and that they first came down j Bentinck«street towardu Stamford-street, in a dir ction | as from the Phartists' room. The next persons who I seem to have seen the unfortunate man Bnght, but probably not till he was dead, were Mr. and Mrs. Slater, whose house is close by the pluce where he fell. Mr. Slater, who is a butcher and a special constable, states that he was in bed when he was aroused by a noiie in the street of clogs tramping. He immediately got up and looked out of a window fronting Stamfordstreet, and saw a great many perions carrying pikes, and hurrying along eastward, They could not have proceded more than forty or fifty yards when they returned to the corner of Stamfort-stieet and Bentinckstreet, close under the window. Mr. Slater heard one pikeman say, ' Make ready,' and immediately he levelled his pike and went round the corner into Ben» rmck-street, where Mr. Slater sonld no longer see him ; but immediately alt rvvards he heard a very loud report of a gun or large pistol, and being apprehensive that some mischief had been done, he told his wife, who went into another chamber, the window of which is in Bentinck-'-tr. et, hnd she saw something like a man lying in the gutter Meanwhile, Mr. S ater, who, being a special con&tabl", was hastily dressing himtelt to go on duty, heard the same voice which had said * Make leady,' say loudly, 'Join, join;' on which the others formed i.ito some ordn, and they all went quickly down Beiitinok-Mreet towards ' Thacker'b Ground,' where they generally hold their meetings, aud in a few minutes he taya there was not one of the mob to be seen. On hearing the exclamation of his wife, Mr. S ater looked out, a id he then saw Mr. G ay, of the ' Red Lion, 1 cro«s Bentinck-street, and with others, raise the b >dy of the murderred man, and convey it into the ' KcJLion.' After the fatnl shot, Mr. SI tT said he heard no cry ; but Mrs. Slatei. who was nearer, says t,he beard something hk.e a shriek immediately alter the shot. Mr. Sinter soys that it i,

impossible the piece could Imvc been discharged by any one standing' at the cnier of Stamford-stic^t, 01 he must have seen the flash, as he was watching the men there at the time. I/e is quite positive that the shot mu«t have been /i ed by some one in Benunckstreet. From (he loudness of the leport, lie should suppose that it was not an ordinary pistol, but a gun.