THE RIOT IN DUNEDIN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 866, 12 July 1910, Page 5

THE RIOT IN DUNEDIN.

HOW THE CONSTABLES. FARED. SEVEEAL MEN CHARGED. (By TelCßrspb.-Press Association.) Dunedin, July 11. As tho sequel to Saturday night's disturbance four men appeared at the Police Court to-day. It appears that, on Saturday night, John Wilson was seen by Constable Sweeney in High Street about ten minutes past nine in a drunken condition, and wanting to fight in front of the Commercial Hotel. Swoeney advised him to go home, and two bystanders led him away. The constable walked on to Manse Street, and was there informed by a lady that a man in Manse Street was making use of obscene language. Sweeney then called Sergeant Ecnles, and the two found Wilson lying against this wall of a building. Sweeney arrested him for drunkenness, and proceeded to take him down High Street. At the corner of Princes Street and High Street Bccles and Sweeney attempted to get Wilson into a cab,, when another person (his brother) appeared on the scene. Owing to this man's conduct, and that of n section of tho crowd present, John Wilson began to resist violentlv.

Mi-. Bartholomew, S.M.i AVas ho very .drunk? 1 Sub-Inspector Phair: Yes,- not hclplree. but "quarrelsome" drunk. lie resisted for ten minutes, and it took the combined efforts of four men to get the two of them into hansom cab. This was the beginning of a disgraceful scene. The constables were jostled, hooted, anil yelled at, which caused Wilson to resist more violently. Something like 300 persons witnessed the affair, or took part in the jostling and yelling. Finally accused was got away to the station in a cab, the crowd meantime waiting and yelling for the policeman (Sweeney) who- had arrested him.

The magistrate! Was therti anything in the mode of the arrest to cause this? Mr. Phair: Nothing. Accused was treated an any other arrested man would have been. Had it not been for Ihe attitude of his brother, backed by a section of the public, there would have been no trouble. The ■ sub-inspector added that, before the cab left the corner, a stone was thrown through the window, find an attempt was made by another person to undo the harness of the horse. The disturbance continued for about an hour and a half in the streets, and more men would j-et appear to answer charges. The worst part of the disturbance took place shortly after ten o'olock, when a man mined John Pi-ingle was taken by Constable Sweeney for disorderly behaviour while drunk. Pringle himself gave tho police no trouble, but the crowd jostled the officers so seriously that the utmost difficulty was experienced in setting the man away. As a result of this, Charles Graham was arrested on a charge of obstructing ths police, and, later on, when Sweeney, accompanied by other members of the force, and followed by a hostile crowd, was going; down Lower High Street to the station, a fifth arrest was made, Walter Rae Rpenee being arrested on a charge of inciting persons to assault the police. The men were charged before a crowded Court this morning as under:—John Wilson, drunkenness, obscene lancuage, and resisting tho police; David Wilson, obstructing the police, obscene langurise, assaulting and resisting the police; Charles Graham, obstructing and assaulting the police; Walter Eae Spence, drunk and disorderly, and inciting to create an asMr! Irwin, who represented the Wil60ns, asked for a remand. Mr. Hay and Mr. Hanlon appeared for the other accused persons, and Mr. Hanlon announced that he would hnvo at least twenty witnesses and possibly twenty-five to call. The magistrate said that he would remand all the rases till Friday. Bail was allowed, each man in his own recognisance of JJoO, and two sureties of <£25 each.