Ta ks Sedition to Mother-in-Law

Levin Daily Chronicle, 17 March 1917, Page 4

Ta ks Sedition to Mother-in-Law

GETS 12 MONTHS' IMPRISON-

MIEXT. Auckland, March 14. At the Pukakohe Police Court, Rafo Autunovieh, aged 31 years, a native of Dalmatia, was charged' with Slaving made a disloyal and seditious statement in the hearing of his family. It was the first case of t'he kind hear.d in the Dominion. The words tised were: ''The Kaiser is a great man r.nd I talk off my hat- to liim . The 'British are the biggest mugs I ever saw. My brothers are giving you a £oud licking now. lam a German not an Austrian. Kitchener was '.lie biggest mug I-ever saw. He woe'l not hold his candle to the K-iiser. The >aiser is,second to Xapoleon. He is th' cleverest man that was tver born. The first thing I will do wh a Germany wins the war will be to kick you-i ——. I would sell all :nay secrets to German}'. Why should 1 be naturalised and fight for British " The police stated that accused had only been in the district a few months, and posed as a naturalised (Dalmatian, bat there was reason to believe that lie was unnaturalised. Accused's niotlier-in-law, Amelia Tunrbull, gave evidence that accused made the alleged statements at the breakfast table in the presence of his wife and herself.

Counsel for accused submitted that the case was only a family quarrel, aiul t-lie regulations were never intended to pry into a private house. Accused denied making the statement. The Magistrate in imposing twelve months' imprisonment, said that he w.iuld place the facts before the Minister for him to decide whether internment should be substituted for imprisonment.