REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT HORSEWHIPPED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 18, 16 October 1917, Page 5

REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT HORSEWHIPPED

IN PUBLIC

ASSAULT BY A RETURNED

SOLDIER

SENSATION IN AUCKLAND

Br Telecranh—Pre?s Association. Auckland, Octobcr 15. To bo horsewhipped in front of his own gate by a returned. 6oldier was the experience this evening of tho Kev. Howard Elliott, national lecturer to tha Protestant Political Asfopiation. The sequel was tho arrest ol' Gunner Christopher Charles Clements, of Kemuera, aud Lis brother-in-law, Herbert Eugene JlTintee, also of Itemuera, both of whom were charged with assault. Gunner Clefnents is a brother of a nun, who was drotvned about a year ago at Taumarunui, and as lo the circumstances of whose death Mr. Elliott has made public references, Gunner Clemenls, who is twenty-one;-was gassed and wounded at the battle of Messiues, and returned to Auckland three weeks ago with other invalid sou diere. Two hours after their arrest the two men, Gunner Clements being in his artilleryman's uniform, wero released on bail of J225 each. In n.statement made to a "Herald" representative, Clements said thai on his return from tho front he was informed that certain, statements about his lato sister had been made "by -Mr. Elliott. "As I was advised that I had no legal remedy," he continued, "I decided that I would thrash Elliott at the first opportunity. That opportunity did not arrive until to-night. Accompanied by my brother-in-law, and armed with a rawhide horsewhip, I went to Elliott's house, Mount Eden, arriving there at about half-past seven. I stopped outside, and in a few minutes Elliott and a lady— his wife, I think—camo out of itlie house. He was wearing an overcoat. As tho former approached the door of a taxi, I accosted him, asking him if he was Howard Elliott. He replied in the affirmative. I thereupon said, 'Why did you slander my dead sister?' '"Who are you, or who was your sister?' asked Elliott. .' f "I raised my thong and I struck him across the shoulder, saying, 'I am the brother of the nun who was drowned at Taumarunui.' "I had struck five blows when Elliott wrenched the thong from me,, but M'Entee regained possession of it and handed it back to me. I continued to •administer a thrashing, and presently Elliott broke away ana attempted to run through his gateway, but M'Entee blocked his escape. In the struggle that ensued Elliott fell and was rolled in the gutter. When ho arose again I once more struck him a few blows with the thong. By this time a number of people had congregated and formed a ring around us, several of them calling- out to me to 'lay it on to him.' When I considered I had punished him sufficiently I let Elliott go, and he went back into the house, whither his wife had preceded him. Meantime the driver of the taxi had driven away. Bolieving that Elliott had rung up for the police, as turned out to bo the case, my brother-in-law and I awaited them. When they arrived we offered no objection to being arrested. I had vindicated my dead sister's honour."

When Sub-Inspector Broberg received a telephone message from Elliott's house lie dispatched to Hie scene in a motorear several officers. They found Clements and M'Entee outside the house, and arrested and conveyed them to the lockup. Tho two men will appear at the Polico Court to-morrow morning, when it is understood a remand will bo applied for on their helialf. A statement mado last evening by Mr. Elliott was to tho effect that ho left his home in Mount Eden about 7.30 o'clock. At the gato he was accosted by three men who said that ho had made statements reflecting on their women-folk. Two of them seized his arms and urged the third, who was a returned soldier, to use a stick oyer Mr. Elliott's head and to disfigure him to prevent him speaking at public meetings. 'Mr. Elliott said that in the course of the struggle lie was dealt a violent blow on thn sido of the head with a stick," and he was also struck across the face.

THE RECENT POSTAL INQUIRY PROTEST AG A r N.ST THE FINDING. A largo meeting, under the auspices of tho Protestant Political Association, tonight passed a' resolution protesting against the Jiuding of the Post Office Commission, in that it was against t'lio weight of evidence, and that the cvideneo disclosed that the censorship on Box 912 wa# unwarrantable, and that the censorship operated in the interests of the Roman Catholic Church, and further protesting against the refusal of Cabinet to appoint a Supremo Court Judge to conduct tho inquiry, and demanding that the Government immediately remove the censorship from Box 912.