TERRITORIAL ASSAULTED

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2406, 11 March 1915, Page 6

TERRITORIAL ASSAULTED

TROUBLE AT A TRAINING CAMP. (By Teleerauli.—Press Creymouth, March 10. . Between nine and ten o'clock last night at Totara Flat Camp, where the 13th Regiment is under canvas, there was trouble in the vicinity of the guard tent, situated 100 yards from the main camp. Several Territorials are reported to .have interfered with a Territorial named Neil Peaice wliilst he was on duty as sentry. Peai'c& was taken to the military hospital suffering from a severo blow on the side ot the jaw, and was medically attended.- The extent of the injuries was not known last night, but it was feared that the lower jawbone i had been- fractured.

Robt.. Gib Sons, of A Company (Greymouth) was arrested and formally charged with the assault by the military authority, and subsequently handed over to the oivil authoritise to deal with. Gibbons was brought to town this morning by Constable Brutou, and before the Greymouth Court this afternoon Robert. Gibbons was charged, before Mr. J.. G. L. Hewitt, S.M., with having assaulted Neil Pearce ana causing the latter bodily harm.

. 'Sergeant Egan for a remand on the grounds that the injured man was liot able to be present.

In reply to His Worship, the sergeant said the offence had been committed at the Territorial camp, but he could not say; why the military authorities had hot dealt wit'h the case.

The Magistrate said that, in his opinion, the .military authorities had no right to pass the charge oh to the Civil Court.. If a man committed ail assault oil another and they were bot'h in uniform and under military law. the authorities at the camp should take the case upon their, own shoulders. He had no. power to refuse the information/- If the military authorities 'had the power to deal with the. defendant, and he believed they had, if he had any mean's of refusing to hear. the charge lie would do so. The military should take on their own instead of shoving them on to- other people. Mr.' Joyce,, who appeared for deferdant,' intimated that the defendant had,been bundled out of camp,-bag and .baggage,; and; it appeared that whilst Hie! authorities refused to deal with the .chargeon the one hand the defendants had been, summarily dealt with' on-, another.. • r '<.

v Bail was fixed in two sureties of £25 each, and, .tocused was remanded till Monday n'eit. '