Page:The Fremantle Wharf Crisis of 1919.djvu/18

THE WHARF CRISIS OF 1919 keeping parallel with the launch and shouting to the men on the railway bridge not to let the "scabs" pass. A squad of foot police had been despatched to the railway bridge, armed with bayonets, but they were greatly outnumbered. They sought to force the lumpers and their sympathisers from the bridge, but in the face of the hundreds of men they were powerless. Three of the constables attempted to make their way along the narrow footway, but the crowd stood its ground and jeered. The launch came abreast and was again subjected to a hail of missiles, but she passed beneath on her way to the wharf.

The men then rushed from the railway bridge and broke through the thin cordon of police guarding the eastern approaches to the wharf, and surged along towards the picking-up bureau, between "C" and "B" Sheds. The real position was not realised by the Commissioner of Police until the men had reached the western end of "C" Shed, not more than 50 yards from where the employers and other volunteers were erecting the barriers. Police were hurriedly ordered to fix bayonets and advance to meet the men, who were asked to retire. They were, however, determined not to allow the work of erecting the barricades to proceed, and it was not until the mounted men, closely followed by the foot police, began to press them closely that they slowly yielded.

THE BAYONETING OF BROWN.

The arrival of this body of men was received with jubilation by the other section being held in check by the mounted men drawn across Cliff street. From what vantage points these men could obtain they watched what was transpiring at "C" Shed. Then occurred the incident which incensed them to a degree that they no longer remained spectators only.

Here let the lumpers’ president take up the narrative in the evidence submitted by him on oath at the inquest of Thomas Charles Edwards:&mdash;

"When the police succeeded in forcing the crowd back to "C" Shed," he said, "one of my men detached himself from the others and was going towards the water front. Two policemen took hold of him to turn him round and send him back, when from my position on the cart I saw a third policeman come from the corner of 'C' Shed and seem to deliberately bayonet him. At that time I did not know who the man was, but I learned afterwards it was Brown. The latter had no arms, and when bayonetted fell down, then rose again, and holding his hip walked to  18