STABBING AFFRAY

Evening Star, Issue 22618, 9 April 1937, Page 8

STABBING AFFRAY

INDIAN SEAMAN BADLY WOUNDED AFFAIR AT RAVEHSBOBRHE ANOTHER INDIAN ARRESTED As the result of a stabbing affray on board the motor vessel Olive-*' bank at Ravensbourne this morning, in which two Indian members of the crew were involved, one of the men, Jabidallee, a Mohammedan, aged about 42 years, was admitted to the Dunedin Hospital suffering from a wound about 2Jin long in the middle of the stomach, the cut reaching lightly to the liver. He was operated upon, and has been placed upon the seriously ill list, but his condition early this afternoon was reported to be satisfactory. . The Olivebank has been engaged in the discharge of phosphate at Ravensbounje, and is a motor vessel of 5,000 tons, belonging to the Bank Line Ltd., of Glasgow, Messrs Andrew Weir and Co. being the managers. She is commanded by Captain A. Niblock, of Belfast, and has been engaged in the phosphate trade for the last nine months, trading from Nauru and Ocean Islands to New Zealand and Australia, and she berthed at Ravensbourne on Wednesday, being due to leave on Tuesday on her return to the United Kingdom via Australia. Her crew consists of 14 Europeans, 17 Malayans, and 18 Indians, and it is the custom for the men of the same nationality to he employed on shifts together. No one witnessed the actual affray, which took place about 9.30, the injured man, Jabidallee, being the engine room serang, while the other man alleged to be involved in the affair was a donkeyman named Jumsbereallee, also a Mohammedan. He is 34 years of age, and both Jabidallee and Jumshereallee are * natives of Serat, near Calcutta. Shortly before the altercation is said to have taken place the bell went for the Indian members of the engine room staff to turn to after breakfast. Mr R. Reid, senior fourth engineer, was on the too engine room platform, and Mr E. Aldridge, junior third engineer, was in the engine room alleyway when their attention was attracted by a shout from the engine room. Mr Reid ran below thinking the shout came from the direction of the port.engine room bilges, but he could find nothing there. By the time Mr Aldridge got below he found the engine room serang on the main platform holding his stomach, the donkeyman being alongside. The donkeyman was immediately apprehended by the junior third engineer and brought to the chief engineer in his cabin, and later was handcuffed by the chief officer (Mr A. Bell). It is thought that the dispute took place in front of the auxiliaries in the engine room, and the injured man must have climbed a short flight of steps to have reached the place where he was found by tlie junior third engineer. No trace of blood was found near the'scene, but there were bloodstains near the top of the engine room, .caused when the injured man was being carried to the deck by the other members of the engine room crew. By this time, Jabidallee was bleeding profusely from the wound in his stomach, but he salaamed to the officers as soon as he was brought on deck, though he did not speak. The Chief Engineer (Mr Dalgleish) said that both were regarded as harmless, quiet fellows, and he had never fieard of any trouble, between them before.

According to a statement made by Jumshereallee to the police, the engine room serang owed him some money and wanted more from him. When this was refused Jumshereallee alleges that Jabidallee attacked him with an iron bar and that he defended himself. He produced to the captain and chief engineer a jack-knife, and is alleged to have said that he “ did it with that.” The police and ambulance were quickly called to the scene, and Captain Niblock voiced his appreciation to a ‘ Star ’ reporter of the promptitude with which the police ambulance and Dr Evans arrived on the scene. De-tective-sergeant Hall and Detectivesergeant Le Sueur had charge of the investigations aboard the ship within a few minutes of the affair, and they were later joined by Constable M'Whitty, of Ravensbourne.

Jumshereallee did not seem at all upset, though slightly excited when ho was seized, and he was later_ arrested and conveyed to the Dunedin Police Station. He will appear before the court to-morrow morning to face a charge of wounding with intent to commit actual bodily harm.