Albert George PRICE

On the night of 23 December 1905, Constable Price was patrolling Mackay's Chinatown. At 6.30pm fighting erupted between drunken island workers. Constable Price and other officers arrested some of them and then returned to Chinatown to prevent further breaches of peace, and to make enquiries about people allegedly supplying liquor to the Islanders. A man named Johannes was suspected of using his fruit shop as a cover for his sly grog trade. Police were confident they had enough evidence to arrest him so Constables Price and Cameron were sent back to Chinatown at 8.15pm to do so. On entering Johannes' shop, they found a drunk woman who seemed quite unaware of her surroundings, but there was no sign of Johannes.

Cameron went outside to wait for Johannes while Price remained in the shop. Johannes eventually arrived and was accompanied into the shop by Cameron. When Johannes would not provide sufficient answers about the drunk woman he was arrested and escorted from the building. On the footpath, Johannes told them he would go quietly. "It's all right, I'll manage him, you see where the woman is," Price told Cameron. Cameron had taken a few steps when he heard a scuffle behind him and turned to see Johannes stumble onto the street. Price yelled to Cameron "Look out, he's got a knife!" and then collapsed. He had been stabbed twice and died within minutes.

Johannes turned and confronted Cameron, swinging the knife at him. Acting Sergeant Mulvey, on his foot patrol, saw the fight and went to assist. As he approached behind Johannes, Cameron warned him of the danger, but Johannes swung around and lunged at Mulvey, stabbing him in the back. Johannes then ran off but was captured in a local hotel. Johannes was convicted of the murder of Constable Price, sentenced to death and hanged on 14 May 1906.