This is the report from the Brisbane Courier dated 07 May 1888, following a riot that spread through Brisbane City on Saturday 05 May 1888.
A disgraceful feature of Saturday night’s general excitement was the damage done by a number of larrikins to the various Chinese establishments in town. It is very hard to tell how the matter originated, but it seems that there was an organised plan to inflict some amount of damage on the property of each of the Chinese shopkeepers in town.
From what can be gathered it appears that about 8 o’clock a large crowd of the roughs who usually congregate in Albert-street were excited by a dispute going on in a Chinese shop near the Exchange Hotel between a Chinaman and a boy, the cause of the row being some dispute concerning money.
After a while they set upon the unfortunate Chinaman, knocked him down and ill-used him, stealing his purse and any other movables that were handy. No police were near, and as may be supposed the Chinaman met with very little sympathy from the mob. The windows of his shop were smashed in by a shower of stones from the people on the other side of the road, and those in front then rushed the broken windows and stole everything they could lay their hands upon, some getting their fingers severely cut by the broken glass. A quantity of tobacco and cigars was stolen, together with pipes and other articles of a like nature.
Leaving the shop, the crowd congregated at the corner of Albert and Charlotte streets, where there is a Chinese boarding-house. There it seems the first idea of organising an attack upon all the Chinese establishments in town originated, for cries were raised of “Down with the Chinese” and “The Chinese must go,” followed immediately by a shower of stones upon the house, which broke panes of glass in all directions and put the un-fortunate Mongolians inside in a state of the most abject terror. Their screeching and chattering at each other only seemed to afford their persecutors material for laughter. An attack was then made upon the row of brick shops in lower Albert-street which are occupied by Chinese, but here the Chinese had taken the alarm and had put up their shutters and retired inside. A cry was then raised “Kwong Nam Tai,” and the crowd rushed up Albert-street in the direction of Queen-street, increasing in numbers at every pace.
Before reaching Queen-street, however, by some impulse the mob turned back and again paid their attention to the shop near the Exchange Hotel, throwing stones and other missiles. The most active part of the crowd consisted of about fifty, the majority of whom were youths of a very low type, apparently between the ages of 14 and 18 years. These suggested a visit to the back streets in the neighbourhood, and followed by the crowd they accordingly proceeded thither, breaking a number of fanlights in the Chinese dens in the course of their march. A return was again made to the small shop where the whole thing seems to have originated. A cry was again raised of “Kwong Nam Tai,” and the mob rushed thither, but found the place guarded by a strong body of police under Inspector Lewis.
Discovering that any hostile demonstrations there would be attended with risk to themselves the ringleaders returned to Albert-street, followed by an immense concourse of people, the majority of whom probably were moved by curiosity. They were followed this time by a number of policemen; but in the darkness in the by-streets the constables were of very little use.
At Elizabeth-street those who seemed to be the leading spirits in the matter suggested an attack upon the shop of Soy Chow Loong and Co., near the Theatre Royal. Many in the crowd had by this time provided themselves with supplies of road metal, which had been picked up in Queen and Albert streets, and a volley of heavy stones was discharged upon the place. The large plate glass windows, over 12 ft. in height, were destroyed at the first discharge, and here again a general pillage was attempted upon the goods displayed in the windows. At this juncture it was whispered that one of the Chinamen had possessed himself of a revolver, and the crowd slunk off, having stolen nothing but a few handkerchiefs, which had been pulled out by walking sticks. Prior to this one of the occupants of the shop had appeared at the window to save his property, and a large stone was thrown at him, but beyond bringing down some of the remaining portions of the plate-glass window, it did no damage.
A further assault was then made upon the shop where the disturbance originated, and several stones were thrown. The mob again went down Albert-street, stoning windows in every Chinese shop en route, besides bestowing a number of missiles upon the Chinese boarding-house before mentioned. Here, again, the cry of “Kwong Nam Tai” was raised, and a rush was made up Albei’t-street to Queen-street. Upon arriving at the establishment of Kwong Nam Tai and Co., the police were again found in strong force; but a number of missiles were thrown from the rear of the crowd, and one of the large windows was broken, besides the large lamp over the awning. Owing to the lowness of the awning the windows were in a great measure protected from injury, as was shown by the large number of stones which fell upon the roof of the veranda. The presence of the police somewhat restrained the people, and a little decided action here would probably have ended the whole matter. The police, however, simply did nothing.
Finding no further damage was likely to be attempted here, the crowd set off in the direction of George-street, with the object of stoning the Chinese shops there. Mr. T. O’Carroll, traffic inspector, who was mounted, set off in advance of the crowd and warned the China-men of the treatment they were likely to receive; but they were so paralysed with fear as to be quite unable to help themselves or to put up their shutters. They vanished at once and left everything at the mercy of the mob, which arrived in very strong force soon afterwards. The shop of Sim Wing Chong was the first to suffer, several stones being hurled through the windows. A voice in the crowd then cried out, “Come on boys, we’ve done enough here,” and a rush was made for the shop of Wai Sang Loong, nearer the railway station gates.
Here also the windows, which were of plate glass, were destroyed by three or four stones. There were two policemen present belonging to this beat, and they arrested one youth in the act of throwing a stone; but their prisoner was immediately taken from them by sympathisers. The cry was raised “Now for the Valley” and a rush was made into Roma street, and thence down Ann-street to the Valley. The lads who, as far as could be seen had done all the mischief, got well in advance of the main body and had reached the Chinese furniture manufactory, near the Excelsior Hotel, before the remainder arrived. A shower of missiles quickly destroyed a large quantity of glass, and in a few minutes a start was made for the large shop of On War Tai and Co., in Wickham-street. Here they were met by Sergeant Slattery, who did his best to prevent further mischief, but they were not to be deterred, and finding the shutters of the shop had been put up, they contented themselves with breaking some windows in the upper story.
There were no other police at hand, or numerous arrests might have been made, for few but the ringleaders, chiefly youths, now remained. A suggestion was made that they should go down and destroy the Chinese Joss house at Breakfast Creek, and this met with favour at the hands of some, but the majority thought it was too far to go. A return was then made up Wickham-street to Queen-street; but by this time the excitement seemed to have died out, and the crowd had dwindled to such an extent that there were not more than a hundred or so remaining, and these evidently thought that any further demonstration would be attended with too much personal risk to make it enjoyable.
The sight of several mounted policemen parading Queen-street had also a very soothing effect upon the mob, which continued to diminish in numbers. A few, however, went down Albert-street, and broke a lamp in one of the Chinese shops, but the police being present, the remainder of the mob finally dispersed, the streets being quiet by midnight.
The most disgraceful and cowardly part of the proceedings was an attack made upon two respectable women in Albert-street, near Queen street. These women must have been mistaken for concubines of the Chinese, for they were pushed and pushed, and even struck, the treatment being kept up until they finally took refuge in the Exchange Hotel. During the night, some windows were broken in a Chinese shop in Melbourne-street, South Brisbane.
The real cause of the demonstration is hard to tell, but it is generally believed to have been at least encouraged by persons whose social position should have placed them above such behaviour. The matter served to show the total inability of the police to cope with such emergencies; for had the mob desired to go to extremities there was nothing to prevent them so far as the authorities were concerned. Only one arrest was made, the prisoner being a man named Robert Walsh, who was taken out of the crowd in Albert-street and locked up for disorderly conduct.”
Moreton Bay and More 