A SENSATIONAL STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12074, 18 September 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

A SENSATIONAL STORY.

TEE TENTH CONTINGENT IN A RIOT. TWO IMPERIAL SOLDIERS'REPORTED KILLED. QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT. WAJTOANtrr, September 4. S The Waimate Witness publishes an account based oh a statement of two officers of the Tenth Contingent, of a fatal bout which took place between the Imperial troops and the New Zealanders at Newcastle, just after peace was declared. The report states that ill-feeling had been running high between the Tommies and the colonials; and that the provost-marshal, dealing harshly with one New Zealander for infringing a minor service rule caused a body of New Zealanders, two or three hundred strong, to attack the Minister Fusiliers, who were acting as police in the town. The colonials used their stirrupStraps, with irons attached. The* provostmarshal then ordered a squadron of Dragoons to charge the New Zealanders, and to use the fiats of their swords. A portion of the New Zealanders got behind the blockhouse, and hurled lumps of rock at the mounted men. upon whom the New Zealanders were using their stirrup-irons with good effect. Another body, 500 strong, of colonials rushed down to help the New Zealanders, but the proceedings were then slopped by high officials arriving on the scene. Two Dragoons were killed and many injured. Tho affair so far has been hushed up. STATEMENT BY SIR J. WARD. Welltxqtok, September 4. In the House of Representatives this afl*rnoon Mr. James Allen asked Sir .). Ward if he knew anything of the assertions made in the New Zealand Times regarding rioting by New Zealand troops at Newcastle. Natal, being a statement made to the Waimate Witness by two officers of the Tenth Contingent. Sir J. "Ward, said the statement was absolutely untrue in every detail, and, tho officer who was in charge of the men had called on the newspaper to officially contradict the statement. It seems a pity that the other rumour published regarding the Australian troops .should have been sent out without confirmation. .Air. .Tames Allen urged that the names of those who made the statement should be published. Sir J. Ward said it was merely a newspaper statement, but ho would have inquiries made. ■ WHAT THE OFFICERS AND MEN SAY. CfliitsTCHUiicii, September 4. Several officers and men of. the Tenth Contingent have been interviewed regarding a fight said to have taken place at Newcastle between the New Zealanders and the regulars. They expressed the general opinion, that the facts had been greatly exaggerated. Nothing like two or three hundred New Zealanders took part, the majority of the irregulars being Australians and Canadians. Mr. Luxford, the chaplain with the South Island Battalion, states that he saw the commencement of the affray, which in its initial stages was an ordinary street- row. Bad feeling had existed between the "Tommies" and the irregulars, and unfortunately the latter hooted the "Tommies," and tin- row. which commenced in the afternoon, was renewed at night. "Ho saw the Superintendent of Police next morning, and was informed that only two Dragoons were injured, not Seriously. No one' was killed. ' Another officer stated that the row was the fault of a non-commissioned officer of the military polio?, who subsequently lost his stripes. Mr. Luxford denies that, the New Zealanders used, their stirrup-leathers with the irons attached, as they worn unmounted, and that the Dragoons charged the irregulars. VVkllingtos, September 4. j The Post, soys its. representatives have seen several officers and troopers upon the Newcastle incident. One officer declared that the behaviour of the troopers of the three latest contingents was anything but good at the close of the war. Some of the men whilst in drink created disturbances in Capetown, in Durban, and in Newcastle. " A party of our men. he said, hired all the jinrickshaws in the place and raced through the main street amid frantic noises and the firing of arms. Another officer sail! the statements published were grossly exaggerated. One trooper admitted that lie had taken part in the attack on the Fusiliers, but said the details were Inaccurate. The case as stated by him was that three Now Zealanders had been placed in a. guardhouse for ■hairing chased a Kaffir girl. Their comrades decided to rescue the prisoners, and then followed the riot. The New Zealanders did not use stirrup-irons, as thev were not then in possession of horses or saddlery. So far as the trooper was aware only one Dragoon died in the hospital as a result of wounds received. Another trooper, who was in the hospital in Newcastle at the time remembered a Fusilier being brought into the hospital suffering from injuries received m the male". None of the officers or men spoken to remember any inquiry ever taking place upon the riot, or as to the death or deaths resulting from it. New Plyjiouth. September 4. A local trooper of the Tenth Contingent confirms to some extent the Waimate Witness' story of an affray between New Zealanders and Imperial troops at Newcastle He says that one of the Imperial men was killed, and that several Now Zealanders were court-martialled and fined. CirnrsTdHURCK. September 4. At a presentation to Captain. Fisher by the I non-commissioned officers and men of " M" Squadron of the Tenth Contingent, the statements about the allowed melee, at Newcastle were given an emphatic denial. It Mas said that the relations between the '•Tommies" and the colonials had always been most Corel int. Nelson, September 4. Concerning the statement telegraphed from Waugamu_ regarding the Tenth Contingent Mm Colonist has information that a brawl did occur and one of the Ministers received a blow on the head, but ho was not believed to he seriously injured. AN AUCKLAND TROOPER'S VERSION. . On September 1 our representative made inquiries concerning the reported bout, and although unable to ascertain the names of those injured, received confirmation from several troopers interviewed. Cue of these happened to bo in the brawl and gave, a ready and feasible explanation. lie stated that while a couple of New Zealanders were chatting together at the corner of one of the main streets in New- ■ castle they were accosted by ft local Constable, who ordered one of them, whose tunic was not buttoned, to button it up. On the trooper replying that he would button it op when ho felt disposed to do so the policeman drew hi* .baton and immediately felled him to the ground. His companion at; once gate the alarm and the riot commenced, but at the time there were not it great many New Zealanders in town and matters remained in comparative quiet until evening, when, news of the trouble reached the camp of the Now Zealanders 'some three miles away from the township. No sooner did they hear something had gone wrong in town than section after section broke through the picket lines and made their way hurriedly into the township. They quickly cleared the town of police and acting-police (Minister Fusiliers), and it was during this, time that the injuries to those who hare since died were received. would not have occurred but for the high feeling that existed between the "Tommies" and the colonials, as it v.&H this that actually led up to the melee. It scorns that all along the Imperial men were jealous of the colonials, simply because; of the high rate of wages received by the latter, and the police, who were evidently in sympathy, were inclined to exceed iheir duties. Wo have been assured tWnt the New Zealander who was so severely handled and subsequently locked un was at the time conducting himself in a manner that no one could take exception to, and it was purely through the ill-treatment meted out to him that his follow troopers felt called upon to come to his rescue. STORY OF AN -WITNESS. Wellington", September 8, In the Waimate Advertiser of Saturday, Corporal George Wilson, Of- the Tenth Contingent, writes: -To commence at the, beginning. All police work in the town while the country was' under martini law was done by the " Tommies," and as the Munster Fusiliers were 4 camped near Newcastle they policed the town. Under martial law no soldier could be supplied with liquor, but certain of the Tenth were in the habit of getting civilians to procure ' the liquor, and as it was a luxury they often took too much. At times ' a man would create a disturbance in the street, and in their capacity as police the Ministers would "lumber" him. A certain class ol Tenth Contingent-era blamed the Munstow, forgetting that they were, real soldiery and could not disobey orders with impunity as irregulars often can. The, better class of the Tenth (and they were many) reoog-

nised that the ''Tommies" were only doing their duty. The method of procedure on occasions- when a. New Zealander was gaoled was for a few of the sensationloving agitator-like men to go round the camp° and harangue all hands about the " honour of New Zealand," keeping tip the good name of our country, etc., until they got a. good-sized following. These were Joined by others, who wanted to see some full, and off to the gaol the. crowd set, talking loud and long about. Tommy Atkins. About half-a-dozen such " affairs" had occurred, without the writer having gone once, and mi the evening iu question, hearing that a North Islander had that afternoon been "lagged'' for drunkenness, he made it his business to be on the road towards town. Soon a crowd gathered, and, about 120 strong, all hands set out for Newcastle gaol. On the road was a picket of 20 men, and though ordered to stop, the crowd were deaf for the time being. Past the picket .>, little way a halt was called) and all hands armed themselves with wattle or peach branches, which they broke from neighbouring trees. A selfconstituted leader told oft the crowd into fours, when it was found that they were about 70 strong, live of them being South Islanders. They marched into town in \ fours, stopping opposite Use gaol. The • prisoner was very promptly fired out into j the street, and joined the baud, speaking of his wrongs ha volubly as he could. The military (or some other sort of) ardour of the noble rescuers of the oppressed was not satisfied with so easy a victory, arid : instantly the cry was raised. "Let's raid the Hindu shops," there being quite a number of these in Newcastle. These shops proved to be closed, and the heroes straggled back to the main reef. Here an unfortunate Tommy wandered across the road, and some New Zealanders struck him on the head with a slick. He was cried to shame by the others, v. ho moved up near to the Town Hall. A big house standing back from the road next caught lie. eyes of the. men, and they got down there and demanded jewellery. They got a good deal, and then made for the post office. Here a Tommy was standing, and one colonial, who was armed with a stirrup iron, .struck him over the head. He was badly hurt, and was carried away. Word was then passed that a body of mounted troops were coming to clear the town, and the looters lefi for Fort Hey camp. Just alter they had dispersed, 10 "mounted men. with drawn swords galloped through the town, but our fellows were faded and gone. Tims ended the Newcastle affair, except that every man was debited with 7d to pay for the damage done. As regards the two wounded, men, [ was in Newcastle Hospital two days before the Tenth left Newcastle, and was told that one of the men had left there fit for duty, and the other would be out in a few days. Manata, September 8. Regard Lug Ihe Newcastle fracas, the. W'aimate Witness, in to-day's issue, stales that if the whole matter were, thoroughly sifted it would be found that there was a, connection between the Newcastle affray and the transports scandal. The Witness states that it possesses reliable evidence which shows that the troopers were bundled on to j tho transports before things were ready for j them, a consequence of what took place at | Newcastle. The men were not allowed to ' stop at Durban, and had no time to make j arrangements for their comforts before the vessel left. The result, was overcrowding. Discipline was an unknown quantity, and he insanitary arrangements caused an epidemic of sickness, and death then did its work. The paper adds editorially: "The Government can get at the facts if they wanted to by applying to the Newcastle authorities, who would supply the particulars." REPORTS CONTRADICTED. ■ MELHOt/RNE, September 9. 'aplain Coiiiis, of New Zealand, one of the recipients of the Queen's scarf, who is now in Melbourne with another New Zealand soldier. Sergeant Watts, says that the story, as given in the New Zealand press, about the melee with the Minister Fusiliers at Newcastle, in South Africa, is absolutely untrue. The disturbance Was of the most trivial character. Only three New Zealanders wen; implicated, and no one Was killed. The whole trouble was due to the action of some of tho Fusiliers. Only fifteen men took part in th" affray.' Captain Dalrymple, another New Zealander, also declares that the account is exaggerated.