I’ve been exploring the miners strike of Summer 1894 and some of the hardships and stories which came out of Blantyre during that time. This little strange story is worth telling.
On 3rd August 1894, Mr Patrick Dennis Delaney , a miner of Burnbank was up in court in Hamilton charged with a breach of the peace. Now this was an unusual breach.
Patrick had found out that a Blantyre miner John Morning, residing at Craighead Rows, Stonefield had broken the picket line and had returned to work in the mine. At a time when men were holding out from doing this even to the point of starving, the defeated actions of John Morning created a lot of anger in the district. Patrick took it upon himself to do something about it and so on the 30th July 1894, he strung up an “effigy” of John Morning outside his home, something which incited a growing crowd. The effigy was dressed in miners clothes and hat with attempts to give it a likeness to Morning.
The intention was to burn the effigy and give Mr Morning a scare when he returned from shift. Patrick Delaney successfully strung up the effigy in a high position near some gates at Craighead and the angry crowd, mostly comprising of famished and depressed miners, looked on at the effigy above, chanting for it to be lit.
However, the sheer number of people in one place soon attracted police attention and officers endeavoured to pick out Patrick as the ringleader from the crowd. Though he had not yet lit the effigy, or was seen carrying it, the Sheriff was convinced of his intention and found him guilty of a breach of peace. Sentence was 15s or 10 days imprisonment.
AI illustrates the scene for this story.
