A THIN STORY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 43, 20 February 1930, Page 14

A THIN STORY

I "I'm afraid this utory is too thiu," said Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., in the Petoue Magistrate's Court yesterday, aftei listeniug to the explanation made by two men, Martin Lynch and Patrick Quiuu, who were charged with having been found on licensed premises after hours. Constable M. M'Nulty said that when he and Constable King entered the Victoria Hotel at 9.30 p.m. on 29th November last the licensee's son was walking downstairs, but as soon as he saw the police he turned and ran up again. The constablea followed,- and searched all the upstairs rooms. They found no one except the licensee and Lynch, Quinn, and another man,, who would be charged later. All were in the licensee's sitting-room. Lynch and Quinn said that they weie guests of the licensee and Mrs. Purcell. The licensee confirmed this. The constables found three bottles of liquor in the passage near the room where the defendants were; They were wrapped in paper, and seemed to have been dropped in a hurry. Constable G. E. King gave corroborative evidence. The evidence of Mrs. B. E. Purcell was that she had invited the defendants to her sitting-room to heat one of her sons play the violin. The three bottles in the passage belonged to one of .'the boarders, and not to Lynch or Quinn. The liquor had been left in the passage because the boarder's door was locked when the bottles were taken up. Lynch and Quiun told similar stories. They, denied any knowledge of the bottles in the passage. ... The Magistrate, remarking that he could not believe the defendants' story, convicted them and fined them £1 each.