A CARTOON AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 931, 15 December 1910, Page 3

A CARTOON AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

Dunedin, Dec. 12. A somewhat unusual case has occupied the attention of Mr Bartholomew, S.M., in the Police Court to-day, when William Waters, marine engineer, was charged with assaulting Wm. Alloo. Plaintiff is proprietor of a paper called the Magpie, in the last issue of which a cartoon of defendant’s two sisters appeared. As a result of this defendant was very angry, and on seeing plaintiff in the street one day struck him on the side of the face. The evidence showed that plaintiff had been asked to withdraw the cartoon from the paper, but as it was in circulation such a course was impracticable. An apology was then demanded, but refused. Defendant said he was offended by the cartoon, and acted on the spur of the moment. He asked for an apology, and when that was refused he swept his arm out and caught Alloo on the side of the head. The blow was given whilst he was smarting under a sense of wrong done to his sisters. The Magistrate said the effect of the cartoon was to hold these ladies up to ridicule. To his mind it certainly was offensive, and the ladies’ relatives would be very naturally annoyed—justly annoyed —at seeing such a publication. It was wrong for defendant to take the law into his own hands, but his action under the circumstances was only natural, considering the provocation. His Worship held that no case of assault had been made out, and he dismissed the case.