THE MAD CHINAMAN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1844, 27 August 1906, Page 3

THE MAD CHINAMAN.

Sydney, August 17. Charlie Tye, a Chinaman under the inllnence iff' religious mania, ran amurk I at L’ennant-lnlls yesterday afternoon, and murdered two hoys Gor.ton l’ettie til) and Horace (/'Toss") Aiken (Li) —with a tomahawk I Tve afterwards attacked the residence of Mr A. I- Hines in Stevens street Failing I in his endeavor to effect an entrance to the dining-room, wherein the threatened inmates had barricaded themselves, lie broke I

:o an adjoining bedroom and set lire

to the premises. He was arreste lin the room shortly afterwards. The Celestial has resided in the district for some time, nut was reguarded as a quiet, inoffensive fellow, whose peculiarities, if any, ran n the direction ot improbable religious

beliefs. At about live o’clock yesterday afternoon he made an appearance on the Thornleigh railway platform, where he approached a young man named Albert John Hockley, with the evident intention of engaging in conversation.

HOCKLEY ATTACKED.

Before Hockley could realise the in;cntions of Tye, the Chinaman sprang ipon him and aimed savage blows at his

head Hockley ducked in desperation, but received a skimming blow on the head, which cut through his hat and made a rent in liis coat in his descent. Hockley then beat a hasty retreat in the direction of Pennant hills, while the Chinaman proceeded in a north-easterly course. He subsequently turned up near the residence of Mr Hines, where he met the lad, Gordon Pettit, who was delivering

milk. It is not clear whether he had any conversation with tho lad or not. for ho was shut oft' from view by the scrub. Later on the body of the little fellow was found lying on the road, where ho had been done to death by the maddened Chinaman. There were several gaping wounds in the scull, and there was a

largo pool of blood close by. Apparently death was instantaneous.

Ha next went in th i direction of Mr Hieos’ house, where he unS the Ini Horace Henry A k.n, who wa3 delivering groceries for a Pennant Hffla storekeeper. The lad was seated in a cart, and the Chinaman was noticed by the inmate t cf Mr Hines’ residence to c mtio'Ja'y approach the cart, eoncea'iog bebisd bim tbe weapoo with whioh he hal taken tbe life of the other boy. Apparently he made some observation with'the intention of diverting the atten tion of young Aiken, for as the boy turned his bead the Chinaman immrdiaioiy sprang upon him, and dealt him a terrible blow on tho head. The lad is said to have endeavored to rnaki his fscape, running towards a wire fence, but bc-fora ho reached

it Tyo was again upon him, and rained heavy blows on him, kilting him on the

ATTACK ON MR BINES’ HOUSE.

The family of Mr Hines, noticing what bad taken place, rushed in ibo direcsioo of the cart, to. if po s’ble, rosoue the lad, but Tye came towards them in a threatening attiiud.’, ar.cl they beat a hasty relteat to tie diningroom. Ho followed them, and battered at the door, muttering th'oats meanwhile, Eoariog that be might succeed by gaining an entry, Mins Tessie Hines threw her w.ight igiinsl the door, and cs led frantica iy to tbo other members of the family to make their escapo by a window oo the opposte aide of tbo building, This they succeeded in doing, and tbo plucky girl followed almost immodiatsly after. A>l the females hastened to the residence of Mr Shields,close by (where, by the way, a weddiDg was being celebrated), and raised tbe ula m.

The mur3e:or, hearing the noise of the departing irmates, evidantly imagined that they had gone into an ad j lining room. He succeeded in bursting in the door of tbi3 room, and locked himself in there.

TBE BUILDING FIRED,

Information was tbeD conveyed to the police at Beccroft, and Constables Allen, of Hornsby, and McDonald, of Beecroft, arrived on the scene just as the flames frem forne clothes ignited by Tye shot through the window. The door was foroed, tub the Chinaman fought s ivagoly for his liberty, and in the Bcuills Constable MeDonald received several nasty blows on tho hands and one on the Bhoulder.

During the struggle the Chinaman, in language more forcible than polite, invited tbe efflears to ' Crrni on here, end I’ll well kill ’um you.” He was overpowered end liken.

HOCKLEY’S STORY Hcclrey, the mao who wbs first assau'ted, ioform’d a rrprcee'ta’.ivo of ibe Daily Telegraph that when the Chinsinin approached him there was nothing in his manner to indicate that bo had been previ.u-Iy ioterf red with, it hayi-g ten soggosted that he had b en annoyed by seme lads. Oj the contrary, he appeared to bo in his ordinary slate of mind, and he (Hockhy) was thereupon entirely thrown til his guard ; to - did he antici puto ibab after this attack ho would have pureu d his murdo'ous intentions in another direction, otherwise ha wool! have taken steps to provont such a happening. STORY OF A PLUCKY CIIRL.

Mies Etbel Hines, ono cf tho young

ladies who wiin-s-ud A'ke i’b murder, givo a lucid d eeriptirn of the aid iuoidrnt. *■ I was standing at the d -o - ,” sha si id ■> and saw 1 To<s ’ (Ho aee A ken) diivo up in tbe groeot’d cart. Ho delivered She groceries to me, a-id then as ho went to* wards ikn cirt Inuiced the Chmaman walkiDg quickly up to hue?. I a'so nut'Cid that Tye bad a tomahawk, wh ; eh he was endeavoring to eir.cea' b'.hind bis back. Then he spike to 1 lVs?,’ who was on the eart, and as tho boy loaned over ho kncck.-d him on the head and Aiken foil to tho ground. Tho lad jumped up and tried to msko his fscspe, but tho ChinamaD, who seemed to bs mad, followed him up and knocked him down ogaio, and oven after ihe lad bad fallen through the fence his assailant chopped at him, hittiog him altogether about half u doz:n times, leavir g him for dt a ). <• Then we heard him coining for us. Wc noticed ho was brandishing a tom 11" hawk, so we rushed inside and barred the door, at which he hammered fiercely. Tcssio (that’s my sister) held on to tho door, which had previously been bolted, and called to us to make an escape through tho window. She followed when the last of us had got through, /■■lithe time the Chinaman kept up an incessant banging on the door with the hatchet. He then entered a bedroom, and when lie found lie was being surrounded he locked himself in and set tire to the room, destroying all the bod clothes, and doing some pounds’ worth of damage. Yes I I think it a miracle that any of us are alive to-night. ’