The Last Thirty Years in a Mining District. By Ig,notus.
(Longmans.). —"Scotching and the Candle versus the Lamp and Trades' Unions" is the second title of this book, and as may be supposed, the old state of things is shown to be worse than that which exists at present. Among the instances of " scotching " given us we must mention the- case of the three men who went to shoot a " knobstick." The barrel of the gun burst, and wounded ono of them so severely that he could not be moved from the spot. On this the other two men resolved to put an end to him, for fear of his betraying them, and were about to do so, when he implored them to let him escape if he could, piciaising to take all the guilt on himself if he was captured. He was captured, and wits.
hung for the murder of which they had been guilty, and by which he
had suffered already. Another instance is that of a man who had_ worked in spite of the rules of his fellow-workmen, and who was seized
upon in the presence of his wife and children by some delegates and laid on a block. The delegates then took a poker and broke both his. legs, after which they retired quietly, saying that he would not require to cut coal for some little time. These two stories are perhaps the most revolting in the book, but they do not stand alone. It is unfortunate that the book should bo written in the worst of all possible styles, anit that its language should be often obscure, always inelegant, and not. always grammatical.
Previous page
