MUTINOUS SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 17663, 22 February 1916, Page 6

MUTINOUS SOLDIERS

SERIOUS SYDNEY RIOTS. SHOPS AND PROPERTY LOOTED. PICKETS FIRE ON THE MOB. ONE SOLDIER KILLED; NINE WOUNDED. A DISGRACEFUL EPISODE. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. February 21. Sydney papers contain reports of a Sensational soldiers' mutiny on Monday last. Thousands of men at Casula struck against the extra time for training of one and a-half hours per day required under the new syllabus. They gathered more men from the Liverpool camp, and took charge of the trains for the city. Arriving there they broke through the railway gates, marched in an irregular line through the city looting private property, and doing serious damage to the shops on the line of route. They rifted the fruit supplies of the harrowmen. The mounted police charged them at the corner of George and Liverpool streets, and scattered the mob, but about 7 p.m. an attack was made on the Evening News Office. The windows on the ground door were smashed. Tiie crowd smashed a hotel window, and again attacked the German Club. The trouble culminated shortly before midnight at the railway station. A hand of 00. roysterers arrived with missiles, and assailed the military guard at the central station. They came on. throwing stones and bottles, and charged the platform. Seeing a number of police and pickets in a bunch they seized a fire hose, and played water on them. They were ordered to desist, but jeered and plied water harder. A shot was fired by a rioter with an automatic pistol. Two constables who endeavoured to wrest the hose from the mob failed. Two pickets fired twice. The first volley did no harm. After an interval of a few minutes the pickets fired again, and several soldiers were hit by bullets. The pickets charged with their bayonets, and when an alley-way at right angles to the station was cleared it was found that one soldier was killed, and nine soldiers and one constable were wounded. They were conveyed to the hospital. The man kfllert was Private R. J. Keefe. Sixth Light Horse. He had a bullet wound in the cheek and bayonet •wounds in the side, neck and right shoulder. He died within a few minutes Of being shot. One man. Private Body, was unconscious for 21 hours the result of a baton stroke. Two others were shot in the knee and one was shot in the head. The constable is badly but not seriously injured. Liverpool a mob of rioters took possession of the Commercial Hotel, smashed the furniture, and started a fire which was stamped out. They rushed the cellar and hauled hogsheads of beer to the street, where they were tapped. Kegs of rum and whisky were also looted. Rafferty’s hotel was also raided-. The licensee hnrricaded the premises and escaped damage except a few broken windows. The trouble seemed to have simmered down, and next day things were pretty quiet. A compulsory parade was ordered for next morning, and about 1000 men failed to attend. A large number of men were arrested *nd punished.