THE EASTBOURNE RIOTS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1892, Page 2

THE EASTBOURNE RIOTS.

SAYING SALVATION ARMY SALS JB TURBULENT SUNDAYS. HB London, Novembor 6.88H For months past now Eastbourne, eroBH while quietest and smartest of South CoaSB resorts, ha 3 been turned on Sundays intoSH turbulent rioting ground for the mob a§£9 the Salvation Army. The question at issJßgi is the right to play and sing m a pubfiaS thoroughfare on Sundays against the wisnHfl of the inhabitants. General Booth cons«SH irs the privilege worth fighting for, and cc&hh sequcntly every Saturday a contingent g<gaffi down from headquarters to the" CitaaWH (Eastbourne), to be battered and bruised sIH beaten for " the .cause. 9 ' The foU° w '§K»j description of last Sunday's proceedintrajH speaks for itself. The correspondent wirqggjgg — "The Salvationists at Eastbourne ?BmM their headquarters the Citadel. The CiffiSH del looked more like itself to-day than evflgH It was, and is, prepared' for a siege-SMB brickbats. AH its windows, from to P-fl<f»fiS to basement, were boarded. Last wecra| cannonade — of brickbats — smashed most^gjjjj the glass. Not a cheerful-looking build^Bßf at best, the Citadel presented a particula^^m dismal appearance at ten o'clock this BioraHH ing, "when idlers began to assemble aboutwgffl small knots, waiting for tho march Cffl&S Shortly after ten o'clock some half doJgfflHra men, led by their officer carrying their gHJUHH and blue flag, and accompanied by as m^BB sisters, emerged from the Citadel. ThsJHß|| had no musical instruments — at least nHuH were visible — unless a tambourine is tcJ&SsB included m the designation. Nobody in§£n| died with the tambourine- bearer : andJBNHS fact, the procession reached, unmolestednuHi rendezvous at the head of Devonshire PlmfflHH close to the Sussex Hotel, where six oflSHmg principal streets converge. Under a treHHila tho cantre of the open space, the SalvatßlMH ists held their morning meeting. AshHHbH Salvationists were marching up DevonsßßHw Place they were passed by two or three ffiffigffi on bicycles, who wheeled round snd roasaSSl them. Knowing who they were, one "'BiIIbBB describe them as the birds of prey, HUSH occasionally pounce upon the doves ofafifii evangelising band. They were the " scol|ln|i whose business it is to find out if, ia jpflßfflffl to put the rioters off the scent, the nsfnH cians go one way while their brethrefiSSß the other. ' One of them is mmy liflßmMi business,' a man m the crowd iaformecflljHH ' he's m the bathing-machine line. ThrfMßßHl all this tomfoolery he's lost half hia HjKfifi tomers ; so have I. Where I take a bI^BB now at my machines, I used to take MffllHßlß five before this bloomiu. 1 row begJUHH

wish the Jot on 'cm was »-.t «he botlcra o the sea, trumpets snd a)i 2' This wits pretv Etrong. But before the day i^ssod, am when one Baw how during the* mor t pl^san hour of the afternoon, the whole of tbi Grand Parade and principal etreats lesdinj to it were m the occupation oi raobe of rough and idlers, one felt inclined to admit tba tbero was something m the ba|hiDg-machin man's complaint about loss of custom. Th service under the tree — a service consißtinj of hymn-singing, praying, confession, am exhortation, each m its turn— was of th usual stamp ; but tbe running comments o tho roughs and larrikins m the crowd was perhaps, unueaaUy lively. Tbe afternooi meeting, a much nouier and moro danger ous one, was held on the Grand Parade near the Tower. A small band of Salva tionists,oa its way to the spot, was altackei as it came through Devonshire place. Ih members were suspected of concealing thei bra"s instruments under their coata. Thos< wbo were obviously unable to make so; such concealment — even if they bad th< wish to— were supposed to have whistle: concealed. 'What have you got up you sleeve?' one o! them was asked. This wa m allusion to an incident of last week. No body m the band was seriously hurt, butal m it were bustled about right and left, anc seme of them lost their caps, which wen kicked away by the multitude. Conducted on the sana end shingle, within a few yard: of the sea, hardly a word of the service wa audiblo to thoso standing outside tha innei ring. The roughs struck up songs of tbeii own, chiefly lovr music hnll songs, flnisbinp with ihe Hallelujah chorus of 'John Brown.' Again and again there came a false alarrr of 'the band, tho band,' whereupon tin mob would rash off to the main road o! the Parade to find itself 'sold.' There was c pretty strong force of police. The mayor, also was m attendance, and he was more excited than any one tbore. Cleariy he fell the load of his responsibility— felt it overmuch, ono could not help thinking. He might as well have tried to enforce silence m a mango grove of green parrots. At s rough guess there were between 3000 and 4000 spectators on the beach and high road, and tba eloping ground between it and the Tower. Tne windows of tha Parade were filled with onlookers. At the end of the service there was a rush towards the centre, as if with the intention of capturing the Salvationist flag. If this was tbo intention, ifcwas frustrated by the police, who closed ronndtbe roldiers and tho lasses, and kept the crowd off. If there were any people from London or elsewhere visiting Eastbourne for a day or two's silence and rest, they must have avoided the Parade between the hours of two and three. Two Salvation lasses end a Boldier to whom I spoke after ihe procession was over told me that they had been nudged and kicked about the ankles on their way to the meeting at the Tower. I should think suoh conduct must have been exceptional. The crowd behaved on tbe whole, with good humor —I mean m its own rough, rude,, noisy way. Tho worst thing about it to-day has baenits EEBpicion of spies ~ people who are supposed to accompany processions for the purpose o! ' spotting ' rioters and reporting them to the police." ' : " " ''■ •■■;'-