DASTARDLY ACT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1909, 18 November 1913, Page 8

DASTARDLY ACT.

SPECIAL MAN SEVERELY HURT. SUSPECTS ARRESTED. COMMENT ON POLICE APATHY. Special Const-able Joseph Kilcolley (of Daimerirke), of F1 Squadron, was severely injured in the private bar of Barrett's Hotel shortly before 3 p.m. yesterday. In company with Special Constable M'Dermott, Kilcolley, who was to liavo returned to his homo in tha country last evening, went into the bar, when some other men who had evidently been drinking, commenced making grossly insulting remarks. It is alleged one young man in. parficular was very aggressive,, exclaiming on more tlian one occasion: "The man who stands besido a 'scab' is no good!" This is said to have beon repeated with variations. Whilst the special men were being served, the young man was in evidence in urging the others to-offer, violence to the special constables. Seeing that tho men were excited with drink, the special mem proceeded to leave the bar by the private entrance in Dominion Avenue, when someone hurled a glass at Kilcolloy's head. The force of the blow was so great that it made a very severe wound in the right cheek, exposing the bone. M'Dermott and others at once nished tho aggressors, arid there ensued a melee in the bar, which ended in two men being overpowered and handed over to some members of the police, who had appeared on the scene. By this time a big crowd numbering 400 or 500 had gathered outside, and one of the men taken in the hustle to have been allowed by tho police to get away. The one man arrested was John Allen, who has only been' in Wellington three weeks, and who, it is said, followed the the vocation of a barman in Timaru for some years. He was arretted on a charge of using abusive' and inciting language, and was lodgod in the cells at the Lambton Quay Police Station for tho night. Subsequently, the police took into custody one Walter Jackson, as being concerned in the affray. He wajs identified' by the wounded special. % The Special's Story. After the affair, Kilcolley was taken outside, where his wound was bathed by a passing nurse, and later had tho cut dressed at Fletcher's Pharmacy by Dr. Henry. Seen by a Dominion - reporter, Kilcolley said:—"l was going home for a. week, and was just.having a farewell drink with another special. A man came alongside me and said: 'The man who stands besido a scab is no J — goodl' and such-like talk. We were just, turning to leave the bar, when I got it —pretty hard." Had you given any provocation? "No; wo had taken no notice of them or what they wero saying.. It came,.too, when we had half-turned our backs on them to leave the bar."

There was a good deal of comment among the crowd at the inertness of the police in connection with the affray, first in allowing one of the suspected aggressors to get away; and, secondly, on the part of the mounted policeman in charge of Allon, who, in the middle of a crowd, stopped to arguo the point with the prisoner's brother, who was also in the bar at the time of the trouble, and Mr. Dalton, licensee of the hotel, instoa'd of getting his man away with all dispatch possible.