The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-05
JAPANESE ARE ALL
READY TO FIGHT
One Street In Vancouver Is
Said to Be An Arsenal
LATE FIGHT VERY SERIOUS
Outbreak Of Japanese On New Years
Day Is Considered ominous and
Further Trouble Is Feared
BY the People of City.

Portland Ore January 4-The Ore
CONAN today prints the following dis
patch from its Vancouver, B. c., cor
respondent
While at no stage did the fight between
the three city fremen and the Japanese
early New Years morning reach anything
like the dimensions of the September
riots, the incident has revived the bitter
est feeling. After the explanations and
apologies made both civic and govern
mental, Vancouver did not believe it pos
sible that an attack such as occurred
could be made. All three victims are
stlll alive. though at least two are dis
figured for life Young Frost, a fine look
ing athlete had his nose sliced off by
one of the sword-like knives of the
Japanese. The other men, though fear
fully injured, are recovering. Mcdonald
was removed to his home yesterday while
Anderson is still in the hospital with
Frost
The three men, all Canadians and for
half their lives residents of Vancouver,
were the only white participants in the
fight. They had been attending a dance
and were returning to their station when
the trouble occurred. One of the three
was undoubtedly under the influence of
liquor, but the other two were perfectly
against the glass front of the Japanese
house and then the trouble started
There were knife blades flashing every
where in the dark" said Mcdonald in
telling of the fight. 1T was no fault
of the Japanese that we were not all killed.
They tried to kill us, for We were only
three a9ainsts a score and they knew very
well that we were not armed. We sim :
ply fought back with our fists with the
blood scattering around until we were
blinded.
Frost was first knocked to the ground
and 1t was while he was helpless that
the japanese carved up his face 1t was
merely an ,ecident that they did not cut
off his head for they tried hard enough.
| broke free finally and ran toward the
alley which ends at the police station.
There | met sergeant and two officers
and went back The Japanese did not
try to Justify their presence or their
fight with knives. They simply fled"
Only four Japanese have so far been
arrested and all are held on charges
of attempted murder. The most serious
feature is that the Japanese section is
practically an armed camp against the
whites of Vancouver Two thousand men
live together there ready to resent the
slightest interference. The present in
stance is regarded as particularly fragrant
because the young men wore uniforms
with fremen's caps and for aught the
JAPANESE knew they might have been atl
lacking policemen. The correspondent
concludes
Vancouver has been a little ashamed
of herself since the night of the September
riot, but the frightful attack of New
Years morning is just now being re-
garded in some quarters as showing COM
plete justification. There is not any
particular danger of another big riot in
Vancouver except for just one thing-a
murder. That is what the authorities
are afraid Of
Last night the Vancouver trades and
labor councils discussed the Japanese
question. There was a large attendance
of laboring men. 1t was seriously pro-
posed that If there was no legal ma
chinery by which the police could go
through all the houses of Japanese town.
to search for knives and revolvers and
thoroughly disarm the Japanese, then The
laboring men should arm themselves with
revolvers for cases of emergency. The
situation is admittedly serious, in the
view of the labor men, and the asser-
ton was made that the mayor and the
civic authorities are fearful to act lest
they should offend the Japanese govern
ment or the consul The declaration was
made that Powell street is an armed
arsenal and that the Japanese are ready
to fight with knives and guns at the
slightest fprovocation or excuse.