MILITARY RIOT.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16153, 6 March 1918, Page 6

MILITARY RIOT.

"" A 10 9 : r - BATTLE AT SYDNEY RAILWAY 10 2 STATION. r m SOLDIERS VERSUS POLICE. r--12 SQ (from oub own correspondent.) j, 11 SYDNEY, February 27. j Ono night last week there was Jg riot at the Sydney Central Railwa s Station, culminating in a pitched bal S) lie between a considerable body o 3 soldiers and a force of military an ,-o civil police. No one was killed, bu h> several men v.*ere severely injured. i c- was believecr to be more than a coin cidence that the outbreak occurroi exactly two years after the great sol id diers' riot, which- ended in fatal shoot ing, of February 16th, 1916. 6 The latest not had no military o b- political significance. It was the out " come of a vendetta, as old as the wa itself, and common to ail places wlier soldiers do most congregate—the cease l- less i'cud between the soldiers and tli 4 military police. There is a big fore of military police in Sydney, keepinj r- v. ; atch constantly over festive soldier and wrongdoers in khaki, .and, o !2 course, there is everlasting war be r- tween them and the more unruly spirit: 11 among the troops. i. A train goes out from Central Sta 11 tion to Liverpool Camp every night a l. 11.JO, and it generally carries a grea in many soldiers. So the gradual gather 14 ing on the night of the trouble causes no comment. Suddenly, they former into fours, and, amid howls, shriek:: ant! catcalls, marched on to the tramway departuro platform. As thev formed into fours, they produced from their pockets, blno metal, beer bottles, and the handles of entrenching tools, showing that the demonstration was premeditated. Other soldiers poured in from all directions and joined the main body, who became more and more cxcited, singing, and making a fearful din. A great crowd of amazed civilians quick- '' ly gathered. 'ifle uproar attracted the attention of a squad of seven, military police. 3 There are generally from 25 to 30 oi them on duty at the station, but oc this occasion they were much, undei " strength. The arrival of the military i policc set a match to the tinder. The.y l wers met by the roar of 300 angrv soldiers, and n fusilade of metal and bottles. A section of the soldiers charged. 3 The crowd of civilians scattered, in a r wild panic. The screams of women, r the shouting and yelling of the soll diers, the flying missiles, created pany demoniuin. A bottle, thrown with r much purposo but poor aim, at a I policeman, hit a civilian and bowled j him over. He was severely but not 3 seriously injured. The outnumbered military police were pushed back quickly to the main \ platform', being meanwhile savagely atl tacked from three sides. The men , carried side-arms, but tho corporal in . charge would not allow them to be Y used. He pluckily endeavoured to j reason with tho rioters. Things were , going badly for them, when tlie civil 5 police intervened. ' Two constables joined the military police and tried to quieten tho soj- > diers. But it'was no use. "We'll ! kill the cold-footers," howled the mob, and the sentiment was heartily chfcer- \ ed, and tho police were shoved and jostled. , Men were striking savagely at the military police, who were beginning to be considerably knocked about, and (.he constables took prompt action. Both men drew and levelled their revolvers, and threatened to shoot unless the attacks oil the military police stopped. The business-liko appearance of the big blue revolvers, and the menacing faces behind them sent the crowds ot intoiested civilians scampering wildly for cover. They rememuered vividly the scene of two years before,' when bullets—whoso marks niav still be »een —hummed through the big station. Although there were hundreds of ioldiers, and but two revolvers, .;nc unwinking stare of the two grim muzzles had a marvellously soothing effect. The hatred of the military police was j forgotten: each man suddenly wanted to get behind another man, and rail threats from that shelter. The polic--? lost no time. Thev pounced on the two ling-leaders and rushed them e/T the station. Thereupon, the row flared up again, and, for a moment, look-<d ugly, but more police appeared and the soldiers, lacking their leaders. were driven on to the Liverpool platform, loaded into their train, and despatched into the night. The military polic?, by this time, presented a sorry appearance. They all bore, bruises and abrasions, their uniforms were torn and their faces bleeding. There :s no doubt that they were only saved from serious damage by the civil police. jhe ringleaders were ''dealt with" by the military authorities. The squad of ?nilitary police at the station is not likely to again fall below strength.