Alleged Intimidation At Denaby

Further Prosecutions

Strike Leader Committed For Trial

Yesterday, a number of colliers from Conisbrough and Mexborough were summoned to appear at the West Riding Court at Doncaster charged with watching and besetting, and also with intimidation, and the court was crowded. The magistrates on the Bench were Mr. G. B. C. Yarborough (chairman), Mr. L. T. Barnes, Major Dove, Mr. W. Chadwick, Mr. W. J. Huntress, and Mr. J. W. Hodgson.

Patrick Fleming, Jacob Crookes, and Geo. Ward, of Conisbrough, were charged with watching and besetting at Conisbrough, and Fred Croft, Christopher Stanisreet, and James Parker, of Mexborough, were charged with intimidation.

Mr. Neal, of Sheffield, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. A. Muir Wilson, of Sheffield, for the defence.

Mr. Neal said that Crookes and Ward were prepared to plead guilty to watching and besetting, and were ready to be bound over, and in that case he would withdraw the charge against Fleming.

Mr. Wilson said wherever he could he was a peacemaker. With regard to Fleming there would be an answer, but Ward and Crookes had brought themselves within the legal definition of what was called “watching.” They had done it unconsciously, and he found that they had gone a little bit beyond the line, and as the object of the summons was to maintain and uphold law, Ward and Crookes were prepared to consent to be bound over in their own recognisances of £5 to keep the peace.

The two men were then formally bound over to keep the peace for six months in the sum of £5.

The Chairman said an impression had got about that he could not adjudicate, as he was a shareholder in the Denaby Main Colliery Company. He wished to say that he was not in that fortunate position either as a principal or trustee.

The charge of intimidation was then proceeded with.

Mr. Neal, in opening the case, said the case was brought under section 7 of the Conspiracy and Law of Protection of Property Act, 1875, and each man was charged under sub-section 1 with intimidating persons who were working for the Denaby Colliery Company, and further under sub-section 5 with following workmen in a disorderly manner. The facts would form a strong prima facie case, and he understood that if that was so that Mr. Wilson desired his clients to be tried by a jury rather than that day.

The facts connected with the strike were sufficiently well-known, but a comparatively recent development had taken place in the nature of processions and demonstrations of an alarming nature, which were so timed that they reached the collieries at the time when the men working for the colliery came off their work.

There was such a demonstration on Monday, February 23, when there was a crowd of over 1,000 or nearly 2,000 women, children, and men marching in the nature of a procession from Mexborough to Conisbrough, which took the men directly past the gates of the Denaby pit yard.

The workmen ceased their work about two o’clock, and in order to prevent anything like disorder there was a body of policemen under the charge of Inspector Morley, who saw the procession coming. The pit gates were on the Mexborough side of the level crossing, and Morley saw the procession getting nicely past the gates of the yard and crossing the railway by the bridge, and there would have been a perfectly clear road for the workmen quietly to their homes.

Croft, who was the chairman of the strike committee, was the ringleader, and when he saw what was taking place he halted the crowd. Then he brought them back to beyond the colliery gates, so that they would intercept any workmen who wished to leave the colliery to make their way home to Denaby or Mexborough.

The inspector kept the workmen in the yard for something like a quarter of an hour, but the crowd still waited. The police saw that there was no chance of getting the men away. The police divided themselves into two forces—one in front of the workmen and one behind—and in that way started out of the pit yard to escort the men to their homes.

The crowd then split up into two parts—some in front and some behind—and amongst those in front were Croft, whilst amongst those in the rear were other defendants, and as the men proceeded to walk to their homes they were followed by a crowd which had no longer the resemblance of a procession, but nothing but a howling mob.

Croft from time to time gave signals, and when he gave the signal there was immediately a chorus of hooting of an indescribable nature. Parker and Stanisreet were amongst them, and at one point made a very dangerous demonstration.

In order to get away from the colliery it was necessary to pass over the river Don, and afterwards by a bridge over the canal, and when they got near the canal Stanisreet or Parker gave a signal, and a rush was made, and it was with the greatest difficulty the police prevented the workmen from being rushed into the canal.

Stanisreet was taking a very leading part and shouting out, “Give it them,” and a very disorderly crowd followed them back and went towards Mexborough, about one mile and a half to Dolcliffe Road.

The police in the meantime deposited the men at their homes, and when they got to Dolcliffe Road they had only one or two left. The crowd followed them up the road until the last man had been left at his house. After that the police-inspector spoke to Croft, and told him he had done all he could to incite the crowd to their disorderly proceedings.

The workmen would be more than human if they were not alarmed at a crowd of those dimensions, and there was no doubt it was all done to intimidate them from continuing their work at the Denaby Colliery.

Inspector Morley (Batley) said: On Monday, 23rd February, I was in charge of a number of police at Denaby. I saw a procession coming from the direction of Mexborough, consisting of from 1,200 to 1,500 persons, mostly men. I was standing outside the colliery gates. It was about five minutes to two o’clock. There were from 50 to 60 workmen in the colliery yard, which is on the Mexborough side of the railway.

The railway gates were closed, and there was a footbridge. About half of the procession got over the footbridge over the railway. Croft was at the head of the procession, and crossed by the footbridge, and I saw him come back over the level crossing. He got on to the small wicket gate, and put his right hand up to the rear of the procession, and called out “Stop!”

The rear then came back; some over the level crossing and others by the footbridge. The rear of the procession came to the front, only heading towards Mexborough. The crowd stood on the side of the road opposite the colliery gates. The rear end stayed a moment, and then walked on.

The workmen were still inside the yard. After the rear of the procession had got near the Don bridge I let the workmen come out. There would be between 30 and 40 for Denaby, and they had a clear way over the railway.

I saw the procession halted, and it appeared to be waiting. I had about twenty men then who lived at Mexborough, and I telephoned to Mr. Blake and got three mounted men. There were four sergeants and about 18 constables on foot, an inspector and two mounted men.

We caught up to the procession at Don Bridge. Croft kept running up and down the procession. Before we got to the bridge that crosses the canal he turned round and faced us and threw up his arms and called out something. The result was that there was yelling and booing by all the people.

I saw Croft throw up his arms four times on the road, and on each occasion the crowd began booing and shouting. I left the workmen at their homes as we went through. We turned up Dolcliffe Road, and the crowd followed.

As a workman named Gill went into his home Croft threw his arms up and called to the crowd, “Now, lads, now for it.” The crowd yelled and booed as Gill went into his home. Croft and the crowd turned to the left and went into Lower Dolcliffe Road.

I met Croft at the bottom and said: “Now, Mr. Croft, you’ve done all you could to-day to incite these men to interfere.” He replied, “Nay, I’ve done nowt.”

Cross-examined by Mr. Wilson: I did not ask any of the procession to move on before the workmen came out of the yard. I tried to avert all the trouble I could. I apprehended difficulty from the procession standing, and sent for the mounted police. The object of the procession was to wait for the men.

Decision

The Chairman said the Bench thought that the case must go to trial. A question of law had arisen out of the facts, and they were advised by the Clerk that their jurisdiction would be ousted. If there was a prima facie case it must be tried by a judge, and the case must be committed for trial at the Assizes.

The defendants were then formally committed for trial at the Assizes, and admitted to bail, each in £5, with one surety in a like sum.