ILLEGALLY ON PREMISES AND WILFUL DAMAGE CHARGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4414, 13 February 1930, Page 2

ILLEGALLY ON PREMISES AND WILFUL DAMAGE CHARGES.

LOCAL NATIVES CONVICTED,

At. the local Magistrate's Court this morning before Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., William Harrison and John McGregor, two well-known local Maoris were charged with on December '3-1 at Poxton, without lawful excuse, hut in circumstances which did not disclose the commission of, or an intention to commit any other offence, being' found in a dwelling occupied by Airs. Nina, Parker situated in Harbour Street, Poxton. Harrison was also charged with on the same date wilfully damaging a paling fence lo the value of .CD, the property of Mr. Patrick Spelman, of Palmer-.-.toil North.

MY. M. P>. Bergin appeared for the defendant, Harrison, and entered a plea oI guilty. McGregor was not defended but appeared and pleaded guilty. In outlining Hie ease Mr. Bergin mi id drink and a feud between McGregor and a while man over a Native woman were the causes of the trouble. On the date in question a party of Maoris met on the local wharf and there partook of some liquor. After a good deal of drinking Harrison and McGregor left the wharf anil proceeded up the ; mail when they met the mutt between whom and McGregor the feud existed. An argument ensued hut the European made good his escape. He ran, pursued into Mrs. Parker’s house where a further argument arose. ’.Mrs. Parker objected tn the presence of Harrison and McGregor. Harrison who became crazy when in drink, rushed outside and jumped a fence instead of using the gateway. This evidently inspired him to give a. demonstration of his strength for lie forthwith coimnriteed to pull down the fence bolus bolus. He came to his senses with sobriety, however, and paid to Mr. Bergin the sum of CD to make good the damage done to the fence. Constable Owen stated that Mr. Bergin's statement was not quite i orreel. .McGregor had been living with u Native woman of loose diameter Imt bail been away Irom her for some time. She, in the meantime had been on friendly terms with a seaman off one of the boats visiting the port and a feud had arisen between McGregor and this man. On the in question. after partaking of liquor during the afternoon McGregor and Harrison proceeded to Parker's place to search out the seaman. Neither the man nor the woman were there and there was no reason for either parly to go there. McGregor would not have gone Inn for the hacking up of Harrison, who was mad when in drink. Harrison was a powerful limit, an athlete anil well-known swimmer and when leaving Mrs. Parker’s place hi* not only pulled down her fence, but flic fences of four or live oilier houses in the neighbourhood. Neither defendant had been in eotuT before and the whole ease was purely a drunken freak on the part of Harrison. The owner of the property would he quite satisfied if his fence was repaired.

Harrison was convicted and ordered to pay the cost of repairing ■tin* fence to an amount not in excess of .CD with costs Cl 1()/- and both defendants were convicted and lined £1 each with costs £] 7/in each ease on the other char-