POLICE AND JIU-JITSU.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 523, 2 June 1909, Page 5

POLICE AND JIU-JITSU.

■V'S^^Ali;^ yl : ; (OTSTABLES -BEFORE THE COmT.'.' '■-3VThe ! much-adjourned ■:.■/oases'in' which /two 1 police constables,: Johu ; ;;:/ ; :Ed^rdZW,atsonzand;^m. : ; Joseph.. Gardiner, /unlawfully;' as-/ /Rolfo'and.-Florence ■Beatrice : $-. fotfo-'canie'beforeMr!';W/G: Riddell, S.M;, :';'" again; yestoru^^aftenio6n7at, /the,:! Magis--trato's Court.\ ;..',*;;■..■'.■ Inspector Ellison conducted the case for the prosecution,\and Mr. Blair, on behalf of Mr. Wilford, appoaTed for defendants'. : ,''.;■ . Dr. Elliott stated/that'on May 10 he at-: tended Mrs. Rolfe at./College/Street. ,;Shp. had a black eye, a;cut about, an ,inch long -beneath the eye, aiidajarge bruise/on the back of the head. These were the.only; out•ward injuries. Tliowobable cause, of the injuries would'bo a blow on the eye, causing hor to fall on tho baok : of hor.head. ■ The black eye was severe,'and'must have been the .result of a violent blow/'A. / ~;.,./ The Alleged Described. , .Wm. John Rolfe, builder) stated that on Monday evening, May 10, nY,arrived at the Wellington, station at 7:15, ihd was mot by - his wife. He walked;along/ Waterloo Quay, and when opposite the Government Life Insurance Building he. saw .the .two V ; accused wrestling with another;man (Clay),;who they ' knocked, down on the road./. .Olay; walked towards the 'wharf, and^the.other tyo'.■ subse-. quontly followed liim'.;.;.':,l3iey''niii up behind brm, "pinned him up/against a. waU,'/aiid started punching him. • Witness ; went.up and said, "Leavo tho man/alpnel/ Give/him' a chancel Two of you: on/to one 'is not/fair.!' The-'men stuped then,'and Clay came v over and-shook hands, and said that he .was -a policeman, and was/going on duty. \'Clay ' then went away, and the other two oamevup and asked witness what.it had to do with: him. • He replied that ho/was an Englishman /.and'had a right to his opinion., One of the! accused then punchedat anothor . man' ,(a' 6ailor), who ran away. ;Watson ran a little, way after him and then returned "and struck witness and his wife.:, .'Mrs: Itolfe; was. knookeddown off hor legs'by the punch Wat-, son gave her. Hie screamed, and both men made off. In the meantime both accused had' struck witness, and fcut 1 him about both sides of the face. back later, arid witness wanted to give hrm in custodyj (rata policeman in uniform would 'not: take him. Later that night witness/saw Gardinor and Clay at tho police station. He had no doubt whatever about the/two,'acctised''being'theparties responsible for the"assanlti ; Mrs., Rolfe'was struck three/times, and blow lifted her completely!'off and knocked '■ her 'down.;' She was still unwell,' and had been in,the hands of the doctoivevor BinCO. ! ;; i:// : ::y '//■'///. ■■'.'■ .:'■"■'■ ■,'.•'■: ; ■ To Mr. Blair: When he had to pick the men out from about 20 he hadpickwyout one man who was not'in'the trouble'at all. Wat-, son was in the crowd,' but witness;did. not pick him. Ho had no doubt now, however, that Watson was the'man.' Very likely he put 1 a mark or two_ on Gardiner, 'He knew/he! hit him once ox twice on;the face. If iridependent witnesses were prepared to swoar that Watson had his face marked, and not Gardiner, all witness; could say-.was'that his blows could not have "marked Gardiner. Counsel: Yon started : m. to Watson?. ' : Witness: It's a Hot It's a lie! ■ Continuing, witness said that after: getting tho explanation from the three men 'that ■ thoy were mates'and only: having, a bit of: fun he did not insist oh getting'.into a fight, with Watson. Witness: suspected foul play, and ho afterwards had it .fixed' firmly in ; his mind that he had prevented foul play. ' • 1 I' --'///v. :.///•, .': .:■■■ - : -.';/ Mrs. Rolfe/s Evidence. ;, Mrs. Rolfo, who was assisted into Court oh the>rm of alady and tho Court orderly, had her head bandaged, and appeared'to be in a weak state', and had to be given'a'chair in the, witness-box.' xShe'.cofroborated the evi- : denco of her husband;'ah'd'adaed.Jhat when' t she .saw the two men'i'pin-the third man up against tho wall'she: told'' them'/ twice that they Were- cowardly •cni's'.'};;After/ the third ■. mari'-had gone one a bTdw in the eye ahd she 'screamed;';/. At 'this time the • other man was fighting-with'her, husband.. Witness bcliovcd:th'o two :accused were tho men, but she would not liko to swear to them ' as it'was so long ago now. To Mr Blair: Witness still believed she and nor husband had prevented foul play, in spite of what had transpired. After *Clay shook hands and said he was a constable going on duty she said: "That's right, my man go and do your duty." Thoy could.not net away at,once as the man kept shaking hands. A Wow on the side of tho faco from the back .as witness turned to go homo was, she believcdj the'first blow struck. -Sho screamed, bPliovmg tno blow was meant for her husband. It was a blow from the front that blocked hor down. It was struck by what she termed tho 'big man" who came up several steps to do it. , An Eye witness. Harold Wm. Hardio, telegraph messenger, stated .that on tho evening of May 10 ho got off a car in front of tho Post' Office and saw throo men who he thought -wore going to fight. One of them said to another, "I'll fight you m tho-morning.'' He knewUhe , three men as 'constables.. At tho the wall of tho wharf shed Rolfo "ISVP- 'Clay then came back, and eaid it was all, fun. later the two constables stood (in front-of tho Rolfes '■ ?W Cd ¥\ ™to?»M out of the way then, an<f when ho looked back on hearing a scream Mrs. Rolfe was on tho noun! Taylor Street, and, when ho came back, a big crowd had gathered. Gardiner also camo back and said ho ,had just got off a tram. Mrs. Rolfe wanted to give Gardiner ui charge, but a constable in uniform said it would bo alright. Frank Wallace, workshop, foreman in tho ' ??"!!' a S 6tat «d Mat ho was riding past tho Post Office on tho evening of May 10 when he heard a woman scream. Ho rode down towards it, and saw a man who had been struggling with two others come forward about nine feet and strike the woman on tho face and knock her down. Ho could not ldontify the men. 1 To Mr. Blair: Tho man walked up, and deliberately hit the woman. He was sure of First Police Witness. Constablo 'Cummings deposed that, : at about 7.25 p.m. on May-10, he was '.attracted to the Post Office by the crowd, and saw Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe! and Constable Gardiner. Tho two firstaiamed complained that they had been assaulted by Gardiner; Gardiner said that ho knew nothing about it, as he had just come down by a car. Mrs. Rolfo was cut about tho face, and so: was ;]j er husband. Witnoss subsequently • accompanied the Rolfes and several others to the station. ■ !■';:'■,■://:/-,-- A Policeman Explains: Just Practising Jiu-jitsu. !; '.v'i/;::; Constable Clay stated that,/on the : evenr tag of May 10, he was about tho/ Post Office Hotel with Gardinor and Watson.! He did not have a quarrel with! either of them, but' they were indulging in a h'ttle jiu-jitsu, Gardiner and Watson trying to ;hold witness • whilst ho was trying,to trip them with his' feet. They got into'-holts twice, and then witness said he was going ovor to the wharf to see a friend. At the'gate of tho wharf ho changed his mind and wont back along the railwav line towards tho police station,' thinking tho other two had gone. -Wlion ho was opposite Tuinbull's tlio two. defendants camo up and started "skylarking'again.''-.Wit. ness fell ovor and they. enme on top of him. . ancUthcn Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe came,up and calledtho defendants curs.. -.'. /Witness, told them it was alright, and that it was'*only a bit of fun, but .they l wero too excited to take much heed.,/ Witness /subsequently wont away, hut returned on hearing a woman scream. Tho woman said: '.'Look what thoy havo done I'! and ,! witness' l replied "Who?" to which the woman said "You , krfowl" Witncssmado no effort to find; out who was responsible for the condition of! the woman. _ '■ ■ V 1 To Mr. Blair: He (witne'ss)y Gardiner, and Watson all went on duty,at 8.45 p.m./ Thoy passed tho sub-inspector's inspection before going out., It was a/ common : thing for tho constables., to. practise , holte. Thfly frequently went-to each others' rooms,

it when coining'off duty. The" first scuffle was simply a challenge by Gardiner and ..Watson that ho could not go to tho Post Olfico if thoy wantfcd to stop him. Re-oxamined by Inspector. Ellison: It was not tho custom of policemen to wrestle on the street, and givo people the impression that:a light was. in' progress. . '■ "■ • This concluded tho case for the i prosecution.'//. • Constable Stands by Constable. John Edward Watson, police constable, stated. that -he had boon in -the forco for two years, having I previously served two years.'in the Permanent Artillery. On th< night r of March 10, the witness, Clay, and Gardiner, wore haying a wrestle at: /Jho corner of-the/Post'Office..'/Witness went;on to: corroborate the evidencoof Clay, up to tho time the Rolfes appeared, .The' Rolfes soemed to think witness/and Gardiner were garrotting Clay, in spite of explanation by witness and both.,his friends. After somo time, /.Rolfe, who was very .eager; to have witness and his friend arrested, .made' a movement' towards witness,, and / the next 'thing he knew-was thoy w'ere fighting. Witness got. a cut on the temple,: a heavy blow on the face, and the tip of liis ear was taken off. Ha'did not remember, seeing Mrs! Rolfo, and certainly did not strike her. He' had new: struck '.a. woman 'in; his life. /When witness heard a woman' soroani, he. knew it was time for him to get out, as.a crowd 'Irould gather. !As a nonstable he, could not be seon' fighting in the street. Ho ran away; and did not come back again. At 8.45 that night he went on duty. If Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe had minded their 6wn business, nothing would havo occurred at all.- .. ) '/At -this' stago the Court adjourned' until '7'/pm. ;! ■ ■■' ■■•■;■ ..v/-.',/';.; On resuming, Mr. Blair called Wm. Joseph Gardiner, who stated that he-had been in the police force 'for about three years. ' Ho de-: 'scribed .the, early, part .of the proceedings' similarly to tho previous two witnesses. Rolfe would not take the word of any. of tho trio that things were' all Tight; and that they 'wore all'friends. Rolfe appeared' .to' strike Watson, and blows were exchanged between, them.. No : other blows wore struck, and he (witness) did not oven'touch either Mr. or .Mrs. Rolfe. 1 • r ' / «.';' '-'','■ ;' -,To Inspector Ellison: The last hotel mi-' ness.and'his friends were in was. the . Post Office Hotel; There was no. dispute there, The/party had been in the White Swan Hotel for' about 'a v quarter of 'an hour, in the New. Zealander.for about/ten minutes, inHho" Duke of Edinburgh/ the Britannia, the Palace', and then the Post Office.'Witness was" drinking port wine, and on one or two/occasions port wino and brandy: -The others.had different drinks:: Mrs. Rolfe, was thrown off her husband's arm when he made a rush, and she. staggered and : fell. This may have caused her injuries. ■',:''- '.■'■ ■ •■"-."• More.about "trie Jlu-Jltsu." '~ .Wm. Ham, c6al:trimmer, stated that on the evening of May 10 he was on his way to tho wharf when he, saw. a scuffle opposite Turnbull's. Three men appeared to be skylarking.; Ho"recognised the three/men as 'Constables Clay, Gardiner, : and Watson,' but he knew ;,none; of them to speak to. /Olay .went down on the ground) and a man and a woman came up and some one said, "It's'alTright, Missus, we are all mates." The man and wonian did not go away,,'and a few, seconds later two men'came up and witness went "on -towards the Post Offico. On turning Ground he saw the woman' catch hold of one of the men's arms. As she did so the arm /was /thrown backhand the woman fell. /It &d. not appear to witness that the woman -had, been deliberately struck; : - : /;:■'■.".::-' ■/Maurice Upton, employed by Miramar Limited, stated that lie was ori'his way from' Thorndon'via',Customhouse. Quay on the' evening'of May 10, .and when near Turnbull's he saw,two men running away 'and two other men standing in the middle of the road, Mr.,and Mrs.. Rolfe came up'and. the two men on the road said: "We. are mates; we don't' want youto 'interfere with usi".Rolfo' replied: "You might be mates,", and with that began punching into one of the two nien —the,!defendants. In the ensuing struggle the man (Rolfe) -swung liis arm round,' and the woman fellto the ground./ The punching continued until the woman screamed, when the both .'walked'.away; .. The. second constable, .took no part in the fight, .and did not go anywhere near the woman., To witness's mind Rolfe brought the trouble ■'on'/' ;'-/■' ''"■''/.'■■■''•■'• '•' '•"■'■ :.■'■'■■ '■■/,.

This'concluded tho'.evidence. ' His Worship said ;hc. proposed .to : look through' f : iho evidence during the eveninc, and he wmld give His decision at 40'■blolook-this' morning.:....