The proclamation was issued after a riot last night.
A number of people were hurt including recently returned V.C.
Frederick Coppins, acting as a special mounted constable. It's hard to tell what exacly happened from reading the newspapers (also see today's Newsstand).
A
Telegram article says that he was both "
...dragged from his horse by aliens who started murderously kicking him" but two paragraphs further down "
... as he was turning, the horse stumbled and fell, throwing Coppins" and then he was beaten.
As for his condition, The Citizen reports that he is dying in hospital and that "
He was not expected to make it until morning". The Telegram is more upbeat "
Unless complications set it doctors hold out hope for his recovery".
The Citizens' Committee have this ad about Coppins in today's Telegram:
Another Special Constable injured is
T.S. Morrison of Ruby Street who is recovering in General Hospital from a gunshot wound to the leg.
The Telegram says that a man driving by Higgins and Main came across a scuffle between a crowd and constables. He pulled over and shot with the intent to stop the fight and protect the officers. Accounts say that teh fighting did stop !
One of the three '
Austrian aliens' involved in the brawl with offiers was beaten with police batons "
having his head severely damaged".
- A Telegram reader upset by 'bohunk' riots:
A school lesson on Fred Coppins' injuries can be found here in pdf. It includes excerpts from newspaper reports.
