Post by nzbc on May 3, 2017 19:34:22 GMT 12
RIOT IN THE AVENUE
RIOT IN THE AVENUE
CHINESE LAUNDRY WINDOW
BROKEN
AN ALLEGED STONE-THROWER
ARRESTED
A: most remarkable disturbance oc---cui'red.cih the Avenue late on Saturday .-evening. ■< So.niefi.ve or six hundred peop"e were .apparently interestej:! in the nlattei:, yet, strange" to say, scarcely. one dould give a reiasonable explanatiou' of the trouble, save .that-."there was a
woman at the bottom of it." When the crowd had dispersed, and quietness (again reigned, the following facts were gleaned.
It appears that about 9.15 a customer oaKed at Wah Lee's Chinese Laundry in. tho Avenue and1 .asked for his week's
washing Though desiring above : all things to comply with his customer' 6 lequest, it was not easy of accomplish- , ment, for the simple reason .thattrouble had entered Wah Lee's domes- j ■tic circle. A lady whol resides on the ] premises had imbibed not wisely but ' too well, and as a consequence, was in ■a very pugnacious mood. Matters had not been happy during the evening, but the climax ai'rived with the advent of the customer whol wanted his starched' shirt foivSundiay. The system adopted ■ hj Chinese laundry-keepers when taking dn washing is to give the customer a ticket, the duplicate oi wh'ch is attached to the pai'-cel containing the finished, work. Without this ticket -John is helpless. ,as he is unable to \lband over the right parcel, all beicig -as' like as >peas so- far a&ouf ward appearances are concerned. And it was. this which* causetl the trouble on' SattHiday night. When the customer before mentioned presented hisi ticket, the lady, a^o befoie mentioned, grabbed and destroyed it. A rumpus naturally followed, and, other customers arriving, matters became more complicated. The t'hinamau, be'ng unable to keep back the woman, called in the ad of a brother Central, mid together they tried' to push the obilructxm'st into a back room. Tliese proceedings had. naturally attracted Gome attention, fliul soon people were florkir.g into the 'tieet opposite the laundry door. In a veiy short time there must have been almost five .hundred .people congregated in the vicnity. No one seemed to know the -tjause cf the tiouble, or, indeed, whether any trouVe existed, and for a time no harm was done. * Then a stone was
thrown through the laundry window, -and /soon" there was quite a fusilade. The window (a large one occupying the whole front of the shop) was iimnshed to -pieces. The police then arrived hi force and' stone-throwing.ceased. Later -on two nvs>:les were thrcwn, and tlie alleged thrower of one—a man named J. 33. Gunn—way .promptly iirrested -and taken to the tack-up. " The crowd still remained, however, and it was not till 12.30 that the people had dispersed. Luckily the crowd was a sober-one, otherwise a, serious, riot might have occurred. As we have said before, the real trouVe seemed to be unknown, but there was. a feeling that the Chinese required to be "dealt with," and very little incitement would have resulted In action, for which the perpetrators would (afterwards have been sorry. Gunn will} be brought -before "the ■'Court at 10.30 the morninar.
WANGANUI CHRONICLE, VOLUME L, ISSUE 12158, 7 JANUARY 1907
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19070107.2.55?query=Wah%20On%20laundry
RIOT IN THE AVENUE
CHINESE LAUNDRY WINDOW
BROKEN
AN ALLEGED STONE-THROWER
ARRESTED
A: most remarkable disturbance oc---cui'red.cih the Avenue late on Saturday .-evening. ■< So.niefi.ve or six hundred peop"e were .apparently interestej:! in the nlattei:, yet, strange" to say, scarcely. one dould give a reiasonable explanatiou' of the trouble, save .that-."there was a
woman at the bottom of it." When the crowd had dispersed, and quietness (again reigned, the following facts were gleaned.
It appears that about 9.15 a customer oaKed at Wah Lee's Chinese Laundry in. tho Avenue and1 .asked for his week's
washing Though desiring above : all things to comply with his customer' 6 lequest, it was not easy of accomplish- , ment, for the simple reason .thattrouble had entered Wah Lee's domes- j ■tic circle. A lady whol resides on the ] premises had imbibed not wisely but ' too well, and as a consequence, was in ■a very pugnacious mood. Matters had not been happy during the evening, but the climax ai'rived with the advent of the customer whol wanted his starched' shirt foivSundiay. The system adopted ■ hj Chinese laundry-keepers when taking dn washing is to give the customer a ticket, the duplicate oi wh'ch is attached to the pai'-cel containing the finished, work. Without this ticket -John is helpless. ,as he is unable to \lband over the right parcel, all beicig -as' like as >peas so- far a&ouf ward appearances are concerned. And it was. this which* causetl the trouble on' SattHiday night. When the customer before mentioned presented hisi ticket, the lady, a^o befoie mentioned, grabbed and destroyed it. A rumpus naturally followed, and, other customers arriving, matters became more complicated. The t'hinamau, be'ng unable to keep back the woman, called in the ad of a brother Central, mid together they tried' to push the obilructxm'st into a back room. Tliese proceedings had. naturally attracted Gome attention, fliul soon people were florkir.g into the 'tieet opposite the laundry door. In a veiy short time there must have been almost five .hundred .people congregated in the vicnity. No one seemed to know the -tjause cf the tiouble, or, indeed, whether any trouVe existed, and for a time no harm was done. * Then a stone was
thrown through the laundry window, -and /soon" there was quite a fusilade. The window (a large one occupying the whole front of the shop) was iimnshed to -pieces. The police then arrived hi force and' stone-throwing.ceased. Later -on two nvs>:les were thrcwn, and tlie alleged thrower of one—a man named J. 33. Gunn—way .promptly iirrested -and taken to the tack-up. " The crowd still remained, however, and it was not till 12.30 that the people had dispersed. Luckily the crowd was a sober-one, otherwise a, serious, riot might have occurred. As we have said before, the real trouVe seemed to be unknown, but there was. a feeling that the Chinese required to be "dealt with," and very little incitement would have resulted In action, for which the perpetrators would (afterwards have been sorry. Gunn will} be brought -before "the ■'Court at 10.30 the morninar.
WANGANUI CHRONICLE, VOLUME L, ISSUE 12158, 7 JANUARY 1907
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19070107.2.55?query=Wah%20On%20laundry