Bandaged heads and stooping shoulders of 14 Chinese who stood in the dock of No. 1 Court of the Provisional Court' on August 9, before Judge Wong and Mr. C. D. Meimhardt, Senior Consul's Deputy, bore eloquent testimony as to the severity of a factional fight which took place in Markham Road out-ide the Hong Song Cotton Mill at about six p.m, on August 8.
The accused, 13 Shantung men and one lone representative of the rival faction, the Kiangyin fraternity, were arrested by Det-Sgt. McFarlane of Gordon Road Station, and party, whilst they were endeavouring to wipe out their opponents with iron bars and hatchets, 22 of the former and two of the latter being seized by the Police after the affray. According to Det-Sgt. McFarlane, there were about 60 or 70 men engaged all told, fighting in groups of about 10. One' of the accused evidently had the lust of battle and a gleam of hatred in his eyes for, according to the Police, after he had been arrested and placed in the police cat, he immediately jumped over the other side and returned to the fray. Three of the men had been sent to hospital for treatment.
Like clan feuds and factions! fights the world over, the cause of the conflict was a simple one, the evidence of a witness proved correct. He stated that he wi employed in the mill and that fee! ing hungry asked the foreman for permission to go out and buy soma-thing to ent. He was given a pass but the gateman, a Shantung native, refused to let him pass, saying that there was no stamp on the pass.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.