Blockading a Gang of Sharpers

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 12, 12 July 1890, Page 3

Blockading a Gang of Sharpers

Beisbane, July 1. An extraordinary disturbance occurred at Bockhampton on Sunday. About twenty sharpers arrived from the South for the races early last week and they have remained there since. Oa Saturday morning two of them were gambling in an hotel with a young man, a miner, who won. They then quarrelled with him, and in the tnelee, it is alleged, took from him a gold watch and albert chain. In the evening he, in company with a friend, met the men in the street and a row ensued. The sharpers thrashed the others, but the latter returned again with other companions and beat the eharpers. A mob gathered quickly on the scene, and other sharpers came round, and a perfect riot followed. The mob hunted the sharpers all over the town, visiting hotels and other places in search of them. Finally a crowd of several hundred drove eighteen sharpeis into the Argyle hotel, and blockaded the place. The mob dispersed at about two o'clock on Sunday morning, but gathered again about seven o'clock, and maintained | a close siege until two o'clock, when all the constables in the town mustered wider Sub-Inspector Judge, and escorted the sharpers to a tender leaving to meet the steamer going north. A great disturbance followed. The police were jostled all the way to the •wharf at which the tender was lying, «ad none of the sharpers could jump on board. After a great struggle, in which many of the sharpers were severely handled, all of them were got on- board the tender, which pushed off into the stream and anchored when all the tickets were colleoted. It then left- There are said to be one or two sharpers in the town still in hiding. mob was composed of the larrikins of the town. No respectable people countenanced the disturbance. {For continuation of Reading Matter see / v fourth f age.)