=Source.=--_The Times_, Monday, January 30, 1860.
Yesterday evening there was a frightful riot, resulting in the
destruction of much of the church property in the parish church of St.
George’s-in-the-East. Unhappily, notorious as this parish has become
in consequence of the religious differences which prevail, and serious
as have been the disturbances which have taken place, everything which
has previously occurred sinks into insignificance when compared with
the terrible scene which was witnessed there last night. The morning
service ... was comparatively tranquil, but at the evening service
there was a scene as it would be impossible for any language adequately
to describe. The conduct of the congregation, to use the only phrase at
all applicable to it, was “devilish.”
Evening service commenced at seven o’clock, and at quarter of an hour
before that time the church was densely packed, there being at least
3,000 persons present, of whom 1,000 were boys, who took possession
of the galleries.... There was cat-calling, cock-crowing, yelling,
howling, hissing, shouting of the most violent kind, snatches of
popular songs were sung, loud cries of “Bravo” and “Order” came from
every part of the church, caps, hats and bonnets were thrown from the
galleries into the body of the church and back again, while pew-doors
were slammed, lucifer-matches struck, and attempts were more than once
made to put out the gas....
At seven o’clock a procession of priests and choristers entered the
church and advanced to their accustomed place in front of the altar.
It was headed by the Rev. Bryan King, the Rector, who was followed by
the Rev. C. F. Lowder and ten or twelve choristers, habited in their
white robes. Their appearance in the church caused intense excitement.
People jumped on to their seats, pew-doors were violently slammed, and
loud shouts of execration proceeded from every part of the church.
Mr. Lowder said the first portion of the prayers, Mr. King the last.
Scarcely a word was audible. Hitherto the congregation had contented
themselves with “saying” the responses, in opposition to the choristers
who sang them, but last night they indulged in responses which are
not in the Prayer-Book, and which were nothing short of blasphemous
mockery. At the close of the prayers Mr. Lowder ascended the pulpit,
and was hissed and yelled at by the people with tremendous energy....
After the sermon, Mr. King, Mr. Lowder and the choristers made their
way to the vestry room with great difficulty, being more than once
subjected to personal violence.
At this moment a cry was raised for the demolition of the altar, which
was elaborately decorated, and the threat would have been carried
out had not the altar-gate been gallantly defended by Mr. Stutfield,
one of the choristers. Over the apse, or quasi-altar, is a beautiful
candelabrum, and this at once became an object of attack. Hassocks were
collected from the pews and hurled at it. Many of them struck it, and
every moment it was expected that it would come down. As it was, it was
seriously damaged. Another object of attack was the large cross over
the altar, at which hassocks and cushions were thrown from the gallery.
All this time there was fighting, shouting, and singing in all parts of
the church, with no one in authority to repress it. The scene at this
time was perfectly frightful, and would, in all probability, have ended
in bloodshed, had not Inspector Alison, upon his own authority, entered
the church with a dozen policemen and ordered it to be cleared. Turned
out of the church, the rioters suggested an attack on Mr. King’s house,
and many persons who went there were very roughly handled. In the
course of an hour Inspector Alison had got the whole of the disorderly
mob into the street. A considerable amount of church furniture has
been destroyed, the cushions in the galleries were torn up, and thrown
into the body of the church, Bibles and Prayer-Books flew about in all
directions, and many of the altar decorations were injured.