DANGEROUS PRACTICAL JOKING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1015, 3 December 1883, Page 4

DANGEROUS PRACTICAL JOKING.

r _ At - the, Havelock Police Court on 1 November 22 Moses Fear, Samuel Perth McNab (solicitor), Patrick McDonough (M.D.), and William Bagnall were charged that, “on the 2nd September last they did maliciously and r-Uli lawfully administer or cause to be administered to one Charles Frederick Horton a certain noxious thing, viz., croton oil, with intent thereby to annoy the said Charles Frederick Horton.” Charles Frederick Horton : I am a ,builder residing at Havelock. Fear is ’ • licensee of the Commercial Hotel, Havelock. On September 2nd last, a Spndas T had occasion to go into the t,i,J hb!eTbetween half-past seven and eight , I saw .the accused Fear, Bagtwo men from the May, schooner, Mrs Fear, the barmaid, Mr Fear’s little boy, and some others in a room. After I had been there a few Fear proposed that we should have some egg as it was his son’s birthday. Fear repeated this three :i- 'raheW McNab said, “ Why the —— don't you shout, Fear .?’’ Fear replied, “Let some o r you beggars find the beer, and I will find the other stuff.” While the conversation was going on the accused, Bagnall, was standing m the doorway. He (Bagnall) said “Give us a bob apiece some of you and I’ll go and make it.” I .gave him a shilling, and McGlashan and McNab also gave him a shilling. Bagnall put the money on the jftble in front of Fear, and the

■ latter picked it up and put it in his * Bagnall then said “ I’ll go and make it,” and he left the room. He came back in about twenty minutes bringing two jugs ;on a tray. He supplied Fear, M‘Nab, M'Glashan, Mrs Fear and the barmaid out of one of the lugs, and he then supplied the two men "from on board the May, myself and Boyd but of the other jug. Boyd went outlof the robnvand when he returned rjfive minutes after drinking the stuff he i |said “ That egg flip has made me made of beer, eggs, sugar, gin and ginger. Bagnall served me with three glasses of the mixture from the second jug. About.five minutes after I drank & peculiar faintness came over me accompanied with a sour and scalding /fe4ih& In.-the thrpat.- I went home, 'and almost as.soon as I got there I felt -u cramps'in my stomach. This would be about ten minutes or a quarter of an . hour after I had partaken of the egg- ■’ I then had violent purging, which cdhtiriubb until five O’clock in the morning, i suffered a great deal of pai .1. About half-past' five I vomited, and ll?en, I felt better but weak. I ? knew.toe)effects of croton oil, and suspected Thad been drugged. I came into Havelock at about eight o’clock to blsfe'an - Information with the police, as I believed I had been drugged. I saw Fear standing in the road in front of his house. Fear was laughing at b'Jftie as I came up thej road. * I said

. " Fear, by Heaven, I’Jl prosecute you {<!JdSflltlris:”/ Fear said "What do you mean ?” I said " You know what I mean well enough. You drugged me last night.” As I was speaking to him I was taken bad again, arid had to return home. I was confined to my house Ume, and for four days I was unable to attend to my work or busines-. There is only one doctor in Havelock, Dr McDonough, : I did not call him. He is one of the defendants. . 1 was asked to,.call the doctor, but I saw* 1 1 1 won't',* as I had heard Mr

McNab had been in the doctor’s room

on the previous day. I did not think it, bu'F Tknew he was a friend of McNab’s, and would not tell me if McNab had taken the croton oil. I met the doctor later in the evening and said, “Have you supplied McNab with any croton oil ?” He replied, “ No.” T asked again, ,* Have you missed any out of your and he said “No.” Dr McDonough, about a fortnight after drops of croton oil, and that if Fear had given me what he (the doctor) intended it would not have done me any harm, but would have done me good. He said, “You probably had more thsa‘a third of it. Fear ought to get ilwelve months for it.” The doctor also .me; he’ought not to have had anything it; ,1 have had a conversation with McNab. He said, “I’m —— sorry you got it,' old fellow, and I £0 Apologise: .; I'chhhot do anything fairer than that.” The accused Fear has

asked me on two occasions to let the

.matter drop. I sent fpr.him one day ■' &n& ‘feard/ '“Fear, I have made up niy~mind,to drop it, if you will,pay Lio 1 6 thVparsbnagd Fundi” He sent to me to say he would, and then refused. About a fortnight ago, the day before

u the last case was heard. Fear proposed - ---to give-me Lio as at first, and to pay •all my expenses if I : would withdraw

the case and I agreed, with the sanction of the Bench and the police,; to dp so. y,. A .promissorynote for L 25 was made out*and given to me. After the Bench

refused to allow the case to be -with ,X destroyed the promissory note.

Alexander Hill: lam a miner at the diggings. I was manager " ! f the?'Muonic Hotel, Havelock, on ■ I remember Fear " f coming to the hotel. He came into . , thjJi parlor or bar and addressed Dr i?.r McDonough, who was in the room. }He r dslced him if he had anything to ~:>d o's6! s otne fellows with. Fear said, “I ; Waht’ !> sdniething to make the

sick.” The doctor replied, “ I will you a dose of croton oil for . , twelve.” He said, “You had better < >. send for It.”' . Fear asked him how hf sfihtach'it^would be, and the doctor said , mmjj-gf wbulfl 'hot ■ charge. McNab, who mu s . Resent; vblunteered to go for it. „„ ri £he dpctpr went ,away, , and: McNab I‘‘*. him. McNab returned belßo:rttw<e«diS:an’d.6 p.m., and came into the room. He sat down on a couch and btdiijjfaduced h bottle from hispocket. It seShlfcd'fcill pfs'ome liquid., He said in : "’“.This' is the stuff for V 1 1 =’ He‘ then went across to Fear’s 4,have had a conversation with ' - - Dr ■ McDon ough. He said he must have been drunlc„ot he would not have given croton oil ? to Fear. McNab said if the case came into Court hewould : .gpwn .through it, I •had had the beer on. draught for some

time whence I supplied Bagnall for Fear. None of those who partook of >yui.4f&&id i rt had* disagreed with them. I was manager of the opposite hotel to Fear at the time, but I was not anxious to g*t license. W* a

Charles Tee : I am a settler at 'Kap' tuna. I was in Hili’s hotel once on a Sunday while he was keeping it early in September. I remember Fear coming in and addressing McDonough, fie asked him if he had got any croton oil. I was not paying very much attention to the conversation. I remember the doctor saying “ If this stuff is used for a less number than you ask for it will have an injurious effect.” McNab was present. McDonough was going away, when Fear said, “You will send me that down, doctor,” and McNab said “ I am going up and I will bring it down.” Edward Kierman : MuNab never spoke to me. I heard him say that there was no case against Fear, and if the case came into Court ho should say the doctor gave him the stuff to be used for a practical joke. The following statement is the one made by me to Constable Hambling : —“Mr McNab stated in my presence that Dr McDonough supplied him with croton oil for the purpose of adulterating liquor to be supplied to certain parties who would meet at the Commercial Hotel, he having been present when such was administered, and Fear was not in receipt of the same.” Mr Rogers, in addressing the Court on behalf of his clients, ridiculed the idea of Horton having been so bad as he stated, when he had a doctor living within fifty feet of him and did not send for him.

Mr McNab said there could be no doubt oty Horton suffering that night. He had partaken of a mixture, and what was that mix'ure? Hot beer, sugar, eggs, ginger, and gin; and, after four glasses of that, what else could he expect ? Were the four of them to be sent for trial because Horton had guzzled too much of the mix.ure ? The whole case had been set on foot by Hill, who was anxious to get Fear’s hotel. The four defendants have been committed for trial.