An interesting story from Saturday 25th March 1893 when a large commotion took place on Glasgow Road, Blantyre.
That evening, almost 132 years ago, Police had apprehended Blantyre man Peter Haggans of Stonefield was charged with assaulting police constables on the spare ground opposite the police station (on ground which would later become Rosendale then Gavin Watson Printers). In 1893, this was spare ground and the assault of the officers took place when they tried to arrest Peter for being “a deserter from the army”.
Blantyre people were having none of it and decided to intervene even though the distance between this spare ground and the police station (then at Herbertson Street) was short.
Messrs JS Paterson and J Henderson of Stonefield decided to try to ‘rescue’ Peter from the clutches of the officers and found themselves both up on a charge of assaulting the officers too! In court the following Monday, the judge heard that Blantyre police especially in the preceding 5 weeks had been subjected to terrible assaults and abuse. The prisoner had incited the crowd that particular night to attempt the rescue and Paterson and Henderson decided to have a go.
Each of the men got 30 days in prison without option of release early.
