Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History

Book

Open Original Text

, there was also
many a small matter which as yet I have left untouched. All this must
be borne in mind by readers of these pages who wish to get a clear idea
of Mr Bradlaugh's life. My pen, unfortunately, can only set down one
thing at a time, though careful reading can fill in the picture.

The prohibition at Devonport Park was merely a sort of prologue; the
real drama was to come, and the first act was played exactly three
months later. Mr Bradlaugh had, as he said, determined "to do better at
some future time;" with this end in view he set aside a fortnight early
in March, to be devoted to the conquest of Plymouth, and the campaign
opened on Sunday the 3rd.

A field known as the "Parson's Field," or "Parsonage Field,"
adjoining Devonport Park, was hired in February for "two lectures by
a representative of the Plymouth and Devonport Secular Society," for
the first two Sundays in March. Accordingly, about half-past two on
the afternoon of Sunday the 3rd, Mr Bradlaugh went thither accompanied
by two friends, Mr Steed and Mr John Williamson. He took his place
upon a gravel heap, and was just about to speak, when he was informed
that the police were coming into the field, and on looking round he
saw Mr Edwards (the Superintendent), Mr Inspector Bryant, and several
constables. Mr Edwards forbade him to proceed with his lecture, saying
that he had authority to remove him from the field. Mr Bradlaugh
answered that he had given way in Devonport Park because he was then
uncertain as to his rights; now the Superintendent had no right to
interfere; he had an agreement with the owner of the field; he was the
tenant, and there he should remain unless he was removed by force. He
thereupon turned to the audience and commenced his lecture with these
words: "Friends, I am about to address you on the Bible----." His
speech was here brought to an abrupt conclusion, for, acting under the
orders of the Superintendent, he was seized by six policemen,[59] of
whom he said:--

[Footnote 59: It is not without interest to note the number of police
that were always employed when there was any question of forcibly
removing Mr Bradlaugh. The Devonport superintendent contented himself
with six. Twenty years later the House of Commons employed fourteen--at
least, I am told that it was eleven policemen and three messengers.]

 "Two attended to each arm, the remaining two devoting themselves
 to the rear of my person. One, D. 19, I should think had served an
 apprenticeship at garrotting, by the peculiar manner in which he
 handled my neck. Our friends around were naturally indignant, so that
 I had the threefold task to perform of pacifying my friends to prevent
 a breach of the peace, of keeping my own temper, and yet of exerting
 my own physical strength sufficiently to show the police that I would
 not permit a continuance of excessive violence. In fact, I was obliged
 to explain that I possessed the will to knock one or two of them down,
 and the ability to enforce that will, before I could get anything like
 reasonable treatment."

D. 19 in particular made himself very objectionable; twice Mr Bradlaugh
asked him to remove his hand from the inside of his collar, but D.
19 would not, so at length he had to shake him off. When the six
policemen, aided by their Superintendent and Inspector, succeeded in
getting Mr Bradlaugh out of the field, Inspector Bryant told him to go
about his business. He replied, "My business here to-day is to lecture;
if you let me go, I shall go back to the field." The Superintendent
said that in that case he would take him to the Station-house. Mr
Bradlaugh, who was all this time bareheaded in the keen air of early
March, asked for his hat. Mr Williamson stepped forward to hand it to
him, but was pushed roughly aside by the police, and Mr Bradlaugh did
not get his hat till later.

At the Police Station he was detained for some time whilst the question
of bail was under discussion. This was twice refused, once on the
ground that there was no power to accept bail on a Sunday; and after
being subjected to the indignity of being searched, Mr Bradlaugh was
taken into an underground stone cell, without fire, light, chair,
or stool. In the cell there was "a straw palliasse, with a strange
looking rug and one sheet." This cell, it afterwards transpired, had
not been used for two years. In this dungeon-like place he was kept
for four and a-half hours, from half-past four until nine o'clock on
an evening in the beginning of March. At this hour the Superintendent
allowed him the luxury of a stone corridor in which there was a fire;
he was placed here in charge of a policemen, and also allowed the
company of Mr Steer, a Freethinker, who had attended the meeting and
had been taken into custody on a charge of assaulting Mr Edwards while
"in the execution of his duty." Mr Bradlaugh was at the outset charged
with inciting to a breach of the peace, but on Monday was also further
charged with an assault upon Mr Edwards. In the morning he and Mr Steer
were brought up, like felons, through a trap-door into the prisoner's
dock. Their appearance in court was greeted with a hearty burst of
cheering, which the magistrates (of whom there were not less than nine
upon the bench) tried in vain to suppress. The Court was very full, and
such a great crowd had assembled outside the Guildhall, previous to the
opening of the doors, that the Mayor (J. W. W. Ryder, Esq.) decided
that the Court ordinarily used for police business was too small, and
that the case should be heard in the large hall. The case was opened
by Mr Little, of the firm of Messrs Little and Woolcombe, on behalf
of the plaintiff, Mr Superintendent Edwards. After he had recited the
charges, he said he was instructed by the magnanimous Edwards that he
had no desire "to press strongly against the parties, if they would
make a promise not again to make an attack upon public morals." Once or
twice during the progress of the case, Mr Bradlaugh came into collision
with Mr Bone, the magistrate's clerk, but on the whole he carried his
points fairly easily. The case lasted the whole day right into the
evening, and was adjourned to Friday the 8th to give Mr Bradlaugh time
to procure evidence. He and Mr Steer were bound over in their own
recognizances of £20 each.

The Court was again crowded on Friday, every part of the building being
crammed, and the spectators included several dissenting ministers of
various denominations. When Mr Bradlaugh made his appearance in the
dock he was, as before, greeted with tremendous and repeated cheering.
The magistrate's clerk got quite excited, and called out again and
again, "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." The Mayor commanded the
police to keep their eyes on the persons guilty of such manifestations,
and to take them into custody if necessary. During the course of the
proceedings he gave this order several times in one form or another,
and succeeded in provoking a considerable burst of laughter, as

Previous Next