TROUBLE AT AN OPEN-AIR MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 570, 27 July 1909, Page 6

TROUBLE AT AN OPEN-AIR MEETING.

■■•'• 'SALVATION ARMY'OFFICER "». ' ; ;■-.■-- .-■■;.'..ASSAULTED.;./;,' ;-.,',."•;,■" (By Association.) , . . - • Greymouth, July 26.; •■ At, the. .-Magistrate's; Court to.-day William Stubbs was charged with- , committing, an' assault .on Thomas H.;Allisoii, officer of", the Salvation .Army, , using, grossly, obscene ..language in the presence of females,- and damagiiig'iustruments'.'. .' :. '■•'■■ / : , !.';■'■■ ■Evidence was given to the efltect that the Army, was holding an open-air meeting, when accused; the worse for Equpiyentered tile ring and began to take, charge. He' had a -knife in his hand, and on being put out of the ring struck ah.officer (Mr. Allison) on'the face, making - a .nasty gash,-; and-puncturcdi'an in--etrument.'/- ',- ■' '•:■ ■■■',". '•,.•.: "j ' , "'■■ ; :. ■' :"The'Magißtfate, itf giving-his,'deoißiori, eaid the. charge should be altered to/one,of .common asisault. vHfe remarked-thai the.-members of; tTieiArmy had;exercised:astonishing';tact in; dealing w.ith'the'accus'ed, dealing.gently with him, and acting with to prevent his being arrested or creating any further an: noyance. The, organisation .was one ; that was doing ■ an immensfe amount of' good' all over the world,_ midvtheiY; social' schemes were being carried out with, the'greatest amount of success that showed'that they were,deservingN of'every respect, as ; .tliey-reached- the masses of the' peoiile' in a way which no other'roligious-body could touch.:-.He did not think this.was a case/for a fine at all,as; accused was,a young rnan-of good;appearance' and apparently a good record; yet he , could annoy the Army in the way'he had done-by using filthy language" to,, the girls- who wore devoting all their spare jtiino, and some i of them all their"lives,''to: the. good work the Ariny was doing. : Neither was the assaulti so trivial a one as alleged, as had the knife .struck Mr. Allison, about two inches to -the" left it might have meant the loss of ah eye. It was not: accused's fault that it was not more serious. For the obscene language, accused would ■ be, sentenced to .14 days' im--prisonment with hard labonr, for the assault seven , .days, . and for' damaging'-, property, seven days, the sentenoes-to, bo cumulative, or a month in all.'■-.'.•.':; ';v-' . . ;