BARRIER MINING DISPUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14439, 4 February 1909, Page 7

BARRIER MINING DISPUTE

SEQUEL TO AX ASSAULT. SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT. Press Association—By Tel pgr a fill—Copyright SYDNEV, February 3. A man named Shep'ey was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, at Broken Hill for assaulting u Proprietary mino official on January 1.

After the men had received their pay oti January 4, and wero returning' from the mine ollice in gangs of livn or nix, seven or eight officials and surface foremen .-ought to pass oil' the mino by the Sulphide streetavenue, 'flu-v mvvo recognised, uid were iiiimedi.uely set upon hv the crowd, which, in a. few scconds hail completely lost ils head, liloivs were dealt out to the hapless oliieiaU. and they were subjected to the rough handling that only an angry a-ml excited crowd can give. The strange part of the whole business wss that no police were: pre.-O'.'t at the time. The crowd, therefore, had a free hand, and tlicy dealt out punishment rather severely Shortly after the disturbance, and v.liilr the crowd was eagerly awaiting the appearance of other officials from the mine, a body of police th.it had been withdrawn from the mine that morning was seen returning along Sulphide street. They were marching [our abreast, a.nd at llieir head wero Superintendent Johnson and In spoclor lioeho. Directly ihe force reached the outer limits of the crowd vigorous hooting commenced, although in the avenue free passage was readily provided. As stum as the police had pa'sod (.lie inner limits 0 f the crowd, and were approaching the picket, stones were thrown tv some men in Ihe crowd, and a, largo stone struck Superintendent. Johnson on the. b;:c!i. l-onio of the txmtabies also ieceivod blows from the falling stone-. The excitement was rapidly growing, and tho siitNifion bocoininij d°* cidully dangerous. Just at that moment' 'he superintendent gave the word which saved Iho station. "Right about v»!iivl,'' ami she police forco tiniml iiwl imirciieil hick through the crowd, ?otne of the constables witli their hands on their revolvers, ready for the word to draw them. For-tmiar-efv ihe reckless spirits in ihe crowd were awed by this demonstration, no further violence being offered. Having inarched through the crowd, tho police again faced to the right about, anil proceeded on to Ihe mine. B'ones were again thrown. but none of them found Iheir mark, and no further trouble was experienced.

During 11k* thH-.v wh'Yh took nine* when flip min? ofllmU wow* "Ivimllod" by tho crowds, a voting womn'i who was currying n baby in hor iirnis <I'<l n finicky action. Sooinjf tho .crowd bolubriuri-mt the officials rather unmercifully, the* woman, wM.h "mo«f commondahio oourairp, wonf info tho ihick of ll;o crowd at trront risk, and io!'l tho men sl.o would prt seo fhem strike thoir any more*. Thr crowd .Menpod brick on sooimr 'his ui>o\ix>c-lod champion. Thi> brief rospitc pnablcd the imich-kit-{•crod oQkinU to from i\wv «ssailTho plnokv woinnn hor«olf had a narrow pscaiv* from thrown down juul tramploil nnon. but sho cvpnitwily found lier way out of tho struggling mass.