POLITICS IN A THEATRE.

Patea Mail, 18 September 1880, Page 3

POLITICS IN A THEATRE.

The Dublin Freeman, says : “ Recently in the Grafton Theatre, shortly' after the performance commenced, a male singer came out and sang a song, the concluding stanzas of which praised Mr Gladstone and censured Lord Bcaconsfiehl. When the song ended a perfect storm of cheers and hisses arose from all parts of the house, and the uproar was indescribable. The hisses and cheers seemed to be about equal in the gallery, but in the pit all cheered again and again except one man, a well-dressed, powerfully-built young fellow, with black whiskers and moustache, who hissed vehemently’. A cry was raised to throw out that ‘ Tory ’ and two men rushed forward to do so ; but they miscalculated the sort of customer they had to deal with, for the young man struck out and sent them both rolling over, seeing which the rest hung back, and the performance proceeded, but not for long, for Lord Beaconslicld’s admirer, emboldened by' his easy victory, interrupted the singer again and again, and'finally wound up by offering to fight the three best Liberals in the house. His taunts at length became so galling that the Gladstonites again rushed at him, headed by a y'oung man said to be a clerk in the Government office. The ‘ Tory',’ seeing the odds against him, retreated to a corner, where he stood up at bay, and, as bis opponents came up, with a single blow of bis fist he knocked down the reputed Government clerk, and, catching the unfortunate man by the collar and waist-band, hurled him at his friends, three or four of whom were knocked down by' the novel missile. The excitement in the house was now intense. Several in the gallery tried to get dow» into the pit to join the row, while the whole audience stood on the benches to catch a glimpse of the desperate struggle which was going on. The combat was too unequal, however, to last long, and in a few minutes Lord Beaconsficld’s unlucky friend was knocked senseless to tho ground, and was carried out by a few of his friends, who bad, however, prudently refrained from helping him before. The performance then proceeded, but it was a long while ere the excitement ceased.”