TROUBLE AT A THEATRE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 August 1923, Page 1

TROUBLE AT A THEATRE

M ILD SATE RUDAY NIGHT. WELLINGTON, Aug. It Saturday night revelry and overindulgence in an alcoholic beverage resulted in the appearance of two young men before Mr E. K. Hunt, S.M., at the .Magistrate’s CTutrl yesterday, j These were Claude Smith, aged 22, and Herbert Kiggins, aged 25. The latter denied that Ids actions | had been actuated by uiiwi-e drinking. ! . and pleaded innocence to a charge oil wilfully damaging a constable’s set of I false teeth, admitting, however, that he had obstructed the officer and assaulted him in the execution of his ; duty. His associate. Smith, pleaded - guilty to five charges, namely, one of drunkenness, three of assaulting ton- I stable Caterer, Alfred Henry Warren, j Alfred Molyneaux. and one of indecent c language. ( BARRED FROM Ills MAJESTY’S. t It. appeared that the two accused had i visited Fuller's His Majesty's Theatre at about 7.50 p.m. on Saturday even- 7 ing. Admission bad been refused them I because they were showing signs of t intoxication, declared Sub-Inspector .- Lander, lnd as the two were in a com- i

bative frame of mind they demanded the n use ii lor siu-h a refusal. Smith endeavoured to gain an entrance, and upon being stopped by an attendant, Mi.l\iioniix. attacked him. Marten, .■mother of the attendants. U . n raise up-at the scene of the fracas, and tried to aid Molyneaux in ejecting Smith to the street. At this stage Constable Caterer came upon the scene, and tried . to end the trouble. Smith resisted the eoßsfable. S'iggins also striking him <• ;r,v severely. The constable was serely bat! red. ami in tie melee Uu: tli escaped. •■NEARLY DONE.” “Ai this lime.” said the sub-inspec-tor, “tho constable was nearly done. Luckily, two other constables came along and ended the matter.” Smith would probably not have been in court, j said, tiie sub-inspector, had it not been i for the fact that lie broached the subject to another police officer further down the road. Through this confidence Hie accused was removed to the Taranaki police station by the officer. Lenienov was asked for Smith bv Mr 0. G. M azengarb. who explained that accused had received a knock on the head at Nelson ju 1922, and that since then lie had possessed an ex inmely excitable liatur*. *

NOT PRIVILEGED. j *• Because lie was hie on the head in j I'JdL’, it does not say lie can strike a ; constable whenever he wants to. does ) queried t lie bench, j A ecrtilicale was produced from T)r I l.ev.v. who testified to the young man’s I state of health; j ('...-table Caterer, appearing with a j hum!;: soil head, gave evidence regardj in -; the struggle. Tie had been struck j sever;;! times bv both of the accused, and attributed Smith’s frame of mind to the amount of liquor which he had consumed during the day. Sergeant iYmier. who was (allied to the scene, also gave evidence. ■■A DAXGEROr.S DUTY.” •The police have a dangerous duty to perform,” remarked His Worship, "and 1 am not going to have- constables knocked around like this by a couple oi drunken wretches.” "I was not drunk, excuse me,” objected Siggins. "Well, you were worse, if you were not drunk,” returned the magistrate. On the charge ol assault both of the a ecus.':! were sentenced to II days’ imprisonment.