THE SEAMY SIDE.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1925, Page 4

THE SEAMY SIDE.

TALES TOLD TO THE -MAGISTRATE

LONDON, Sept. 24. Drama and dairy clashed at the Royalty Theatre, Dean-street, A\ ~ on Thursday night, when three A\ elsh milkmen were arrested for being drunk and disorderly during the performance of Air Caradoc Evan’s V elsh play “Taffy.”

This play shares with Synge’s “l’layhoy'of the Western World” and Birmingham’s “General John Regan” the distinction of rousing racial animosity to the point of riot. But the three Welsh milkmen. William Jones, of Brightoii-road, Stoke Newington, Henry Daniels, of Southwark. and John Worries, of Xew-road, Battersea, who appeared at Alarlbor-ough-street Police Court yesterday, were not so much patriotic as provocative, and the.V were swept out of the theatre on an alcholoie title. .Milkman No. 1 was delivered at the police station by P. C. -GO C. who caught him in full cry singing loudly hut untunefully. He told .Mr Ha.' Halkett. the magistrate, that when he entered the theatre everybody was singing. so he lifted up his voice in the general chorus. “Then I was thrown out and somebody pushed me against the constable, and 1 clutched him before 1 knew he was a policeman.” he continued. He let me go, hilt T fell down and someone fell on top of me and got me by the throat, and when T came to the same policeman had me again, and the police doctor said I was drunk m a dun light.” f , Similar was the experience o! the other two Welsh milkmen, one ol whom exclaimed: “I paid 3s for my seat, am everybody was singing, so, oi course started singing, and, ol course they chucked me out.” "Yes. of course they did, agreed the magistrate. “And of course the constable took me up," continued Taffy tile milkman. “Of course,” endorsed Air Hay Halkett. who fined each of the Welsh milkmen 12s. and a crowd of young Welshmen al the rear of the court organised a collection among themseves. “You are described as having no occupation.” said the magistrate to a man with a sandy moustache and a new suit of clothes. “Are you m a good position “Yes.” said the man. "Pay ten shillings.” ordered Air Tta\ Halkett. “Can you give me time to pa.\ : 1 (jnested the mail in the new suit. “How much do you get a yeai . countered the magistrate. “Two hundred pounds.” “Pay os in eight days.” said Air Ha? Halkett, changing the fine to lit the* case. The next man seeking credit was not so luckv. lie was talking casually at the Alarhle Arch to a man when he suddenly turned on him and smacked him in the face and then collapsed in a drunken stupor. Unable to supply an address more permanent than a common lodgTngliouse, he was provided with a fixed abode for seven days. I “Do you know, sir.” declared a woman with Unify bail* and a mauve blouse, “when I get drunk 1 can i remember anything.” The oaoler jogged her memory by announcing that she had been conviet- • cd twenty times. “That mav be so,” she agreed. “And there is a further charge of having been drunk last August, when she was very abusive.” continued the gaoler. “A'es. sir T am guilty of that 100. T am always the same when \ get

drunk—noisy, hopeless, and can't remember anything.” she added. •*Tt is time von slopped Kid ling drink,” said Mr May Ilalketl. “and ! will help you to stop two months’ hard labour.” James Edwards was. and may ho still, mislaid by the police at Marl-lmroiigh-Nt reel. When his name was called there was no answer, and the magistrate was about to grant a warrant when, looking at his charge list, lie exclaimed; “But lie has not been let. out on bail. He j must be somewhere. Perhaps he is shut up in a. cell.” I There was a hurried search, bill ; James Kdwards was not to tie found, j and nobody knew where ho was. | lie had been well and truly lost. A young Frenchwoman, who had married an English husband at Bordeaux. promised the court last week that she would return to France, hut during the interval she changed her mind. “Won’l von go hack:" pleaded Mr , Hay Halkelt. i “.Von. non.” said l lie Fi eni bwoinaii. shaking her head vigorously and adding something under her breath. "What does she savi" inquired the

magistrate. i “She says she won’t go hack till Christmas or words to that eli’ecr,” re- 1 plied the gaoler diplomatically. ! ”1 do wish she would go hack,” remarked the magistrate plaintively as j he fined her 20- for disorderly conduct. ! Coincidence and mischance joined forces to give a slipper manufacturer one exciting night. ! He was returning from his holidays, and shortly before ten at night left his motor-car for a few minutes outside the Coat and Compasses in Fitzroy-stroet. When he came out two suit-eases valued with their conienls at £7O had been taken out of the ear. He drove round Warren-street, back to Kuston-road, and stopped outside the Green Man public-house, where he saw a constable, who had been staring intently for ten minutes at an empty car. The engine was running, and the constable was waiting for Lite owner to put a few questions to him, hut Iwo young men with suit-cases sud- • denly arrived from nowhere, jumped into the ear and drove away. The constable and the slipper manufacturer exchanged confidences. and the maker of slippers got the number of the vanished car. Then he drove home hv way of Tottenham Court-road, I lamstead-road to Camden Tow n, where outside a cafe, he saw and recognised by the number the vanished motorear. lie mentioned the matter of the suit- j cases to the two young men in charge j of the ear, and one of them said: * “Those must he the men in whom we ‘ gave a lift to Victoria.” ’ Somewhat dazed by the swill since.-.- ! sion of events, the sliper maker in- : formed the police, with the result that the two young men with the car were g commit led on bail to the sessions. ,