GERMAN'S SHOP WRECKED

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2348, 2 January 1915, Page 10

GERMAN'S SHOP WRECKED

GISBORNB CROWD OUT OF HAND

(By Telegraph—Press Association) Clsborne, January 1 , At about 9 p.m on Now Year's Eve a number of young men made a demonstration outsido the shop of F Wohnsiedler, a naturalised German, who conducts a pork butchery Wellaimed stones smashed tho big plateglass window The crowd gradually increased in numbers, and stones became inoro frequent until all the lrcal police were called out to keep tbo mob in order, and, Wohnsiedler closed his premises and extinguished all the lights By midnight, there were fully 2000 people surging round the shop, singing patriotic 6ongs, and the police had an unenviable time, there being several ugly rushes Stones and bottles were now being thrown in vollejs at regular intervals, and as each pane of glass went tho crowd cheered lustily, and by 1 o'clock this morning the premises weie completely wrecked, every pano of gla& in the building being smashed to splinters, While tho intoriori of the premises was also badly knocked ibont The police made no arrests, as it* was practically impossible in the dense crowd to see where the missiles camo from At one stage the Mayor, Mr 1 W Sherratt, was sent for by the pohco, . and diove up in a motor-car, and atI loinpted to address the crowd He was unable to obtain a hearing, while a volley of stones' smashed the windshjeld of the car The crowd finally dispersed about 2am The police showed gioat patience, which undoubtedly averted serious riots