MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 296, 3 September 1918, Page 8

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

JAPANESE CHARGED WITH ASSAULT. A.fracas which occurred on a steamer on Saturday night was responsible for the appearance of a Japanese member of tho crew named Kazinch Nagano before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yosterday, on a charge of having assaulted two firemen of tho vessel named James Clements and Charles Quinnell. Some difficulty was experienced in respect to the interpretation of the j evidence to the accused, who appeared ito be not very well acquainted with j tho English language, but finally the services of another Japanese were ob- ! ttiined, and he translated the various i statements submitted to the Court. ! The story of Clements was. to the ■effect that tho Japanese made a rej mark to him which he resented. He j struck the Japanese, and a scuffle onI sued, during which he felt a sharp in- ! strument penetrate his chest and back. ! Ho thought he had been, stabbed with j a fork, which, he said, accused had in his hand.

Quinnell, who stated that lie also was stabbed with some sharp' instrument, remarked that he received'-tho injury when ho attempted to intervene between Clements and Nagano. Both these- witnesses stated that they were sober, hut that the Japanese was not so. Constable Cossgrave and Sergeant Edwards, who weiit aboard the ship after the row, said .they believed the Japanese was sober. For the accused it was stated that the 'trouble occurred _ about 9 p.m., when Nagano was going to bed. He said he passed an observation in the form of a joke, but it made the other men angry. He denied using a fork, but stated that he handled a broom in self-defence. When the scuffling commenced some knives and forks were knocked off a table, and the two men must have received the wounds by rolling upon them when they were tumbling about on the floor. The captain of, the vessel informed the Bench that in his opinion the whole affair was merely a. drunken brawl, and that unless the Japanese had been molested there would have been no trouble. He had ten Japanese on the ship, and there had been.no disputes before. The accused had hcon ivith him since. 1917 and had a good record, and he was prepared to carry him on the articles as long as the war ,asted. He was sure the Japanese viis not the' aggressor. His Worship said that the evidence vas so contradictory ■ that the only ihing he could do was to dismiss .the hfirge.

MAINTENANCE CASES. . For tlio disobedience of .maintenance orders, Madeline Pago was sentenced to a month's imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as 3efendnnt' pays 4s. on the order and Ms. per week o(I the arrears, £6 18s. 9d.; Robert Dott Fullnr was ordered to bo imprisoned for two months, the. warrant to be suspended so long as defendant pays 15s. per week, being tho amount of the order, and ss. off tho arrears, £22; and Richard Camithers, in whose case the arrears amounted to £9, was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended for seven days: