Rifles and bayonets, pistols, bricks and stones all figured in the trouble, which recalled serious Hongkew incidents of recent years, but strangely no one was seriously injured and no shots were fired. Special precautions were taken by both the police and the Japanese authorities that night to prevent a further outbreak.
Although the Municipal Police flatly refused to utter a word in elucidation of the incident, eyewitness reports presented a reasonably clear picture of what happened and emphasized the gravity.of the situation, The trouble started shortly after 10 o'clock the previous night when of the patrol ran to the Sub-two Japanese "sailors, walking 30 Inspector and wrested the gun away Chapoo Road near the Lion Cafe, from him. A Japanese petty officer in were accosted by a Chinese woman. command of the patrol drew his and engaged in an argument with: sword, but put it back in its sheath when he found that his subordinate her. Passers-by said one of the! heeded ne. assistance.
struck the woman in. the causing her nose to bleed According to, another version a Sergeant J. W. Bellamy and two Japanese im the"crowd came up be-Chinese constables were quickly on hind Tale and seized his pistol from the scene and, according to one vec~ his holster. sion of the incident, Bellamy asked As the crowd grew more threat the sailors to accompany him to ening, the forty members of the Hongkew Station, but did not arrest patrol, in steel helmets and with them, bayonets fixed in their rifes, formed a circle around Hale and backed him According to the Japenese version, the police station, it was reported. however, the geant tried to arrest the pair' on the spot and when they eks Hit Station Foolanlt alleyway, where Japanese. sail Chinese woman late last Wednesday alleged to, have assaulted a action which was allowed, Incident which assumed treater Road, wh patrol was sent t) the scene and the patrol took the jpposedly injured sailor, Bellamy. and the two Chinese constables to the post, a crowd following.
Bellamy is understood to have convinced he drew the gun, At the patrol post Bellamy was closely questioned by the officer in charge and subsequently by a start officer of the Landing Party, while outside the crowd was swelled by cinema-goers returning from the Japanese Towa The re and three other cinemas in the neighbourhood. Tt was said that Ballamy was not allowed to telephone from the post,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.