"A SPECIALIST IN ASSAULTS'

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2971, 8 January 1917, Page 6

"A SPECIALIST IN ASSAULTS'

SENTENCED TO A MONTH IN GAOL. "I might perhaps put it that assaults seem to be your specialty?" said Inspector Hendrey to a young man. named Joseph Nicholls, in the Magistrate's Court on Saturday. Nicholls, along with Edward James Wilson, had been remanded till Saturday on a charge of assaulting Edward Logan, a waterside -worker. Both had been released on bail, and Wilson, not appearing a. warrant for his arrest was issued. In the case against Nicholls, which was proceeded with before Mr. S. E. 31'Carthy, S.M., evidence was given to , the offeot that on January 5 the ac- , cused and Wilson made an entirely unprovoked attack upon Logan and a soldier named John M'Coll, who had entered the bar of the Now Zealauder , Hotel for a drink. Wilson, for no . cause whatever, struck Logan a vio- , lenb blow on the face, and when the . latter went out into' Manners Street i the accused Nicholls also struck him. . There were, it appeared, two other parI ties to the affray, but neither was I known to tho police. One of the two yras struck by the other and removed , in an unconscious condition. When it was Nicholls's turn to givo evidence, he made an unsupported al- ' legation that the whole trouble had ' arisen through Logan's talking about • Germans. The barmaid, he said, had ' refused to servo the complainant. He ' denied having struck Logan at all. > Inspector Hendrey proceeded to crosss examine the accused, and in tho course ■ of ilia examination asked the question • quoted above. The accused's reply was 1 that assaults' might have been hip L "specialty" years ago, but that he had " more senso now. Tn answer to further questions, tho • accused declared that tho soTiiisr and 3 the waterside worker had both. coin- > niittcd perjury. Inspector Hendrey countered this statement by roforemro to Nioholls's record, which included convictions for I vagrancy, consorting with thieves, false c pretences, use of obsccno language ana ;, fhefb from tho person. ... "I won't roar! any woro," lie cnnd'irird. "T. shall simply put Hip list bofore Flis . Worship, and a<l; which evidence he i is nrepared to believe." i. Nioholls was senteuoed to a month's imprisonment with hard labour. i