37
625
Madame Reau states:-
On the 8th.March I went to a shop in the queens Road.
I asked for a piece of grasseloth. They brought me a whole
piece and wanted to sell it all. Then I said I only wanted a
few yards. Then I took some cloth which I thought was grass
eloth. I paid for it and took it home. A few days afterwards
I shewed it to my tailor who told me it was not grasscloth. I
went back to the shop on the 14th, and asked them to change it
or for a refund of the difference between what I had paid and
the real value. The Chinese said he could not change it or
give back my money. Then my husband said they were cheaters
and that he would make the fact public. Then a chinaman came
from the back of the shop and gave my husband a severe blow.
My husband put up his stick to defend himself. The Chinaman
took it away from him and broke it across his own knee. Again
the Chinaman rushed at my husband and five others came with
him and they all fought together. At that time the big
Chinaman who first attacked my husband went and broke in the
corner of the shop two show cases. From the beginning I tried
to interfere with the Chinaman but they shoved me along and pushed me away. I tried to cry for help but a Chinese held me by the wrist for about three minutes. At last I was set free and I called for the police about ten times. None came. Then a
Chinese went to the door and whistled and an Indian constable
arrived. A Chinaman was holding my husband by the throat at
the time and pushing him against the wall. Then the Indian
eonstable elutched my husband by the collar. A few minutes
afterwards an English constable entered. I tried to explain to him but he pushed me away. The Chinese surrounded this policeman and the policeman was listening to them. Then the
European constable seized my husband by the collar. Then my husband tried to explain the matter and tried to give his card