THE TROUBLE IN NATAL,

Otago Witness, Issue 2715, 28 March 1906, Page 18

THE TROUBLE IN NATAL,

SUB-INSPECTOR AND TROOPER ASSEGAIED.

Recent South African papers give the following particulars of the trouble in Natal. A telegram from Maritzburg, dated February 9. states: —

The magistrate at Umgena w-ent out on Wednesday last to collect the poll tax from the chief Moeli, at Henley. While there the chief informed him that some of Ins tribe from the Richmond district were on the hill near by, armed with assegais. The magistrate ?ent up a European trooper and two of the chiefs brother* to find out if the statement was true, and they found that a pariv of 27 natives, armed as stated had collected together. The chief's brothers identified a good many of the men, and depositions were taken and warrants of arrest issued by the magistrate.

Yesterday (Thursday) a body of 24 of the Natal European police were sent out from headquarters to effect the -arrest of certain of the natives concerned on Mr H. Hoskmg's farm at Byrnetown. and on arrival two of the natives were arrested and handcuffed.

An armed body of natives thereafter approached the iiolice, and demanded ihe release of the prisoners,. A conflict between the police and natives ensued, -with the result that Sub-inspector Hunt and a trooper have been killed. Sergeant Stephens, who was with the party, was wounded, but not seriously.

A Maritzburg message of the 10th February says: —

tn connection with the Richmond affray, Sergeant Stephens, who was wounded, in the course of an intervievv with a newspaper representative, described the arrest of the natives, after which, looking round, he saw some objects moving behind a rock a little way up the hillside. He sent a trooper up to reconnoitre, and the latter found an old native dressed in a black suit, with a black hard hat on his head and a stick in his hand. He was brought down, and it was discovered that he was , lso one of the wanted natives. He wag accordingly arrested, handcuffed, and placed with the other prisoners. At that moment one of the troopers shouted out that he could see someone up

BEHIND THE ROCKS.

Sergeant Stephens, looking up, caught sight of what appeared to be a number of heads showing above the rocks, and he ordered an investigation to be made. Trooper Armstrong went tip and shouted back to the rest of the force: "Come up, there's an armed uarty here." Sub-inspec-tor Hunt left two troopers with the piisoners at the kraal, and one man at the house, and with the rest of the party climbed up the kopje, where they found an armed party numbering at that time close upon 40. natives. The ground in the vicinity was very steep. an:l covered with rocks and bouidets. The police surrounded the natives, and Mr Hunt went right in among them, and ASKED WHAT THEY MEANT

by being armed. The natives were rerv excited, and kept rushing up to several of the prisoners, nourishing their assegais the while, and saying in Kaffir: You have come for our money. You can shoot ii-- but we will not pay this money, inspector Hunt called thn interpreter for-wa-d. thinking the natives were vety rowdy and that it was impossible to get a hearing. Eventually they quietened down a little, and the sub-inspector told the interpreter to ask them if they did not think they were foolish in doing this. He askeci them to lav aside their assegais and come down the hill with him and he would speak to them. He would not speak to them so long as they were arircd in this war. Several of them yelled back in renlv : "If we put our assegais down you will make us prisoners, and we will hi»ve to work in prison." By that time it was getting close to 7 o'clock. Sergeant Stephens says that he on two or tl tee occasions attempted to dissuade Mr Hunt from continuing further, and asked him if it would not be better to retire and leave the natives till the morning, they were

AN INFERIOR FORCE

t > the nathes. and were placed amongst th.» rocks and boulders. Mr Hunt, howo\ 'i. continued talking with the natives, and e^ontllally. turning round, he ordered th<- old native who had been captured near tlu* kiial to be brought up. Tho order was obeyed. Sergeant Stephens going down himself and romovinsr the handcuffs from him and bringing him -within a short distance of the armed party. Mr Hunt ordered the interpreter to tell the old man to instruct the armed natives to put their assegais down quietly for the " inkosi." The old man commenced tpeakpg to them, but they made a rush at him, saying : "If you side with the white man yii sill kill jrp.u." Me Huni and two gr,

three of the party ran up to prevent the old man being killed. Sergeant Stephens was one of the party. Upon this the natives dragged the old Kaffir amongst them, but still he continu-ed to do his best to persuade them to put aside their assegais. They knocked him about considerably, some of them beating him with sticks. Realising the seriousness of the position, Sergeant Stephens again asked M- Hunt if it would not be

BETTER TO RETIRE. This course of action was considered the most feaaible, and a backward move was made in^ the direction of the kraal, the natives following them for a little v.ay. jeering at thorn all the tune. On arrival near the kraal Mr Hunt had another look round him, and, addressing Sergeant Stephens, said: "We v.ill take those two prisoners with us." Sergeant Stephens accordingly put the two prisoners between the two mounted men. who wero placed in the front of the party. Four police boys, who had accompanied the party, had retreated during the early parry of the conflict. The email cavalcade had not proceeded more than about 10 paces before the natives, yelling aloud, made a rush for the prisoners Turning, the members of the party drew their revolvers, but the nati."?s rushed at them, and grabbed the iwo prisoners. Sub-inspeeW Hunt. Sergeant Stephens, and oiio or two others rod? at their assailants and ordered them to release the prisoners. This thej refused to io. By this time

A GENERAL TUMULT had set in, and in the darkness and mist it was almost impossible to tell exactly what occurred during the next few minutes. Sergeant Stephens said he was unable to say whether one of the natives then struck Sub-inspector Hunt or not, but he distinctly saw one of the natives hanging on to his bridle-rein, and he assumes that the sub-inspector, eeeing his prisoner token from him by the armed natives, must have become exasperated, for after hesitating a Fecond or two. and finding the partjclosing in around him, he levelled his revolver and blew the man's brains out. No sooner was the shot fired than the natives made a detei-mined rush at the party, and coming down the slop* at a terrific pace, were upon them in a moment. Two or three young horses reared ny and dashed away with their riders. Sergeant Stephen, who* was with Mr Hunt and Trooper Hargoreaves, says they were all practically surrounded by the natives, and there was nothing for it but to draw their revolvers, which they did, emptying the content* amongst the frenzied crowd of natives. Darkness had now practically set in, and, together with the drizzling rain, it was impossible to ppp much: but Sergeant Stephens distinctly recollects seeing Trooper Arm-trong's horse rear and then go over. Before he could get to him the Kaffirs were

SWARMING ON THE TOP OP HIM, and just then Sergeant Step-ben 6 was wounded, receiving three separate stabs within a \erv short space of time. Ine blood beuan'-to flow copiously, and he hardly realised the full extent of his injuries, but, finding himself surrounded by the natice horde, and having expended all his ammunition, he saw nothing for it but to retreat. He accordingly drew off a little v.ay and rounded up his men, returning to the spot again, followed by five of the troopers. A hasty consultation was held, and sergeant Stephens asked his men what course of action they would advise. His own idea was to go for assistance. He and tw.i of his men were positive that Subinspector Hunt and Trooper Armstrong had been killed. They decided to send th= two Richmond men back to their station. v<hile he and the five other men he had picked up made for Thornville Junction.

FUNERAL OF THE VICTIMS,

Ihe funeral of Sub-inspector Hunt and Tiooper Armstrong took place this afternoon. Amongst those present were the Piemier, the Minister of Railways and Harbours, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Defence, the Treasurer, the principal Government officials, the Mayor, and representatives of all classes and institutions. The procession was headed by Perpeant major Brown and a firing party, with reversed arms, and was followed by the band of the Natal Royal Regiment. The coffins, wrapped in the Union Jack and co\ered with flowers, were borne in open hearses, and were followed by Subinspector Hunt's charger, with draped accoutrements, the Natal Police, the City Squadron of the UmvotJ Mounted Rifles, ani the geaaral public, including a strong n.uster of Oddfellows of which order Mr Hunt was a member. The bodies were interred in adjacent graves in the Church of England Cemeierv. Hunt, who had seen 17 years' service, leaves a wife and four young children. Armstrong, who was a comparatively recent KSJUit, fod no relatives ia ih§ colony..