THE GREAT RIOT.
Stokebridge feast had not gone off with its usual spirit. The number of
young pitmen and lads from the surrounding villages were as large as
ever, and there was no lack of lasses in gay bonnets and bright dresses.
The fact, however, that almost the whole of the lads and girls of
Stokebridge between the ages of fifteen and eighteen had left the
village and gone to a rival fete elsewhere, cast a damper on the
proceedings. There were plenty of young women and young men in
Stokebridge who were as ready as ever to dance and to drink, and who
were, perhaps, even gaudier in attire and more boisterous in manner than
usual, as a protest against the recession of their juniors; for
Stokebridge was divided into two very hostile camps, and, as was perhaps
not unnatural, those over the age of the girls and lads at the
night-schools resented the changes which had been made, and rebelled
against the, as they asserted, airs of superiority of younger sisters
and brothers.
In some cases no doubt there was ground for the feeling. The girls and
lads, eager to introduce the new lessons of order and neatness which
they had learned, may have gone too fast and acted with too much zeal,
although their teacher had specially warned them against so doing. Hence
the feeling of hostility to the movement was strong among a small
section of Stokebridge, and the feeling was heightened by the secession
in a body of the young people from the feast.
As the day went on the public-houses were as full as ever, indeed it was
said that never before had so much liquor been consumed; the fiddles
played and the dancing and boisterous romping went on as usual, but
there was less real fun and enjoyment. As evening came on the young
fellows talked together in angry groups. Whether the proposal emanated
from some of the Stokebridge men or from the visitors from other
villages was afterwards a matter of much dispute, but it gradually
became whispered about among the dancing booths and public-houses that
there was an intention to give the party from Brook's a warm reception
when they arrived. Volleys of mud and earth were prepared, and some of
the overdressed young women tossed their heads, and said that a
spattering with mud would do the stuck-up girls no harm.
The older pitmen, who would have certainly opposed any such design being
carried out, were kept in ignorance of what was intended; the greater
portion were indeed drunk long before the time came when the party would
be returning from the fete.
At a quarter before twelve Jane Haden, who had been sitting quietly at
home, went up to the "Chequers" to look after her husband, and to see
about his being brought home should he be incapable of walking. The
music was still playing in the dancing booths, but the dancing was kept
up without spirit, for a number of young men and lads were gathered
outside. As she passed she caught a few words which were sufficient to
inform her of what was going on. "Get some sticks oot o' hedges." "Fill
your pockets oop wi' stones." "We'll larn 'em to spoil the feast."
Jane saw that an attack was going to be made upon the party, and
hesitated for a moment what to do. The rockets were going up in Mr.
Brook's grounds, and she knew she had a few minutes yet. First she ran
to the house of James Shepherd. The pitman, who was a sturdy man, had
been asleep for the last three hours. She knocked at the door, unlocked
it, and went in.
"Jim," she called in a loud voice.
"Aye, what be't?" said a sleepy voice upstairs; "be't thou, Harry and
Sally?"
"No, it be I, Jane Haden; get up quickly, Jim; quick, man, there be bad
doings, and thy lad and lass are like to have their heads broke if no
worse."
Alarmed by the words and the urgent manner of his neighbour, Jim and his
wife slipped on a few clothes and came down. Jane at once told them what
she had heard.
"There be between two and three hundred of 'em," she said, "as far as I
could see the wust lot out o' Stokebridge, and a lot o' roughs from t'
other villages. Quick, Jim, do you and Ann go round quick to the houses
o' all the old hands who ha' kept away from the feast or who went home
drunk early, they may ha' slept 't off by this, and get 'un together.
Let 'em take pick-helves, and if there's only twenty of ye and ye fall
upon this crowd ye'll drive 'em. If ye doan't it will go bad wi' all our
lads and lasses. I'll go an' warn 'em, and tell 'em to stop a few
minutes on t' road to give 'ee time to coom up. My Jack and the lads
will foight, no fear o' that, but they can't make head agin so many
armed wi' sticks and stones too; but if ye come up behind and fall on
'em when it begins ye'll do, even though they be stronger."
Fully awake now to the danger which threatened the young people, for the
pitman and his wife knew that when blows were exchanged and blood heated
things would go much further than was at first intended, they hurried
off to get a few men together, while Jane Haden started for the hall.
Already the riotous crowd had gone on and she had to make a detour, but
she regained the road, and burst breathless and panting into the midst
of the throng of young people coming along the lane chatting gaily of
the scenes of the evening.
"Stop, stop!" she cried; "don't go a foot further--where be my Jack?"
"It's Mrs. Haden," Nelly Hardy said. "Jack, it's your mother."
"What is it?" Jack said in astonishment. "Anything wrong wi' dad?"
"Stop!" Mrs. Haden gasped again; "there's three hundred and more young
chaps and boys wi' sticks and stones joost awaiting on this side
t'village, awaiting to pay you all oot."
Ejaculations of alarm were heard all round, and several of the girls
began to whimper.
"Hush!" Mr. Dodgson said, coming forward. "Let all keep silence, there
may be no occasion for alarm; let us hear all about it, Mrs. Haden."
Mrs. Haden repeated her story, and said that Harry's father and mother
were getting a body of pitmen to help them.
"I think, Mr. Dodgson," said Jack, "the girls had best go back to Mr.
Brook's as quickly as possible; we will come and fetch them when it's
all over."
"I think so too," said Mr. Dodgson, "they might be injured by stones. My
dear, do you lead the girls back to Mr. Brook's. The house will hardly
be shut up yet, and even if it is, Mr. Brook will gladly receive you.
There is no chance of any of the ruffians pursuing them, do you think,
Jack, when they find they have only us to deal with?"
"I don't know, sir. If three or four of us were to put on their cloaks,
something light to show in the dark, they will think the girls are among
us."
"Quick! here they come," Mr. Dodgson said, "go back silently, girls, not
a word."
Two or three cloaks and shawls were hastily borrowed and the lads then
turned up the road, where the sound of suppressed laughter and coarse
oaths could be heard, while the young women went off at a rapid pace
towards the hall.
"There are four of the clubs, nigh twenty in each," Jack said; "let each
club keep together and go right at 'em. Stick together whatever ye do."
"I'll take my place by you, Jack," Mr. Dodgson said; "you are our
captain now."
Talking in a careless voice the party went forward. The road here was
only divided from the fields on either side by a newly planted hedge of
a foot or so in height. Jack had arranged that he, with the few married
pitmen, Mr. Dodgson, and the eight Bull-dogs who did not belong to the
other associations, should hold the road; that two of the other clubs
should go on each side, fight their way as far as they could, and then
close in on the road to take the assailants there on both flanks.
The spirit of association did wonders; many of the lads were but
fourteen or fifteen, yet all gathered under their respective leaders and
prepared for what they felt would be a desperate struggle. Presently
they saw a dark mass gathered in the road.
As soon as the light shawls were seen there was a cry of "Here they be,
give it 'em well, lads;" and a volley of what were, in the majority of
cases, clods of earth, but among which were many stones, was poured in.
Without an instant's pause the party attacked separated, two bands leapt
into the field on either side, and then the whole rushed at the
assailants. No such charge as this had been anticipated. The cowardly
ruffians had expected to give a complete surprise, to hear the shrieks
of the girls, and perhaps some slight resistance from a few of the older
lads; the suddenness of this attack astonished them.
In an instant Jack and his supporters were in their midst, and the fury
which animated them at this cowardly attack, and the unity of their
action, bore all before them; and in spite of their sticks the leaders
of the assailants were beaten to the ground. Then the sheer weight of
the mass behind stopped the advance and the conflict became a general
one. In the crowd and confusion it was difficult to distinguish friend
from foe, and this prevented the assailants from making full use of
their stakes, rails, and other implements with which they were armed.
They were, however, getting the best of it, Mr. Dodgson had been knocked
down with a heavy stake and several others were badly hurt, when the
strong bands in the field who had driven back the scattered assailants
there, fell upon the flanks of the main body in the road.
For five minutes the fight was a desperate one, and then, just as
numbers and weapons were telling, there was a shout in the rear, and
fifteen pitmen, headed by Jim Shepherd and armed with pick handles, as
formidable weapons as could be desired in the hands of strong men, fell
upon the rear of the assailants. Yells, shouts, and heavy crashing blows
told the tale to those engaged in front; and at once the assailants
broke and scattered in flight.
"Catch 'em and bring 'em down," Jack shouted; "they shall pay for this
night's work."
Such of the lads as were not disabled started off, and being fleet of
foot, those of the assailants nearest to them had little chance of
escape. Two or three lads together sprung upon one and pulled him down,
and so when the pursuit ended twenty-nine of the assailants had fallen
into their hands. In addition to this a score of them lay or sat by the
road with broken heads and bones, the work of the pitmen's weapons.
Of the lads the greater part had been badly knocked about, and some lay
insensible in the road. The prisoners were brought together, five of the
pitmen with twenty of the lads marched with those able to walk, to the
village, where they shut them up in the school-room. The other pitmen
remained in charge of the wounded of both sides, and the rest of the
party were sent back to Mr. Brook's to fetch the women and girls. Near
the house they met Mr. Brook, accompanied by his two men-servants and
gardener, armed with spades, hurrying forward; and he expressed his
delight at the issue of the conflict, but shook his head at the number
of serious injuries on both sides.
In a shed near the house were a number of hurdles, and twenty of these
were at once sent forward with the men to carry those unable to walk
into the village.
Mrs. Dodgson turned pale as her husband, his face covered with blood,
entered the dining-room, where, huddled together, the frightened girls
were standing; Mrs. Dodgson, aided by Nelly Hardy, having done her
utmost to allay their fears.
"I am not hurt," Mr. Dodgson said heartily, "at least not seriously; but
I fear that some are. It is all over now, and those ruffians have fled.
Jack Simpson and a party are outside to escort you home. We don't know
who are hurt yet, but they will be carried to the girls' school-room and
attended there. Harry Shepherd has gone on to get the doctor up, and Mr.
Brook is sending off a man on horseback to Birmingham for some more
medical aid and a body of police to take charge of the fellows we have
captured; they will be in by the early train."
Everything was quiet in Stokebridge when the party with the prisoners
arrived. The pitmen, before starting, had gone into the public-house to
get any sober enough to walk to join them; and the few who had kept up
the dancing, alarmed at the serious nature of the affair, of which they
had tacitly approved, scattered to their homes.
The news of the conflict, however, quickly circulated, lights appeared
in windows, and the women who had sons or daughters at the fete flocked
out into the streets to hear the news. Many other pitmen, whom there
had not been time enough to summon, soon joined them, and deep indeed
was the wrath with which the news of the assault was received. Most of
the men at once hurried away to the scene of conflict to see who were
hurt, and to assist to carry them in; and the sole ground for
satisfaction was that the women and girls had all escaped injury.