AFFRAY WILK ITALIANS AT

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXI, Issue 3267, 20 May 1895, Page 3

AFFRAY WILK ITALIANS AT

BUTHERGLBN. AN EXTBAOBDINABY AFFAIK. A very serious affair fcook place iv the neighbourhood of the North Prentice Mine, near Rutberglen, on Sunday evening. Jolm Hawkins 7/ had been spending the eveniDg with fire Italians, and a\[ were more or leas under the influence of liquor. A | quarrel occurred between Hawkins and one of the men. Hot words having been exchanged, Hairkins ran. away, with the rest of the party iti hot pursuit, They chased him into a house owned by a man named D.ireen, who was at home with his fataily. When tho Italians saw that Hawkins bad taken refuge, they armed themselves with heavy props, and tne>l to batter the place to pieces. Seeing that they could not attain their aim of forcing the refugee to leave, they set fire to the place, which was burnt to the ground in a very few minutes. Direen, who had a revolver in the house, fired five shots into the air, hoping to frighten the men away, but to no purpose. Hawkins, when be saw the place in flames, caught one of the children in his arms and ran outside, but was no sooner out of the burning buildiug than his purstiers were after hiaa again. They mauaged to catch him, and inflicted twru severe wounds with a stiletto, one stubbing him in the chest and another in the arm- All the men were brought up at Eutherglen in custody, and remanded for a week.