JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

workers to unite; the march led to a riot which ended in physical injury
and death. There was no planned strategy. This can be seen from a
report of the Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands which was submitted
to the Governor in Antigua on 8 th May, 1935. The report said, It appeared
from the evidence adduced before the court that the ringleaders
started from Haynes Smith Village, which is to the immediate west of
the plantation known as “Shadwell” situate to the immediate north of
the outskirts of Basseterre. Here the crowd, which had gathered, in
numbers as they went along, met the laboures at work on this estate and
at an adjoining estate known as “Stapleton” and demanded that they
should desist from work. The cane cutters were ordered to put up their
bills and to ‘fall in’ with the crowd.
The crowd continued their journey in a northerly direction to
Monkey Hill. While there the Inspector of Police, Major Duke, the Magistrate,
Mr. Bell, and several non-commissioned officers of the police
went up to the crowd and urged them to disperse. Demands were being
made for higher wages. At this time most of the crowd was armed with
sticks of more or less lethal sizes. The crowd then went on to Douglas
Estate and forced the labourers at work to desist. The same procedure
was followed at Needmust Estate. The crowd continued to grow in size,
and continued their course around the north-eastern bend of the island’s
main road, stopping at estates and compelling the labourers at
work to put down their implements and to stop work.
(photograph courtesy of the St. Christopher Heritage Society)
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