A DANCE BROKEN UP

Shannon News, 22 March 1927, Page 1

A DANCE BROKEN UP

SEVERAL PEOPLE HUKT. STRANGE AFFRAY IN BRISBANE. SYDNEY, Feb. 22. Holliganism is rife in Brisbane if an ugly riot that took, place outsider dance hall at New Market last Friday night may be taken as an indication., "Push" outrages in Melbourne are common enough, but thi s is the-first time of recent years that anything of a similar nature has been heard-of in the northern city. Melbourne-at its worst could; have produced no, mor e violent an outrage. Shots were fired ! police were^attacked,-and a fre& fight raged outside the hall. , Police reinforcements, who were rushed >£rom rthe .cit-yvto. Newmarket, which is a suburb of Brisbane, arrived in time to prevent the affray becoming more serious, than it; was Even then, several persons- were:*so'-: verely injured, and had to be taken to hospital. . Apparently .some ~ unstated objection was taken by thehooligans to the proceedings at the hall, and the attack was prearranged ! and carried out according to some sort ;of a programme. No fewer than 150 hooligans took part in the fra». The first indication of the attack came when the fun of the danc e w-s at its height. Suddenly a bullet crashed through a window, scattering gla. sin all directions. Many women •screamed, and several fainted in' terror. Immediately the place was in an uproar, and confusion for the morn-, nt reigned. Music and dancing were at once forgotten. Fortunately most of the men in the hall kept their heads, and in the shortest possible, time all the doors and windows were closed. The shot was only a minor taste of what was to follow. ■ The, next assault ciuae when a shower of blue metal rattled on the roof, and some of th e mis.jles, including bottles, hurtl. d thiough the windows and crashed on to the floor of the hall among.the. frightened women. - A .Ferocious Onslaught. "Xn J "^e^.'nli<ah\lmi&;'nvan-y---of.-tlifi.'bold^-. er spirits from within the haM. had rushed out to join issue with the attackers, who met them with a ferocious on J aught, and for some considerable time a fh rce free fight wa s in progress outsid e the hall. Every ! variety of weapon was called into use by both the attack, rs and the-attack-id. Pieces of paling, loaded hi,-.e. kettles and revolve*s were freely u ed and a number of men weie badly injured be tore the-first lot of-po-iie 'a. lived. When one of the young m-'ii deluding the hall i-11, the hooligans did not heaiiate to use their fours on hiin. This wa- the state of affairs who' fc'--VJ;.'--\nc C: ; -cdie, (it the local police t'„-;-oi\ c&nie on to the scene, closely l'oik'.viul on horseback, by Con table J-iuriey. Thp sergeant, seeing Ui-' youth who hud lailen being.rmcrci- ■ -,?= kicked'-where he was-lyitig,-o i in-- j,. tuind, rushed to,the young man's a?-i tame. The attackers showed'no tear of the police, and. with shouts of "Kill the old for a start,".fell on o the sergeant, who is an elderly man ni'ni attempt! d to teat him in The • Jito way ns they were the un'fortun- - ate youth.