The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. CharringtonThorne, Guy
History
The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. Charrington
Thorne, Guy
Charrington, Fredk. N. (Frederick Nicholas), 1850-1936; Poor -- England -- London
They made a ring round Frederick Charrington, snarling like tigresses,
and using--so Mr. Charrington has told me--the most appalling and
awful language it is possible to conceive.
They told the young men from the West End that they would tear them to
pieces rather than that they should touch a single hair of Mr.
Charrington's head.
It all occurred out in the public street, and only a Zola could
describe the occurrence as it really happened. What I myself have
heard from Mr. Charrington is horrible enough. These poor women must
indeed at that moment have been inspired by something beyond their
knowledge or understanding.
There is good in all of us. The latent good in these poor creatures
was stirred into activity, and they defended the man whom they
believed was doing his best to spoil their business and ruin their
trade, with the ferocity of wolves, and the shrieking courage of the
hyena at bay.
In the result, the young aristocrats were so taken aback that they
grew pallid with shame and fear. All thoughts of aggression left them,
and they simply turned tail and fled away down the flaring
thoroughfare of the Mile End Road.
They went back to their own place and concocted a scheme together--a
scheme which was to result in the "outing" of Frederick Charrington.
They engaged several low-class pugilists, sent them down to Lusby's
Music Hall in cabs, with the direction to thrash Charrington within an
inch of his life. They were to do him all possible bodily harm which
stopped short of actually killing him, and were each promised a five
pound note for the work.
These hired bullies went into the music hall and stood at the door.
They drank sufficiently to loosen their tongues, and the manager of
the hall heard, through one of his satellites, what was on foot. The
manager, a shrewd business man, at once saw that, if these fellows
were allowed to carry out their dastardly plan, such an uprising and
stir of public opinion would take place, that the hall would be swept
out of existence. He deputed an emissary to treat these prize-fighters
with champagne. This was done with such success that they became
helpless for any evil purpose, and were put into cabs and sent back
home.
Mr. Charrington knew nothing of this organised attempt until some time
afterwards.
All these incidents made it imperative for the proprietors of the
music hall to take some action if they were to keep the place open.
The armies of Christ were at their very doors, they must needs defend
their stronghold by every means in their power.
In the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, on February 12,
1885, before Mr. Justice Chitty, the case of CROWDER _versus_
CHARRINGTON was called.
"Mr. Ince, Q.C., and Mr. Francis Turner, instructed by Messrs.
Peckham, Maitland and Peckham, appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr.
Romer, Q.C., with whom was Mr. Charles Mitchell, instructed by Messrs.
Shaen, Roscoe, Henderson and Co., appeared for the defendant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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