TWOMEY IN COURT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 627, 4 May 1882, Page 2

TWOMEY IN COURT.

J. M. Twomey, formerly agent for the Press in Ashburton, was summoned to appear at the Timaru R. M. Cotff on Tuesday, by Mr Davidson, commission agent, on a charge of using abusive language on the ist of April last. Mr J. M. White, solicitor, of Timaru, appeared for the complainant j the newspaper man conducted his own case. Mr Davidson stated that he met defendant in Timaru on the afternoon of April ist. Defendant spoke to him about the McCaskill and Rooney case* . told him he was getting into bad odor in Temuka about it, and called him a low informer. He thereupon knocked defendant’s hat over his eyes, and when defendant took off his hat he . struck it again with his stick, and then went on his way. Cross-examined by Mr White, the prosecutor said he had \ known Twomey slightly and had never,? had any quarrel with him. The mis- ; understanding arose in consequence of the McCaskill and Rooneycase,in which prosecutor acted on instructions from Christchurch. Cross-examinedbythede-fendant, prosecutor said—l postponed ■ summoning you on this charge because . you postponed sueing me for the hat. I might or might not have summoned you if you had not summoned me; it . would have depended on your future conduct. Then Twomey got into the box to relate his version of the story, which was as follows :—He had been on friendly terras with Davidson. Meeting him in Timaru on the ist of April he said to him, “ What about the McCaskill and Rooney case?” and prosecutor replied, “ Oh, you know nothing about it.” Thereupon he (Twomey) said it was remarked that it was a mistake to arrest the men on the information of an Informer, whereupon Mr Davidson knocked his hat over his eyes, and afterwards knocked the article out of his hand with his stick. He denied having used the words attributed j to him by the prosecutor. Mr Beswick characterised the case as a very paltry one, and said he would dismiss it. Twomey put in an application for costs, but his Worship declined to accede to the request, remarking that he felt certain that Mr Davidson had received some provocation for his conduct.