The Tollgate Battle at Wellington.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 436, 1 April 1890, Page 2

The Tollgate Battle at Wellington.

THE NGAHAURANGA REBELS. JUSTICE IN THE MUD. [Fbway’s Post.] The township of Ngahauranga was thrown into a state of exci'ement last night by the action of a number of the residents of the district, who gave further proof of their aversion to the levying of tolls by the Hutt County Council, by demolishing for the third time the toll bars erected by that body. The news was received in town this morning with a great deal of surprise, as it was generally understood that the settlers opposed to lhe action of the Council were disposed, after tha demolition of the gates on two previous occasions during the past three weeks, to refrain from further proceedings of that nature and allow the question as to the right of the Council to levy tolls to ba fought out in a court of law. The members of the Council and its officers were of this opinion, hut in order that a check might be put upon any disturbance the sc vices of two policemen were obtained, and when Mr Damant, the Inspector of works for lhe County, returned to his home at the Hutt at 530 o'clock last night, after superintending the erection of the gates on the sites of the former structures, he felt certain that no damage would be done during the night.

About dark Mr Thomas Bould, who bad been appointed to the charge of the gate on the Ngahauranga J .hnsonville road, took up hie quarters in the tollhouse there, and Constable Murphy went on duty in the immediate vicinity. At the same time Mr John Clement took possession of the tollhouse on the Hutt road on the town side of Ngahauranga, and Constab’e Webb attended to render assistance if required. Between 9 and 10 o’clock a number of men with their faces blackened, and many of them wearing the oldest clothes it was possible to obtain, mustered in the township unknown to the police, and matched along the road to the upper tollbar. Mr Bould and Constable Murphy were both in the house, and the former was reading his instructions, which wero to collect tolls after 12 o’clock, when they heard a crash, and on looking out they found that a lamp which had been lit and placed over the door of the|building|had been sma-hed, apparently with a stone. Constable Murphy at once seized his baton and rushed out of the house, followed by Mr Bould, and encountered a crowd who numbered between 40 and 50, and were provided with saws and axes. Murphy asked them what they wanted, and some replied that they had come to

CHOP DOWN THS TOLLOATS. The constable remonstrated with them, but to no effect, and there were cries of “ Down with him," “Go for him," 4c. Mr Bould then advanced with a lantern, and directed its rays upon the crowd, but he had no sooner done this than someone knocked it out of bis hands with a stick and extinguished the light. No lanterns were carried by the invading party, probably so as to prevent Mr Bould and the constable from indentifylng them, and as both the lanterns belonging to the tollhouse had been extinguished the locality was in darkness. Murphy states that after the lights were put out a couple of men advanced to the gate, and were in the act of breaking it up when he interposed. One of these individuals (armed with an axe) threatened to chop him down if he interfered with them; and a scuffle ensuing, the axe was knocked out of the fellow’s hands. Several men thou set upon tho officer and held him down, while the others composing tho crowd devoted their attention to the gate. One post was chopped off about 15 inches above the ground, while the other was simply loosened in the earth. The mob then attacked the house, and turned it over on its side, after which the main body left tho locality, leaving four strapping follows to mount guard over the constable, who gathered from their remarks that the orowd meant to demolish the other tollbar, and he was anxious to get down and give the alarm. Murphy, however, watched his chance, and running like a deer, he managed to elude the whole gang and get down to the lower tollgate in time to be in the thick of

AKOTHEB DISTURBANCE. which commenced about a quarter to 11. Mr Clements and Constable Webb were in tho Hutt road house, when Constable Murphy came rushing in and warned them that the place was about to be attacked. Constable Webb went to the door and took down the lamp, which was hanging up, his object being to see if he could indentify any one of the crowd who had arrived in front of the building. He was at once requested, in the must peremptory tone, to " Put that light out," hut as he refused to do so he was assailed, so he states, with a shower of atones and two or three glass bottles. One of the bottles whizzed past his ear and broke against the house, while another one hit the lantern, completely smashing it. The mob then surged about him, and he was jostled by one and another in such a way that he was unable to prevent them from carrying out their intention of demolishiug the structure. After the first bottle had been thrown he produced A BXVOLVSB, the chambers of which, he says, were empty, and pointing it at the crowd he threatened to shoot lhe first man who did any damage. This threat, however, had no effect, end ths mob continue ! to carry out the work of destruction, as if a limb of the law was not present. The gate was chopped up and thrown into the sea, and after the roof of the house had been stove in, it was also placed in the water of Port Nicholson, the task of rolling it over the railway line being accomplished with little difficulty, owing to the largo numbers who were engaged in the undertaking, (Continued on fourth page.)