Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 30 March 1912

Riotous Scenes at Cadeby

Baton Charge by 60 Police

Constable Injured

Anticipating further trouble, the police were fairly strongly reinforced on Thursday afternoon, as the time drew near for the men to come out of the pit, a force of about 40 formed a cordon at the railway bridge.

It was as well that they were reinforced, for the feeling of the crowd was much more bitter than it had been the previous day. There was little of the good humour which characterise the two previous assemblies, and there was reason to apprehend that they had come out to do something more than demonstrate.

The crowd was not appreciably larger than it was on Wednesday, though there were more strangers, and said that a thousand Hickleton miners had walked over to assist.

Superintendent Hickes, of Doncaster was then in charge of the police, and at about half-past two he an Inspector Fairbairn, of Mexborough, went with about a dozen men over the bridge to meet the returning workmen. Others of the police followed, and as they joined the main roads the workmen, were mostly deputies and horsekeepers, were placed within a double file of police, with a rearguard of about a dozen men. For the first hundred yards nothing very serious happened. The women who had crowded together by the hedge along the roadside, set up a series of derisive yells and “bahs.”

As soon as the rearguard got well into the thick of the crowd there was a mad rush, and ere long stones and sticks began to fly into the air. Only a few at first, but as the escort made progress the flight of the missiles got thicker and thicker, and big ugly -looking sticks were thrown into the ranks of the police. The men in blue marched silently on an endured the fuselage with admirable patience until one of their number, a young constable named Hall, stationed at Guiseley, and by the way, a native of Mexborough, had his head cut with a sharp stone.

Then the police drew their batons, and William Brown, charged the crowd right back to the railway bridge. From the security of some wooden fences men were screaming to the hurrying and tumbling crowd to stand their ground and wipe out the police, but the charge was completely effective and broke up any other attempt at violence, so that the men were enabled to get safely to their homes. It was short and sudden, and the police were masters of the situation.

The afternoon was gusty, and it was impossible to tell from a distance what execution was being done in the thick of the fray, for cloud of dust came sweeping down the road. Several men could be seen after, torn and bleeding. They had evidently lost their feet and had been trampled upon. Once four police had rolled down on the ground together in a scuffle, and the cry went round that a boy’s arm had been broken.

As soon as the crowd had been broken up, the injuries of PC Hall were attended to, and Inspector Fairbairn shortly afterwards came through with a posse of 20 additional police, newly arrived at the station from Doncaster.

Fortunately, however, they were not required, for there were no men coming out, and the crowd were subdued, so they kept the road for an hour afterwards. About 4 o’clock Major Atcherley, Chief Constable of the West Riding, motored through the village.

In all about 35 men were escorted through the crowd, and none of them were injured. We are informed that the 30 men who signed on on Monday to do repairs did not go to the pit after Tuesday, and that on Thursday they were working at Cadeby only 41 deputies and 30 horsekeepers. The police made no arrests. The situation looked more ugly than ever yesterday, and it was evident that the crowd meant mischief. One constable in the baton charge broke his staff,

In all 60 police were on duty, and today (Friday) they will probably be reinforced with mounted police.