Riot Act

Short of high treason, the gravest form of breach of the peace known to British law is riot, a statutory offense and an indictable misdemeanor. In Jamaica last fortnight black natives employed on British plantations at 50-c- per day made efforts to obtain $1 per day such as to lay them open to the charge of riot.

"Our Sovereign Lord the King!" cried an equally black police officer, promptly reading the Riot Act to the cane-field workers, "chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to disperse themselves and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George [I] for preventing tumultuous and riotous assembles. God save the King!"

Unfortunately for themselves, the Jamaica workers did not heed, last week attacked His Majesty's dusky constabulary with sticks & stones. It was the most disorderly Jamaican occurrence since the Negro revolt of 1865. The constables opened fire, as was their duty. Result: six deaths; seven critical injuries; 43 others hospitalized; and resumption of work in the cane fields at 50-c- per day.

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