DISGRACEFUL DISTURBANCE NEAR SYDNEY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1308, 26 February 1885, Page 3

DISGRACEFUL DISTURBANCE NEAR SYDNEY.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph reports an extraordinary disturbance which occurred at one of the Sydney watering places, Bondi, on Boxing Day. During a dance in the Pacific Pavilion at that place, some of those present became noisy, and " the master of ceremonies " immediately called Constables Stowe, Grey, and Stapleton, who were on duty at the place, and they endeavored to eject some of the unruly ones. The latter resisted, and being joined by their friends, a/raoas occurred between them and the police. 1 he latter began to use their batons, and the larrikins and their friends rushed outside the pavilion, some of them arming them.

selves with palings and batons, while others began to pelt stones through the doors and windows, notwithstanding; that the room was nearly filled with men, women and children. At one time there must have been fully 50 infuriated scoundrels surrounding the pavilion, and the crashing of glass and the screams of the women made the scene a fearful one while it lasted. The constables who were inside all the time, escaped over the back balcony, which overhangs a steep cliff. As soon as the larrikins saw them running away they gave chase and pelted them with stones. All the policemen were hit, Grey and Stowe being severely wounded about the head. About a dozen of the larrikins overtook Stowe, and knocked him down on the edge of the precipice. They then beat him with battens, and threw several large pieces of rock on him, some of them shouting out ' Throw him over the rocks.' A civilian, who was standing by, in a most courageous manner went to his assistance, and he was immediately knocked down with the battens and severely beaten. Grey and Stapleton escaped almost by a miracle along a path which runs round the top of the rocks, and found shelter in some houses a few hundred yards away. Having broken nearly every window in the pavilion, and nearly frightened the life out of all the women, the larrikins began to realise the seriousness of the offence they had committed, and a number of them jumped on some parcel-delivery vans, by which they had come to the scene, and drove off, while the remainder slunk away across the bush. During the melee there was a stampede of the picnickers, and the women and children were flying up the road like a flock of frightened sheep. Several of the bystanders picked up Constable Stowe in an almost insensible condition, and conveyed him to the hotel, where his wounds were temporarily dressed, and he was driven to the hospital in a parcels-delivery van. It was reported that the same gang which assaulted the police were waiting up Waverly road to catch them again, and a large crowd of young men, in response to an appeal from a quarryman, manfully escorted the wounded constable and civilians as far as Waverly. A body of police arrived at Bondi to inquire into the'matter, about 4 o'clock, and elicited such information as will probably lead to the arrest of tlie cowardly scoundrels who perpetrated the outrage, Though the constables fled from the building, they are hardly to be blamed for the action, as their presence there endangered the lives of several hundred men, women, and children who were beseiged with them, and they could do nothing to quell the disturbance in the position in which they weie situated."