Tavistock Gazette – Friday 29 December 1882
Serious Disturbance Among Navvies at Princetown
A Prisoner Rescued
Sergt Richards and PC Vanstone Injured
Several Men Arrested
Partly because it was holiday time and partly on account of the dense fog and wet weather which prevailed on the moor on Tuesday last, the navvies employed in the construction of the Princetown Railway were idle on that day, and spent their time at the public-houses. In the evening they commenced to assemble in the village of Princetown in large numbers, and became noisy and riotous. At about eight o’clock in the evening the disturbance took a serious turn. P.C. Vanstone endeavoured to pacify the mob but it was useless. He then attempted to apprehend one of the ringleaders, whereupon a number of navvies set upon him and he was struck by several, although he was not able to identify more than three or four. The constable called on some warders present to assist him, and warders Parlby and Williams did so, the latter being very roughly handled by the navvies. The constable and the warders managed to convey the prisoner, who is known as ” sore-eyed Cuckoo,” to the Princetown lock-up, where he remained for the night. Information of what had occurred was received at Tavistock the next morning, and a small police force was sent out by Superintendent Mitchell. Later in the day Sergeant Richards and P.C. Simpson started from the Princetown look-up for Tavistock with the prisoner in a trap. Sometime before they reached what are known as the Red Cottages on the moor, P.C. Simpson got out and walked back in the direction of Princetown, as the prisoner was hand-cuffed and a second constable’s presence was not considered necessary. Moreover it was thought he might do more useful work at Princetown.
In the trap were Sergeant Richards, a driver, and the prisoner. There was a very dense fog on the moor- They were riding along quietly between the Red Cottages at Foggintor and Merrivale Bridge, when all of a sudden about twenty men, each armed with a huge stick, sprang up from the aide of the road, knocked over the Sergeant before he had time to draw his staff, pushed the driver out of the vehicle, and marched off with their hand-cuffed comrade. The Sergeant heroically made what resistance he could, but of course he could do very little against such overwhelming numbers. When the Sergeant had got up he found that he hall been badly injured in the temple, and as his face was covered with blood the driver took him to the Princetown doctor as quickly as possible. A medical gentlemen sewed up the wound, and ordered him not to be removed for the night. P. C. Vanstone had been conveyed to the Prison Infirmary where he kept his bed until yesterday morning. Besides the oat on the temple, the Sergeant sustained several severe bruises. Supt. Mitchell, who was near Princetown at the time, soon received information of what had taken place. He surmised the direction which the assailants had taken, and at once telegraphed to all the places around, and sent out smuts in every direction.
As soon as he could collect a sufficient number of men, he sent them, with a dozen warders who had volunteered assistance to the navvies’ quarters near one of the granite quarries, where they apprehended eight navvies, at about 11 o’clock on Wednesday night. Among them was a man called Norrish, a notorious fellow and a poacher, who was charged with taking part in rescuing the prisoner, and assaulting the sergeant. The others were charged with taking part in the riotous assembly at Princetown on Tuesday evening. Two of the men were subsequently reloaded as there was not sufficient evidence to incriminate them. The others were brought to Tavistock in two conveyances, under a strong mood, which was under the command of Supt. Mitchell, starting from Princetown at about one o’clock, and reaching the police-station at three o’clock yesterday morning. As there was reason to fear that a plot existed for waylaying the party near Merrivale Bridge, the offer of some wards to accompany them two-thirds of the way to Tavistock was gladly accepted by the police, but ere the point of probable danger was reached the volunteers had dropped off one by one, until only three were left, who faithfully fulfilled their undertaking, although two of them had to be on duty in the Prison service at an early hour. These were Warders Rowe and Delany. The party of guards was thus reduced to about ten, and had a desperate attempt been made to rescue the prisoners, it might have proved successful to a certain extent.
Mr. Gunter, water bailiff, of Princetown, assisted the police throughout the day, and was one of the faithful few who did not desert them until all danger was past. The prisoner who was roomed from custody is said to be a very peculiar looking fellow. He has sore eyes,which gave rise to his nick-name, and wears ear-rings. Yesterday morning the six men were brought before the Portreeve, (Mr. J. J. Dew,) In the superintendent’s office, when the Superintendent applied for a remand. He said some of them would be charged with having taken part in • riotous assembly at Princetown on Tuesday evening, and one, if not more, with rescuing • prisoner from the sergeant, and assaulting him. There would also be a charge of assaulting warders. He asked that the prisoners might be remanded until noon on Friday, (to-day), in order that evidence might be obtained against them ; it might then be necessary to further remand the prisoners, as the constables might not be well enough to attend. The Portreeve remanded them accordingly. It is stated that P.C. Vanstone had been threatened for two or three days previous to the assault. There was considerable excitement around the Tavistock lock-up all day yesterday, and wore arrests were made.
