AUSTRALIAN NEWS. HORRIBLE AFFAIR NEAR BLACKTOWN. A Settler Killed by a Chinaman Fight With Tomahawks and Pickaxes.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 289, 11 August 1888, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. HORRIBLE AFFAIR NEAR BLACKTOWN. A Settler Killed by a China man Fight With Tomahawks and Pickaxes.

A story of a terrible nature comes from the generally quiet little township of Blacktown, near Paramatta, where a terrible affray took place between au orchardis* named Morris, who lias recently arrived in the district, and a Chinaman named Hing Loong, who had been working for him. The fight culminated in the death of Morris, while his antagonist is not expected to recover. The Chinaman, who lived in a tent about fifty yards Irom Morris's house, went there with another Chinaman, and was ordered off the premises. They left, and went away apparently on very good terms. Hing Loong returned again in the afternoon, and said ifc was his birthday, and he did not intend to work that day, and demanded the wages due to him, amounting to about £4 15s. Morris offered him £5 10s, which he refused. Shortly afterwards Morris went to the tank ior some water near where the Chinaman was sitting on some logs, muttering to himself. Morris's wife observed the Chinaman come behind her husband, armed with a pick and ready to strike. Morris was in a stooping position, and the Chinaman dealt him

TWO TERRIFIC BLOWS ON THE HEAD. Moiris staggered, bub recoveiing himself, closed with his assailant, and grasped the nearest weapon, a tomahawk. A terrific struggle ensued between them ; Morris calling out to his wife—' For God's sake, l J olly, run in, I'm done for !' The Chinaman turned upon her, and as she held up her arms to defend heiself he struck her twice with the tomahawk, onceon the left arm and agaiu on her back. She ran for assistance to the nearest neighbour, Mr Richard Wall, who lives nearly half a mile distant, and who with his son at once set out) to render what assistance they could. During this interval the fight evidently recommenced between the two, and ultimately the Cirinarnan dro\ c the pick into Morris's head, who fell senseless and covered with blood. The Chinaman, however, did not escape without serious injury, for on the return of Mrs Morris with the two Walls, they caw him crawling away towards the tent. They found Morris lying face downwards in a pool of blood, with twogapingwoundsinhishead, from which blood was flowing, while his brains protruded from the back of his head. He groaned once or twice, and then died. The police shortly afterward ai'rived and arrested the Chinaman. whom they conveyed to Parramatta hospital. On examination, it was found that there were three holes in his skull, evidently caused by a tomahawk or pickaxe. He was covered with mud, having evidently crawled on his hands and knees to his tent, and the whole of his clothing was saturated with blood. At the scene of the conflict a broken swinglebar, a pickaxe, and several pieces ot wood were found

COVERED WITH BLOOD, giving evidence oE the ferocity with which the two had attacked each other. Mrs Morris is very seriously hurt, but she is not in danger. It is hardly possible that the Chinaman will recover, hi 3 wounds being of a very dangerous nature. The depositions of the Chinaman Hing Loong were taken by Mr Alban Gee, J. P. , at the hospital, when he regained consciousness, but the man refused to admit anything. He said that on Monday two other Chinamen came to see him at Morris's*, and Morris ordered them off. Next day, Loong refused to work, as he said that was his birthday. He leceived a letter and sat reading it. Morris came up and told him to go to work in the orchard. Loong refused, and said, " I won't work any moie," and claimed his wages. Mopds paid him £3 10s. The Chinaman claimed £1 6s more. An altercation ensued, and Morris took up a hoe. The Chinaman thought that he was going to be struck and seized another one. A fight then ensued, and Mrs Morris was wounded when interfering. In the Chinaman's head is a hole the size of an egg, and several pieces of his skull were taken out by Dr. Phillips. He asked for something to eat, but he is not expected to recover. Mi* Morris is said to have been of a liberal disposition, fiee, hearty, and without a scrap of niggardliness. The theory which obtains credence amongst the residents of the locality is that Ah Loong, acting in collusion with some of his compatriots, believing that the murdered man had money in his house, planned the miu'der,deemingthathe would be able to kill his master and his mistress, if necessary, and then lootthe house, which is so situated that no one could notice any disturbance. The words uttered by the Chinaman in his semi-delirium when lying in his hut after the tragedy, "Ah Sing say bill massa," give force to the theory. The story as detailed in the direct evidence at the inquest shows that a desperate struggle for life must have taken place between Morris and the Chinaman. The wounded man must have rushed into the wine cellar, which was besmeared with blood, and seized the firsfc weapon he could lay his hands on, pursued by his merciless and relentless foe. A fight then must have taken place, as both murderer and murdered were afterwards found, the one unconscious and terribly wounded and the other dead, lying in a pool of blood with gaping wounds in his head. The Chinaman &hows exbraoidinary vitality, and indeed there is a piospect of his recovery. He is under arrest at the Parramatia Hospital. At the inquest Mary Elizabeth Morris, who was terribly distressed and evidently suffering great pain, deposed that she was the widow of deceased, whose name was Samuel William Morris. He was either 49 or 50 years of age last May, and was a native of near Birmingham, England. He was a mariner and a miner and had spent a good deal of his time mining in Victoria. Between 2 and 3 o'clock the previous afternoon her husband (the deceased) went out of the house to the tank for a dipr er of water, being at the time quite well, whilst the Chinaman, who had been over three weeks in their employ, was sitting on some logs about half-a-dozen yards irorn the tank. .She did not know the Chinaman' 3 name, but it was something like Lung or Tung. She was going out of the kitchen when she saw the Chinaman strike her husband two alows on the head with a chopper. She was standing then between the kitchen and the house, and the tank was at the end of the house. The Chinaman struck her husband on the back of the head whilst he was in the act of filling the dipper from the tap in the tank. On receiving the blows her husband rushed through a gafce at the end of the passage past her and towards the winecellar, where they kept the tools, as she thought to get some weapon to defend himself. As he passed her he said, "My God, Polly, I'm done for ; run inside." As

her husband rushed pasb her she went to close the gate to shut the Chinaman out, when ho rushed through, the axe still in his hand, and struck her on the arm with it. (At this stage of the proceeding the witness swooned, but soon recovered.) The Chinaman, she continued, struck her a second blow on the back. She then ran into the back room through the house and on as fast as &he could to Mr Wall's house to get assistance, and Mr Wall and his son went as quickly as they could. She returned then to the house and remained outside until assistance arrived. Her husband and the Chinatnan never had any words whatever. The only persons on the premises were her husband, herself and the Chinaman. On Sunday morning last two other Chinamen came to the place to see the Chinaman working for them. Ono of these men spoko impudently to the deceased, who at once ordered them ofl" the premises, whoreupon the Chinaman living with thorn said to the others, " Me no wanted, you go away." They then went away with apparent reluctance. She then saw their man go along the back road and afterwards saAv that the Chinamen were at the tent, which was in the orchard. Two hours afterwards she saw the two Chinamen going away along the orchard and across the paddock. ! There was noill-feeling between deceased and the Chinaman about wages. On the Monday | morning the Chinaman came to the houso and said. "Me lato to-day, massa, mo no work to-day, me birthday." Deceased said, " How old, John ?" and the Chinaman replied, " Me twenty." Nothing more pa&sed. Her husband never gave the Chinaman any provocation. The Chinaman was working for them three weeks and two days, and was to get as wages 25s a week. He had received £3 10s. When her husband ran towards the wine cellar the Chinaman followed him, but bhe did not know what happened afterwards. Her husband was independent and lived on his means. Reginald Bowman, a legally -qualified medical practitioner, deposed that on Monday evening, shortly after 5 o'clock, ho went to the house in which the inquest was being hold. When within a milo of tho place he met a cart with two policemen taking a wounded Chinaman to the Parramatta Hospital. He examined the Chinaman and found a number of cuts on his scalp all running in a direction from the front backwards. There was one large wound about three inches loner, with the same direction and an inch Avide. He could pass three fingers several inches into the skull through this wound and could ieel it filled with broken bone. As there was no bleeding at the time, he le-covered the wounds and advised the policeman to go straight to the hospital. Witness had that day examined the bod\, of deceased after the jury had viewed it, and found it in exactly the same position as he left it bhe previous night. The body was that of a male adult, sft 4in high, apparently about 50 years of age, with reddish brown hair and reddish full beard. On examining.bhe head he found one bruise over the left cheekbone. There was a scalp wound over the left &ide of the forehead, ragged, but not penetrating the bone. Theie was a large wound above and behind the right ear three inches downwards, and the flap Gin. long— the flap turned directly backwards, showing that the blow must have been struck from the front of the man whilst standing. A piece of the skull bone was attached to the (lap leaving a hole in the skull through which the brain protruded. Either bhe axe or the tomahawk would fit into the wound. There was another deep wound at the top of the head, a little behind the centre, about the size of a crown piece and triangular in shape. This wound extended through the bone and the broad end of the pick shown in evidence fitted accurately into the wound and passed for 4in. This blow was probably struck when deceased was lying on the giound. The skull surrounding this hole was completely shattered in four directions. There was another small wound 2 inches behind the right forehead and 1J inches long, with the same direction from the forehead backwaids. The bone beneath ib was depiesFcd and fractured, and the wound might be euibed either by the axe or tomahawk. Behind the left elbow thoie was a wound penetrating the joint, which might be caused by the end of the pick. After a short retirement the jury found the following verdict :— " That the said Samuel William Morris died at Blacktowo on July 30 1888, from inquiries then and there wilfiOly, feloniously and maliciously inflicted upon him by a Chinaman then in his employ reputed to be called Ah Loong, or Hing (Joong, and they h'nd Ah Loong, or Hing (Joong, guilty of wilful murder.''