A SOUTH AFRICAN PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1130, 18 May 1911, Page 5

A SOUTH AFRICAN PROBLEM.

NATIVE ASSAULTS ON WHITE WOMEN. By TelcEi-aph—Press As6ociati-on-Copyricht (Bee. May 17, 9.30 p.m.) Cape Town, May 17. Five thousand persons were present at a demonstration at Port Elizabeth in connection with a criminal assault on a girl on a lonely road, and for which a native had been arrested. After an exciting meeting, during the courso of which numerous natives wore ejected, a resolution was enthusiastically carried urging that natives should bo prohibited from being at large at night.

A series of cases of criminal! assault, attempted crimiual assault, alld indecent assault by natives on white women has been reported during the first few days of February from different parts of South Africa. There were five cases in the "Wit\vaterirand alone. Two of those occurred on February 2. The worst was committed in broad daylight. A native felled a lady teacher cycling homeward in the suburb of Orchards, violated her, and attempted to murder hot. Ho then decamped. 3fr. Jladeley,' a member of the Labour party, on February 3 gave notice that he would ask the Government to instruct Judges to inflict the utmost legal penalty in all cases of conviction for criminal assault, whether actually carried out r only attempted. He also asked for an increase of tho police force. While it was not suggested that this epidemic was the outcome of the reprievo granted by Lord Gladstono to tho native sentenced to death for assaulting a white woman at Umtali, the fact of so ir.aiy cases occurring simultaneously and on the heels of the Umtali agitation was attracting widespread attention, .and Mr. Madeley's notice was symptomatic of the growing sentiment in favour of stern measures. This sentiment was specially apparent in Johannesburg, where public feeling on the subject was becoming strong, awl vajjne hints were being uttered of public executions by visilanco committees, though the general sentiment of the country was, as it has always been, against; lynching and other mob law methods.