BEER THAT WALKED!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 294, 16 April 1941, Page 5

BEER THAT WALKED!

:— k ASSAULT IN LOCAL CAFE • I-. :• MAORIS ATTACK OWNER l"'i. j With the real villian of the piece still at large at Te Kaha, two very sober looking Maoris, ' Billy Maui and Pirini Meriitos, appeared before Messrs G. A. Brabant and L. H. Brown plead ing guilty to participation in an unprovoked assault in the Regent Cafe, on Saturday evening last. Sergeant Farrell who prosecute! stated that the Maoris were in the cafe at the time a group of Pakehas arrived. One of the latter party* had a parcel of beer which he put down by his chair. On leaving the shop the parcel was forgotten and when the owner returned shortly afterwards it was missing. The owner then accused the Maoris of the theft, and these not only denied it, but also decided to— take the matter a little further/'' with the result that Dixon, the owner of the beer, was subjecte<|£ to severe manhandling by all three of the Maoris. It was admitted however that the main assailant, was a Maori named Gage who after the deed was done, made himself scarce, and returned to his home at Te Kaha. The police were taking, steps towards his apprehension also and he would appear later. The Sergeant added that normally both men were decent hard-working citizens, and had only taken a minor part in the affair. Neither was m a position to pay a heavy fine. Both men declared that they would prefer a fine, if that waspossible to imprisonment. "Of course you know," rejoined the* Bench, "that you could be fined £10 or sentenced to six months. Under the circumstances, however, you will both be fined 30s. 1