AN AKURA SENSATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3202, 31 May 1909, Page 5

AN AKURA SENSATION.

CHINESE AND WHITES IN i / COMBAT. ! POLICE INTERVENTION. .SOUGH'f. Yesterday afternoon the :Akura road, near to the .raU'w'ay. litie crossing; was a scene of considerable excitement. It seerr-s that a party of Masterton residents, composed'of Mr and Mrs J. O'Keefe, of: Cole street, were' proceeding along Ngamatawa road, in company, with their young daughter Kathleen, and Miss O'Keefe, the latter being, id tfje company of Mr T. Home, a recent ari rival in New Zealand, and nephew of Mr 0. Keefe. From statements givei) to the police by Mr Home it appears that as the party were'passing by the Chinese-gardens in the ,ro^d;;mentioned a dog came out of'the gardens, near by the huts in which the Chinese reside, and commenced to snarl and bark in a threatening manner, and seemed about to attack Miss O'Keefe, Mr Home then picked up a stone and aimed at the animal, but missed the dog, and instead broke a glass slat in a germinating bouse in the gardens. At once a crowd of Chinese rushed out of the premises, and made for the party, particularly for Mr Hojrne, who was seen by one of the Chinese to throw the stone: The party on the rfoad became alarmed at the fierce mani-er in which'the Chinese crowded round them, and made up the road. The Chinese 1 followed in close pursuit, and it is .alleged threw big stones at Mr Home, and attacked

him with sticks. One of'the •stones is said to have struck Miss O'Keefe, who fell in a faint by the roadside. Mr Horhe, seeing that ! he v/as the chief subject of the hostility of the Chinese, leaving his friends on the road, when Akura road was reached, arid running across: a paddock to a party 6f young men to >seek protection. The Chinese followed him, continuing to throw stones,'-one of which is said to have* struck one of the Chinese themselves.! The pursuers caught Mr Home, and handled him in such- a. rough; manner,;that a party of young men, led by a Mr 80nd,.. at:once insisted-,on/the release of: the .captiye. , . , ;i , ~

, A scene, characteristic of a Chinese fracas then ensued, the, yellow men asserting in voluble fashion that they were justified in their proceedings, and the young white man protesting strongly. . Mr o'Keefe,,who also gave assistance to his nephew, upheld the latter's statements, and the police were telephoned for.

Constables Dunn,. Townsend and Brown were smartly on the scene and when an Age reporter arrived he found these Constables severally busy in attending to the J allegations ' and

counter allegations of half a dozen Chinese and about a dozen whites, a crowd of .other spectators being' assembled round. On the ground lay a prostrate wcraan, her head supported by Mr O'Ke'efe, .while by the roadside, gazing fixedly on the ground as though waiting 1 for his' last hour ■to come*, sat a, disconsolate. .Celestial, with hia queue dangling on the ground, and his face and neck a mass of blood which streamed down from a a car' neaYihe' crown' of fris head. The investigations of the police .were,to..the., effect, stated,, and the constables decided, after they had inspected the Bcene of the disturbance, and the damage caused to the Chinese property, to alio''"' the Chinese tb proceed home. " It is likely that this morning there will be at least four of them charged with assault. ' ' '•"' ■ '■•'

Ah Lop .went out to the,scene post haste, and he told the reporter that the Chinese allege that the other party threw stones, but the statements of numerous white witnesses are to the effect that -no provocation wasgiven, ~-, ; , .

"Miss O'keefe was conveyed home in a cabj the- injured,* Chinese being able to proceed, home unassisted.