ALL THE EVIDENCE OF A WILD PARTY

Chronicle (Levin), 4 November 1947, Page 7

ALL THE EVIDENCE OF A WILD PARTY

+ WELLINGTON. Nov. 3. Two voung women, a nurse and a waitrc.-is, niul iwo liremen, who were 1 i'ouncl in seamen's quarters of an over earf shii) arter it left Auckland f,OJ Wellington, wero charged in the Magistrate's Court todav with .secreting themsclven aboard the ship and going lo sea uithout authority. After hearing c\idcnce the llagistrate, IMr. II. J. Tliomjtson, dismissed the chargesagainst Ihe two women who pleaded nol guilty. The two men who pleaded guilty wero each convicted and flneo "5 lo?. or 14 days in default imniediate puynuMit. Defeudants wero .Tames McKenna. •iged 42, Wiliiam O 'Neill, aged 23 Dupline Jeun Bell, aged 23,- nurse, and .Margaret Stewart Mason, aged 22 waitress. .lolin Wiliiam Sutherland, master oi Ihe Aldingtoii Court, said there were about live dozen bottles lying aboin and a ntess of cigarette butts in the (j'uarters wherc the defeudants were found and it was obvious there had been "a wild parlv". Witness said he liad been warned by his agents in Auckland iliat girls wero in the habil oi: coming aboard ships and he had asked the wharf pohce to come aboard at itny time of the night to make a search and remove any intrudcrs. Beregaut B. J. L'usli, Wellington, said timi wlien the Aldiugton Courte arrived ! •it "Wellington he interviewed defend- I nuts. The two men had said they went j mu board for a party and went to sleej) j in the seamen's quarters and were not j oware that the slnp had sailed until | nex't morning. The two woman said I they had gone aboard with a member ! of the crew and had staved to a party. | They, too, had not known the ship had j sailed until.it was foq late to go asliore. The women 's story was not I oltbgether iucredible, the Magisfratc 1 said. For eonviction there would j have to be evidenee of intcnt but tlie ! 1 vvo women had taken no. extra elothing j with tliem and one of tliem was ex- j pected at work nest dav. "Even if j one is a ldt suspieious, Ihe story is not I nnbelievable and whatever niav be j ihought of their morals. Ihe eharges ate j »,ot proved and must he disnu5se^»,J