The Project Gutenberg EBook of Through the Fray, by G. A. Henty

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Title: Through the Fray
A Tale of the Luddite Riots

Author: G. A. Henty

Release Date: August, 2005 [EBook #8732]
Posting Date: July 23, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THROUGH THE FRAY ***

Produced by Martin Robb

THROUGH THE FRAY

A TALE OF THE LUDDITE RIOTS

By G. A. Henty

PREFACE

My Dear Lads:

The beginning of the present century, glorious as it was for British
arms abroad, was a dark time to those who lived by their daily labor at
home. The heavy taxation entailed by the war, the injury to trade,
and the enormous prices of food, all pressed heavily upon the working
classes. The invention of improved machinery, vast as has been the
increase of trade which it has brought about, at first pressed heavily
upon the hand workers, who assigned all their distress to the new
inventions. Hence a movement arose, which did much damage and for a time
threatened to be extremely formidable. It had its ramifications through
all the manufacturing districts of England, the object being the
destruction of the machinery, and a return to the old methods of work.
The troubles which occurred in various parts of the country were known
as the Luddite Riots, and the secret body which organized them was
called King or General Lud. In the present story I have endeavored to
give you an idea of the state of things which prevailed in Yorkshire,
where, among the croppers and others employed in the woolen
manufactures, was one of the most formidable branches of the secret
association. The incidents of the murder of Mr. Horsfall and the attack
upon Mr. Cartwright's mill are strictly accurate in all their details.

In this story I have left the historical battlefields, across so many
of which I have taken you, and have endeavored to show that there are
peaceful battles to be fought and victories to be won every jot as
arduous and as difficult as those contested under arms. In "Facing
Death" my hero won such a battle. He had to fight against external
circumstances, and step by step, by perseverance, pluck, and
determin