ATTACKED BY A MOB

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 85, 13 May 1929, Page 9

ATTACKED BY A MOB

TiMBER, STRIKE INCIDENT. NON-UNIONISTS WAYLAID. EMPLOYER FIRES REVOLVER. A mob of about 30 men made a wild attack in Balmain road, Leichhardt, Sydney, on 5Iay 2, 011 tliree motoreai's Avhieli were earrying volunteers to A\"ork at tlie tiinber yards of Bell and hraser, Liinitecl, at Rozelle. Owing to the many previous assaults on free labourers. tlie A'olunteer Avorkers emi)loyed by Bell and Fraser, Limited, have latelv been taken to ancl Irom Ayork in motor-cars. Tliree cars, two of Avhich Avere driven by Mr Simpson s son.s. Liiidsav and Raymond, and the third by Mr C. A. Cruwys garage proprietor. of Leichliardt, Avere earrying 12 A'olunteer.s to work about 7.15 a.m. AvI1e.11 tliey were ambushed at the corner of tivo strcets. A volley of bricks, stones, empty hottles, and other missiles Avas the first Avarning of the attack Avhieli the oeeupants of the cars recciA'ed. A bottle, crashing through tlie Avindscreen of the rear cnr, struck Mr Cruwys 011 the forehead and temporaril.v stunned liim. The strikors snrged forAvarcl. Mr Simpson, wlio avas in tlie first car, acted promptly. Telling liis son to stop the vehiele, hc jumpcd to the roa (1 way, pulled out a revolver, and firod t aa'o sliots over the heads of the attankers, avIio Avere Avitliin a feav fcet of the first tAA-o cars. At tho sight of tlie revolver tliev retreatcd at once. I11 less than threm minutos after the attack began a jiolice car, earrying a sergeant anfi four constahles, Aviio had been picked up 011 tlie Avay. Avas on the scene. At sight of tlie police the mob scattered, but three men Avere caught and taken to the police station. "I don't know Avhat avou11 haAre happened if T had not had a revolver with me," said Mr Simpson wlien deseribing the incident. "An assault Avas certainly iittended — tlie men ruslied ns in a hody, and the lcaders Avere within a few feet of me Avhen I fired. For a feAV snconds the situation looked very ugly.". The attack was evidently very carefullv planned. Tlie ]iolice inquiries reveal that a man was seen just before tlie attack began standing at the street intersection apparently reading a nexvspaper. When the threo cars dreAV abreast the man wavod his newspaner, and the nttnckers, wlio had been biding bebind tbe fenee of a vacant allotment, burst from cover.