AH SAMshort story

▪ The St Helena Island Community ▪ www.sthelenacommunity.com.auJuly 2019

Ah SamAdministration No. 4338

The Victim: Prisoner James Cairns, serving a 3 year sentence for Forgery and Uttering.

The Accused: Ah Sam, a Chinese man serving 5 years for Burglary.

The Fight: Niggling tensions between men locked up together in the stockade was a constant problem for St Helena warders. Just after breakfast in April 1896, Ah Sam, preparing to wash his pot and cutlery suddenly threw his breakfast dishes on the ground. Before the warders could react, Ah Sam collected the knife he had discarded attacking James Cairns, stabbing him with the 4 inch blade directly into the shoulder bone. Ah Sam himself tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the knife out of the victim but couldn’t.

Aftermath.

It took three warders and a large set of blacksmith tongs to finally extricate the knife and James Cairns had a month’s stay in the prison hospital.

Ah Sam stated he did it because Cairns ‘got on to him’, and received an extra sentence of 10 years.

Both were transferred to Brisbane Gaol in April 1896.

Source: Various newspaper articles, 1896

Maurice O’Brien

Another stabbing in 1883 saw a white prisoner, Maurice O’Brien stab Chief Warder Henry Gimson in the shoulder also – with a marlin spike. Source: St Helena Depositions Book 1867 to 1887.

At the inquest, Visiting Justice Ross ordered Prisoner O’Brien to be medically examined and he was eventually transferred to Brisbane Gaol.

TELEGRAPH, BRISBANE, 14TH MAY 1896

ah sam Page 2

St Helena Depositions Book 1867 to 1887, sourced from Qld State Archives.

Consider: There are many extenuating circumstances as to why different punishments are given out for

similar crimes. Could colour and race affect the sentencing of prisoners in Colonial times?

The influx of Chinese prisoners into Australia spread fear into society of ‘an Asian Invasion.’ Chinese immigration policies were changed in 1877 to reduce the number of arrivals from China. Would this have any bearing inside a prison?

Many coloured prisoners did not have English as their first language. How might this play out in a prison situation?

How might categorizing all prisoners – Aborignal, South Sea Islander, Chinese, Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) - as ‘Coloured’ and grouping them together in work, recreation and in their cells at night, potentially cause more issues?

Consider the sources available for both of these crimes. Ascertain the validity of each.