The Toil-Gate Trouble.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 1 April 1890, Page 2

The Toil-Gate Trouble.

THE GATES AGAIN DESTROYED. A MOB ASSAULT THE POLICEGRAVE POSITION OF AFFATRB. The Evening Press of Friday gays :— Tht toll-gates which we stated yesterday afternoon as bein>» again in course of erect'on, were again completely demolished last night by an inimence crowd of re!<idents ( of the Ngahauavnga and surrounding districts having their faces blackened and their persons otherwise disguised . The gates were erected at the same spots as previously— one on the Hutt road, 534 V.nks south o!---the bridge, and the other on the Nga-hauranga-Johnsonville road, SIS* Vnks above the bridge near the "blue gums'' — and were accompanied this time w" "i neatly built liltfe toll-houses, measuring Bft by Qffc, and the ÜBU,aJ board, ber ring the schedule of tolls to be levied.' The houses were carted to their places in sections .and put together :>ere. The gates were of massive totara, And swung on heavy posts. AU the day long a member of the police force watched jthe grouni between each gate, but I 'ere was not the slightest indicat'on given on the part ol anyone that there wou'd be auy repetition of the violence which took -place a few nights ago. It was generally thought that* violence would be abstained from, and that ihe lqga'ity. pf *■« toll would he tested 'Vis morning in a legitimate way, by someone relusing to pay when ea,lled.Tspon, At 5. 30 p, nj. the. men had finished .their work, andevery'bihg was left ready for the co^'ection o! to" 1 this morning. In order to be on the safe side, however, and to prevent if possible,' any public wanton destruction of prooerty, the Hutt County Council requested aid from the Police Department, and two members of the force, Constables Webb and Murphy, posted themselves one at each gale. Night closed in and yet nobody stirred, and the policemen began to fee 1 satisfied, that they were goinq to have a peaceful night. They were counting without their host, however. Undercunants had evidently been at work, and althou.-h everything was as silent as the grave, the hands of t!»e clook were being anxiously watched in spevet, until the preconcerted time for action had a. ived. At about 10 o'clock people began to collei , from all divectioni. and at 10. 15 a crowJ numbering c'osa upon 50 marched to the gate on the Ngahauranga-road, headed by an advance guard, who wet* well equipped with axes, saws, picks, shovels etc. !The work of demolition now commenced, the following is, the description ?4ven of the proceedings by Constable Murphy, who was posted there :— CONSTABLE MURPHY'S STATEMENT. His report is as follows: — At about . 10. 20 p. m. yesterday I was sitting in the hut with Thos, Bould, tollkeeper, when all of a sudden a volley of stoaeß struok the roof, and I heard the l*mp over the door smashed. I then ran out and iaw between 40 »nd 50 men with ates and saws round the tollhouse. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were j going to smash the gate, and that I had better keep out of the way if I did not want to get huit. They immediately began to chop up the gate. I caught two of the men who were using the ases, and a third man with an axe came up and threatened to knock me down if I interfered any more HK LIFTKD THE AXE AS BE BPOKB as if to strike me with it, but I had drawn my baton and struok him with it, making him drop the axe. The crowd then shouted " Take the baton from hirn 1" " Tie him up !" " Cut him down !" etc., and all the time kept up a chorus of yeUs and. cat sails. They rushed at me, and I finding I had to fight for my safety, met them and struck two or three of them down, but the numbers were too great, and I was overpowered. Whin they got me down they took away my baton, and five or six KBPT M* PINKED TO.THB OBOCND until the others had chopped the gates and posts down. They also upset the house down the bank into the stream. When I was allowed to get npon my feet I blew my whistle to warn Constable Webb, who was at the other pate. I was eaught at onee, and prevented from using »y whistle any more, and four men stood round me— by direction of the <nrowd— to prevent me escaping until they were ready to go too. When they began to move down the road I burst from the four men and ran to where the other gate was situated, and called out to Webb that they were coming to attack the gate where he was. The men were all disguised with ragged clothes and elouoh hats, and had their faces blackened. They all carried weapons— some sticks and others axes,- s«wfl, shovels, etc, In eongkju^riee of the disguises I, of course, could not recognise auy of them, nor could I identify any. The night waß pitchy dark. The to'! gate was chopped to pieces and the house upset. Constable Webb came ont of the hut when I called, and took the lamp which was outside the house and held it in his hand. A bottle waß thrown, which smashed the lamp. Constable Webb then struck a mateh, and 4 TOT.T.EY OK BTOJIM

rf),s then fired at us, and man*r vi them truck both of ti3i The crowd ruahad »t p Webb's gate and bustled us aw*y, when * hey chopped up both the gate and poitu . ind turned the hut into the sea. The « srowd dispersed quickly in vehiclea of all h :iuds, and we returned to the station at <j ibout 0 a.m. j CJONSTAOLE WSBB'S STATEMENT. Cforlstable Webb say-— 1 beg to report . 0 :tat at i0.40 p.m., on the above date, when in duty at the toll^ate on the Hutt-road, md as I was sitting inside the hut with the v toll-keejier (M'j Clements), I heard Con- e :(aWe Blrtrjrity M\\ out from the road that » there was a niab OUtiJdc and they had g smashed up his gate. i I CAME ODTSIDK with a l"-;ht and saw a number of men j (about 50) who called out to me to put out I niy lirfht: I reiused to do so, and they | then 1 begad td ftrrtw a volley of stones and , glass bot lies at me. 1 held irtyiaritern out in front ol me, and warned fie Cfowcl j to keep back, as I had a revolver. They 1 shouted, " Come out of that," " Put your j light out." I re/used, and they then began . to grow furious, and' . ' j WAXING THF.in AXES and other implements over their heads, shouted " chop the b — down." " split the • 1 -'ahead." One man advanced to within a i few feet of me and took deMberate aim at rue with a glass bottle. I ducked, and the • bottle sma§h;e.d against the toll-houie. After - ie the* .AU r nj«h«d around me and I ' end 1 trftlep^em Irohi me ' : WITH A BEVOLVEB I had in myhand. The weapon was un loaded, but I said it.^vas loaded. All of a I sudden a ■stone struck the lamp' in my hand and smashed, it into atoms. I^l traated into the house and t uisd- *<>.;■ re-ifj^P it, but somebody came jWld' pushed me on to my face.*, out ie men bad surrouriSlecl ihe g%U and posts and' were qhoßping them down. I .made rjMhwiO&f-fct the gate, but they /jostl^^p^p' ;_--' ■„.■ V OVJSB ME an* t¥f|^^H^pThey broke up the gatei^i^e^p^dtt^ post and chopped fie other ba threa inches from the ground. They also broke the roof off the hut, smashed th« windows, and threw it bodily into the sea. Many of the men had been drinking, and they were all disguised,: having their faces blackened, and were dressed in rags and had cloths and rags tied round their heads. Others had slouch hats on and their coat collars turned up. Nearly al' had gtick« and other weapons. As '''ey were chopping at the post A CAUT CAME ALONG with lighted lamp, and 1 rushed in amongst the crowd in -the hope of recognising someone \n :the light of the- lamps. It was impossible however, as they ail cried "Put the h-^-light out ! l{ Get that b— cart out of this !'.';, ' Doa't ahowyour faces, boya !" When Ifonndl couH do nothing more, I found Constable Murphy and we made our way to the fort, and telephoned into town, ' and returned to town at three o'clock this, morning. ,■> • '' * ; Constable Webb says that when the men began to disperse, ijuggiei, carte, spring traps iind of her conveyances suddenly ap-peared-on; the scene and drove them off in' a very, few minntea. Some went Huttwards, some up the N^ahauranga gorge, while: several came towards town. The constable was yOKTUNATE KNOUr.H, TO r^COG'XISE ONE of thte vim, having known him previously. T!»is fellow, he lays, he aaw helping to lift the gate, posts away. Conatable Webb complains muoh this mornlr>'» of a pain in the chest, where he was struck by a heavy piece of rock. He says the time he was kept at bay Jwith the crowd wa3 a very, lively one indeed, and it is a MIEACIB THVT HE ESCAPED as easily as he c* : d. Showers of bottles and atones were continually flying around his head. The extent of the damage was seen this morning. At the site of the Hutt Road gate the but, partially smashed up, was lying s few feet in the sea. The gate was entirely destroyed. One post was seen to be chopped off a few inches from the graund, and the other had been levered op. Tin board showing the schedule of toll rates waa chopped into matchwood. The whole lot, with the exception of the house, j was found along the banks of the stream running through the township. At the. upper gate the w iniows of the house was smashed,' and the house itself lying upiide down in the bed of the creek. The gat« was completely demblisihed, and the schedule board.. One . post had been chopped do\va^sr4*hfc m standing in the ground/'*. ■* .t? T.ie damage is estimated at over £50.