THE MALAY TRAGEDY IN QUEENSLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2501, 21 July 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE MALAY TRAGEDY IN QUEENSLAND.

A DEMENTED POPULACE.

Brisbane, Juno 20. A shocking tragedy occurred at Normantown on Thursday niu;ht last, when a Malay, named Sedam, murdered three white men, named John Fitzgerald, a carpenter ; Christian Meriza, a labourer ; and J. H. Davis, a carpenter. Another white man is missing. Thero was a festival among the Malays last night, and it is supposed that Sedam, with others, afterwards ran a-muck. Two of tho murdered men were found last night covered with wounds, and tbe third man with the head nearly eewerved from the trunk, and numerous other wounds. The murdered men were found lying in a tent near the town lagoon, not far from the Malay camp. The latter has long been noted for disgraceful scenes. As far as can be ascertained at present, it appears that Fitzgerald and Meriza lived together, and when attacked they had apparently tried to escape, Fitzgerald's body being found close to the tent and Meriza, ten yards away. Davis, who was living in a tent by himself, is supposed to have gone to the assistance of the others on hearing their screams, and was struck down about twenty yards from the tent. The weapons used were Malay daggers, the blades of which are about eight inches long and keen edged. The prisoner, when arrested, said that they could hang him, he did not care.

There was great excitement in Normantown on Friday and Saturday over the event, and fears were entertained that an onslaught on the Malays would be made by the white population. Lynching was freely suggested, and nearly all the coloured servants in the town were discharged. A monster meeting was held in the School of Art last night, when resolutions were passed urging the Government to immediately remove the aliens from the colony. Some of the speakers used very violent language, and during the meeting all Chinamen and other coloured men in the hall were seized, dragged out, and thrown into the street. The police were abused for not arresting all the murderer's countrymen, and at the termination of the meeting a body of men proceeded to the Courthouse to interview the Police Magistrate and Sergeant Forgusson, the latter officer being groaned at because no police were on duty at the scene of the murder. About 200 persons assembled on the river bank about midnight, and proceeded with ropes and tarred firesticks, and went to tho houses owned by aliens. Eighteen houses were razed to the ground and fired, together with furniture. The value of the property destroyed is estimated at £2000. The boats and fishing nets belonging to the aliens were also destroyed. Forty special constables wore sworn in to preserve order, but their efforts were abortive. Four more houses occupied by coloured people were burnt down on Saturday night. Some Chinese and twenty-three Malays, who were found armed were deprived of their weapons and placed on board the hulk Rapido out of harm's way. The mob were perfectly sober, but craving for revenge for the murder. On Saturday night about 150 men assembled near the wharves, where they remained until about four o'clock this morning, when they dispersed without doing any mischief All kinds of rumours were current yesterday of the alleged intention of the mob to destroy stores and buildings iu the town, and, consequently, the town was patrolled all night by a number of citizens. A number of horsemen were scouring the country Saturday and Sunday, for the purpose of bringing in all the coloured people who had fled. About thirty or forty were brought in and placed on board the hulk Rapido. One coloured man, carrying a swag, was compelled by a party of horsemen to go at a jog trot for fully three miles, and he arrived at the landing quite exhausted. Another coloured man named Allio Donnelle, a Spanish subject, who had for a long time been gaining a livelihood as a carter, was seized and placed on board the Rapido. He is married to a white woman and has three children, and his wife was so overcome that she attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself into the river. An American negro was a passenger by the Croydon conch last evening, and on the arrival of tho coach at the town landing he was 3eized and placed on board the Rapido. Among those on board are French, Spanish, and American subjects. Tho Colonial Secretary hus received a telegram from the Police Magistrate at Norrnantown which states the town was quiet on Monday. Most of the coloured people are now on board the hulk Rupido awaiting the steamer in which some of them desire to be conveyed to Thursday Island. , So far they have given no trouble."

TERRIBLE STORMS IN INDIA

Hundreds of Persons Killed.

India has been visited by a series of phenomenal storms, partaking very much of the character of the Dacca tornado. At Morndabad 150 deaths aro reported, caused chiefly by hailstones. Most of the houses were unroofed, trees were uprooted, and masses of frozen hail romaiued lying about long after the cessation of t.ho storm. Telegraphic news received from Delhi states that there has been an extraordinary hailstorm lasting about two minutes, which was virtually a shower of lumps of ice. One of the hailstones picked uu in the hospital garden weighed 1 J lb., another secured near the telegraph office was of the size of a melon, and turned the scale at 21b. At another place the Government House suffered severely, 200 panes of glass being broken by hail. I'i Lower Bengal, at R-iyebati, 20(10 huts were destroyed, while 20 persons are reported to have been killed and 200 severely injured. Telegrams have been received from numerous points containing accounts of local tornadoes. Chudressur, close to Serampore, was almost completely wrecked. The storm only lasted three minutes, its course extending for a mile and a half and its path being 300 yards wide. Its advent was preceded by a loud boomiug noise. Large boats were lifted out of the river, and in one case a small boat was blown up into a tree. Prom the official report of the Dacca tornado it appears that 118 persons were killed, excluding those drowned, and that 1,200 wounded were treated, '