Street Battle.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 February 1911, Page 4

Street Battle.

9 ■ ■■ — FEROCIOUS FIGHT AMONG EMIGRANTS.

A savage affray, in which five peoplo were stabbed, took place on a. December afternoon among tlfe Armenian residents of an emigrants' lodging house in Liverpool. The fight culminated in a burst of ferocity in the street, when tho forty men engaged used as weapons everything thai to hand, and so "battered each other, that by the time the police arrived he majority wore practically helpless. The contestants are said to belong to a secret society, > and are emigrants on their wa.y to New York, •having been detained, here at the instance ol ! the Board of Trade medical officers.

The real origin of the row is obscure, but money matters are believed to bo involved. About throe o'clock in the morning howls, shrieks, yells and the sounds of com bat were heard within .he lodginghouse, and soon three of the emigrants were _ huddled out into the street. Policemen arrived and quelled the uproar, but the quarrel only smouldered. In tlis afternoon a furious gang of strugg'ng men suddenly rushed from thV !>ack door of the lodging-house, :tn:l a Un-go crowd gathered to watch a battle which raged up and do.vn the narrow street.

Knives were thrown, an 1 in 'tddition chunks of wood, bucj-rs, ]• nosers torn off doors, and portions of dismembered furniture we' , ) userl us weapons. One man fovo o(7 a fnll pipe from the side of a house ,ind Ifirl about him with it Artmhr did a good deal of damage with • sine bath.

At first two of the Admenhns were holding out against all the rest, but after about fwentv minutes bad elapsed roinforoeme its arrived foi the weaker party, ind the fight went on with renewed vigour. When ultimately, tho police arrived, the combatants \v<!re so exhausted that it was easy to effect peace. Five men wore romoved to the hospital, where one man now lies ■seriously injured. Twenty others were taken to the police .station.