THE STRIKE TRIALS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1975, 4 February 1914, Page 5

THE STRIKE TRIALS

BARRIER BREAKING. TWO PERSONS CONVICTED. '.■ v ' ~ '■'''. OTHER TUMULTS. JURIES UNABLE TO AGREE. ~ . The Supreme C!oujt yesterday.with cases .arising, out of strike disturbances.' Thero. were three trialsone of two men charged with breaking down, the wharf barricade on the day that the s.s.;Defender was rushed, and ■• the other ,two of. two men charged with having taken part in the riot at the * Post and Telegraph stores. His Honour • the Chief Justice (Sir Robert. Stout) was on the Bench. Mr.. P. S. K. Ma'cassey conducted the prosecutions.

BREAKING THE BARRICADE. RIOT OF.OCTOBER 25. . Alfred Jansen, William Parker, and Robert Stephens were charge!! that on October'2s they wilfully ua'maged a barricade, the property of tlio Wellington Harbour Board. Stephens entered a plea of "guilty. ,Mr. P. "J. O'Regau appeared tor Jansen and Parker, who pleaded not; guilty. v • • Mr. Macassey said that the date of the offence was tho day after the strike began, and then'proceeded to describe the rush on s.'s. Defender and the demolition of the barricade.' Tho three men were amongst tho most active of the crowd, and they had incited others in itho rush. . V •''■■■■ • William M. Mauusell stated in evidence that he had erected the barricade and had almost finished it when tho rush came.' He remonstrated with tho men. but. saw that it was useless. Havjng destroyedl'tho'barrier'they threw'it into the sea. . ;, • - ' James; Marchbanis,, Engineer of the Harbour Board, said that the value'of tho barrier was about £12. ' Sergeant' P. Lewin stated that he tad observed Parker throwing timber into, the'harbour. He had also seen Jansen, and Stephens. They had been in the crowd of about' 400 men who assembled' at tho barrier, but ho had not noticed them taking part in : the actual' smashing. ' .-,,-.■ • Constable T. Lumber deposed that he had been right alongside Parker when hi v and Stephens called: "Comb' on, boys! Over hero!" He had also seen Jansen at the .barrier, and Be ." had heard' him calling on tlio workers oh the Defender to cease. Parker. Jansen, and StephVns had taken a leading part in the disturbance.' '"■■''

Constable Isbister said that he had seen-Parker throwing portions of the broken barrier into the water. He had Bjso seen Jansen tnere, but had not seen hira handling any of the material.'

. The Defence a Denial. ; Mr. opening for the deFencel said the accused would go, into the box and swear that they had taken no part .m throwing timber .into the water. '.- /Alfred ; Jansen, : waterside worker said he had.arrived on the wharf when tHoxrmvd was rushing the Defender. He had advised the; crowd not to 'go'on, hoard, and not a single striker did so. It was true that he had'gone to'the barrier, but that was after it had been pulled down, and he did not touch any or tho timber. ' .....■.•.-■•. ~ ■ . HisrHonour: Why were you on the wharf? - , ■■• .•■ r . • Accused: Ivgoes bwhere-Athoui'erowd goes. His Honour.-For what purpose?—"l fliunV.have any purpose in goinc there.';.-;./■, '■..":■■,■■- ~; . ./.,,. Why ,didv you. go - -there .'then?—"l--didut expest-. anything wrong to-hap-Ben there." . . ■ When, you saw something happening Why didn't you' go away?—'.' There-was no harm, ,1 thought, in standing there the same as .tho policemen." . f His Honour: You apparently don'tknow the English , law,, which is that' when a crowd is.doing anything wrong, and.you stay in the crowd, vou are responsible for tho acts of the* crowd. , Later His Honour asked: Why did you go close up to the barricade?' Why didn't you go away? '' .. ■■.- Accused: I saw the police authorities there. .. • ~ ■

But you didn't go to .help the police authorities?—"No, I did not. I go there to seowhat was.doing." • William Parker, waterside worker said he had been pn board the Defender. He had been quite in sympathy with those who were pulling down the barricade, but he had not touched it himself. Probably he would havo helped to destroy it, but he had not handled it for the simple reason that he could not jet there because of the crowd. Ho did not-remember calling to tho crowd, "Como on here," or any such words. August Hans, a carpenter in the, employment of the Harbour Board, who had helped to build tho barrier/stated he had seen Jans'en there,.and ho had not:noticed him'take any part in the demolition. 'On'the other hand he (Jansen) had warned 'witness and, other workmen to see to their, tools because there might beytrouble.

Parker found Guilty. His Honour, in directing the jury, said that Parker had, by his own statement,admitted hi«i guilt. '-With regard to the statement of tho witness Hans, who said that 'Jans'en had said: "Pick up your tools, there's, going to be trouble," what was tho trouble ?\' It ■must be apparent that Jahsen know what tho crowd was going to do, and that he was oiio of tho crowd.; This 1 made him responsible along with other neoplo present. Further, there was tlio direct evidence of. two constables that Parker had thrown pieces of tho barricade into the harbour. After an hour's retirement, the jurv returned with a verdict of ."Guilty" against Parker, and "Not ; ' Guilty" against Jansen. Parker wa3 remanded for sentence until Saturday.