Reading Observer 09-1916

bo.:p!)ened
&lld sa.w two
the prISOn,
the last time,
ili.tr..;sed tht I could
25th of the

THE ,PRESS GANG. BULL BATING.
I ' A.ND ~N EXECUTION.
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The~ fOUowlDg

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eig~t.h

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liflflO[d \\ r ~
the pnnclpa\ elllL..~nCt: 10 tlie

l6l1es of ,",lclea

on U Recollect.iolUl of ll.eadiD,i," by 't Octogenanan," whuili prst. Il.ppcated In ihB " 1~odlDg
Ob&erver n of 1885.j I
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During the protractoo WIU" 1m f the PeDlusula
,
by sea. Q.Dd la.nd, DO ydung man c ould safely
-London. I remembcr . ~ young f cHcw lof the
h,.n,."n' Oha.ndlor, liVing tn , Mount,..plell8un~, ~who,
another, wboso name I b6ve forgo ite~ , W&lt
town for thl) purpo8e of working a.t t heir bUSInesa aa carpenter. and 'lomerls 1They had not been
there ' more than a t(7'N We'C~8, when on the ir way
back to thelr 6hop after dinne r they, stopped to
look into a shop 'wmdow. A Press Gang d mo liP
and foroibly took them down to the water ~ where
they were put roto a.n armed bb~t and taken dOWll
to the Norj3. These men fotrght 10 6cve ral lhattle8
on ooard HIS , Ma jest y 's ehl1ps, ~[ld after many
yeo.rs . ~dlor returned bdme, but IllS comrade
'"IS kUled in aC'hon.
Chll-f' dl1e r hved fori many
yfl8.Ill after theJi6 events so mewhere near b.ia
former bome I b~ W88 well knowD 1 a.nd probably c
some &re living who may remember huJ. ~y
father when a 'lonng man waa twWe "p~ed n
and taken to the NOM> but be,ng In a. Government
o~ W83 liberated. He told me that w*en the
Pre.. Gang boa.t abot under ;Lqndon Brt1g& the
peoplo threw brtCk-bats and stones &t them,
I b&ve rela.ted these eventa, Qf which
h&~
perfeot I'OCQIlectiOna, to show the atr&lt5 to which
the oountry was drlven at 'this time. Everytlnng
almost WN taxed,. ~ven light ~Dd &11", Besides the
CJ"C'U',., Presa Gang, wo had our lofll.1' lfilttlS. com~
1 anded
by Lol"ii Blandford. and which oon818ted prtnClof tradespeople; alao Ith~ BerkahLre Mihtul.,
whioh wu De~J.y e.a oppressllv.e a.s oonsortption.
Qwn father 'paid e.~ght~ lfunds for a lubstlanq ' ,t became DOOOO8j"Y to form olube for
mutual PfOtectlon. TP. add ifo pur trials there wflre
thrown .UfO"D our ' sympathy )mflY -refugees,1 espectally Ger,aDs, for whom pubho subacmptlons wer6
r8:i&ed, and also the proceeda {rom ama.tehr concerts given on theU" behalf. \
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Th. g~atest atr&iJlI I be~leve, Occurred 1Il the
year 1Blt~ when. thero was !a 5flvere tr<ist. ",hrch'
la.s~ f(1[' many weeks, Il.n~ there was P4S1tlVe1y
no eo&! In the town for some tJ.tlle Bos ter's a.nd
MllJa'S b~es were frozen bn the Tham~8, and
WhI\Wort~6 a.hd A therton'sl boats (I thlDk these
were\ the proprletora) were 6~mila.rly placed on the
Kenn'et. lindeed , I t hink: that tlfo nllovig&tlqn of
our nl'ers ce~ed fo~ a.bout three months.
Hr.
George's broad-wheel Wa.ggODBi were in grea.t requeat', and wero the only \means by whICh we
oQj;8.ined gooda ,from Landor' I Tbe bu.ildings of
II ReadIng Observor" sUnd on tho site of the
from wblo~ the w~ons 6b~ ,
Brickplasterers and Iabou~ral were in great dl&want at work, and:! ali the 'neoeasa.nea of
at fUmlQu s prl~.
Yet ,We
all
u,,~,
esaeptibn of1*Oout a dOI!ed"ot the

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WhICh

SPp.c6

Wl!.8

erowdcd with F) mp.tt hl5

notloed that t h e l GO\ druor l~!t
a.ffected tb~t he.
ol!hg~
When t.he prisoner I,J o~n
people seemed to ihold tb Il f
WM a. sole mn I and (hS~r(:l-t
IN6Vibank was ~s a0:4ctecl tnf:
who attellded to hIm . H <j appoored
o:bout 50 years of age, and a IIll!e

1:iS

he wp,s placed ueder t.h~ droll he
vast s;r;d sympa.t~lng Cl'Ol>;d , 06 t
VOIce
God blese ;pou aU" 1'h ~
.p.mtaD'OOll8 Bort of grat n f r om tho ruul.
Lord's Prayer was Slud, !u
It before, by ~ r

Harry

(t!;~~I~~" ~,~t~i~ll:f
mlght. ha.) e been the gael
nat all thtt people, k t'eelcd" ttn d

f"'Uy

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al~ tho
\I a ~' a.
SIZe. bet wct:u It a nd oh(l

'l.1y:!_re

:.p,ectakira, a.nd when tho proceuolOIl ~cme on

Wlt
a ~ elem u
ftvoe years ait.ef t hli!l execution,
Wu","or, whose n:t:6 I think. II'3S
for a simila.r
bul t h ~

prayer reepondF

(frO' ,

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a.t, thu.t tUnG

the NatIonal Schools.

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~O!;::.JIII

Anythmg
ooocene The

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'.,;,.. the

p,~;",!>tlY.l i~:~;~;n~:tIO~f
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lWllgnifica.nt impona.noe, a.nd theso

.J~biDi ~ avoidedf tJle}Jl • ...bJJt I

that thoy
not muc!l 4f.~g 1U
~e ma.tter, but eimply that John Bull ..ho~ not
have it 'aU his M1Vn way. 'One thing I can assert
Wlthollt fear of contradiotiorl, ~1Z: •• tha.t '
~ member of Parliament had ,&id jn the HouA (to speak
an&!ogu:!lIY) tlu!t h. wODld ~Otei .
of; moheY
& be ,given to Napoelon to 6Dluh'" tlib uKoe of
Wellington. and had ptea~td l &ftorwit&
come
and a4dreu the electors of ~ne- (of ' an]' creed)
l
he woUld haJe 8tooo. a. good eh.atnoe of beni g tarred
,&lid fe./ bored.
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About ; tho year 1815, ODe 1of otn'l leading tradeemOD ..1I:ed my ·father if h6 i"ould allow me
drive"'um ln our PODY Ch&l~1 &II far as Ktng-etreet
IS' about five mtles on tio Wokmgham-road:
To th18 he at5ieD~, a.nd 0D( o~r s.rrlva.l there
fnend ~w my , &tteDtion ~I tb,e D~ber of ~ple
on tbell'; way towards WokiPgbam, l a.rid. suggested
that wo' might as well go ~ nl a.nd see what W&S
(In th(U"6 .• ,ThIS suggestIon I 'TeadtlJliI
in~ and .,-e drovo to the 11m tn tho Marfet

Â¥

lI'ebruory, lll85.

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=*==,===9=1= I
~HE NATIONAL
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rTION.

FROM THE
OXFORD.

11SJOP OF ,

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of Oxford has Cii

a.ted t.he fo't ".

I CI CUddeadOD, August ¥Ist, 1916
Bj..tl,,..';.--'I'bu letter 16 writt:cn to help
for the N&tlon al Mission of Re
Hope which 18 Lo ~ hC lt tbroughOllt
a.nd l lU this dloceso end 1 your o... u

autuinn
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,
tb~ terrlblo war 18 mak:iU eve.ry on~
I Ican ha.rdly tell you how deeplJ
need to think, l~at It be 5IUd 0(

r

old, ' Israel d oth nOtk ntw m:/
Tb6~ &wt I speetnde

oonsider.'

Ew'Op& OCCUIH~

WI

h

d zsast.r o u~

month and yea r a tcr yell r, Ul
another on the b a tt.left 106, has not

<f::i

the w'lll of
of our r ligl
our boasted I CIVl
forgotten ChrIst.
a,re crylIlg Oltt f

po:ill<opl..

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In

accoru

n

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Thoughtful
II. Uclter
atlons SII.l I
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, lD which the
but h elp 01118 allo thcr IS
m"'l',bers of t ho common huma.n Ifennly , lnu
In WhlCh lindlpdualB anti
" U~ , A'"U l'" t he ir ()I'o ll
&.

Su'1l

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my

"""uI-

Pla.ee, which commanded a ~lOW of tho Bull Ba.lt-

iog. qf WBtch I prc.vlOuely had nQ knowlod~e. but
my friend must have planned the whole thing, for
a.f~

p180ipK' me a.b bho .tront. fusb-floor

WIndOW

he wenf away for a time ,and r eturned WIth a
-Nr: Norna, who had, as
dU~covered. from thoU'

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arranged to '!lee,, there. U ' " .. St,
ThOID.B.& Da.y, WhlCh W8.$ dFk, df m p a.n~foggy.
w ••••,••, " The.re~ vr.aa a great an4- m~scellaneoU8 co course,
conYer"~ 'OD,

lWDj'e soldters fn)m -W;u1dso~ and &ome (If tbo

l:iilf."'w," from. !Reading were thore, Very sao a stir
occu.rred 8JllO!lget the peoplb; and they r&D lD. all
di~tiona out of the we.y hf a. fine young bull,
whIch 'faa on
wa.y tow~ the Market B)ace.
When the animal a.rnved he was fixed
a rll1g
which was att¥hed to an dak P08t level "(lth the,

tts

to!

Th.~11 had abo,,:t.. five yards Of chun,
hed: about and trIed to get his
l'1ilhorol,y, ', this
the eft'ec~ of m&king the People
ag&inab ea.ch other, and many of them
tumble4 down in ·the mud. Soon arose a cry of
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." A lane, 6 lane"; this V(1l8 for the peopJe to form
a nano4v- aVDDue leadlDg up to the buH, which was

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METH~>DS

TT~ES·t,
"-.;;-0+-

qUlekly 'hone, tn deference,1 I presumo, ' "to &Ome
authority, a.nd then a man holdmg a. bull-dog
betW&eD' hiB knees would let. hun .shp and ' run up
~he " 1f16 " , tip <jatob .hold of the bull's nOBe~ Wblch,
if he ~oceaded, would p\n his head down.. and
this would .b6 called U pinnlDg the bull n In this
case, the dog, which I hew was brought from
Staines, il'~ a,t ~lie &nimal! wh() Instantly caughb
him on his h_orna and threw hIm high in the 8:1.I".
The people immedla.tely crbsed together toO catch
him, or ,pro'b ably bja neck ,olit,ld ha.ve been broken,
A ma.n named Bak"rr, of Re~ lng, whom 'We p8.MOd

the road ,)n the morD.ing~ R. nmart young fellO'W,
a. clean white smOck fruck , Wh ODe o t
thole who
tn Ca.tchlhg th15 -dY
f' Tho poor

O.J.

we&rtDr

~~lt'~;~~~~:~;~, :~n:~d

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as Ihe

fbu

one of h16bleedlegs

FOR EX.READINI MAN,

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lSablon had

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