A DRUNKEN FIGHT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 14, 29 April 1871, Page 16

A DRUNKEN FIGHT.

The "Williamstown Police Court ,was occupied recently ininvestigating the case <s£ & -seaman named John Williamson, ' whawas brought before Messrs Mollison wz4 M‘Callum on remand, charged with stabbing his shipmate, Henry Rock, connected with the p.s. Despgtt'di) in Hobson’s Bay on the morning of.&e 26th ult. The prisoner had been xeauanded twice to await the attendance ■ : <of Bock, who was unable to leave the Melbourne Hospital, on account of the injuries he had received, lhe prosecu•tar s on being sworn, stated that he and Williamson had been seamen together in die schooner Storm King. On the cceaing of .the 25th ult, they came shore at Williamsun together shmt 7 o’clock, and remained drinking :fbr some time at the Barkly Arms Hotel. They left the hotel about I*2 o’clock, SLnd went to the railway pier and got into the boat accompanied by a man whose aaGie witness could not remember, but wlio was second officer on board the Sarah Ann. The prisoner was drunk, fjtit witness and the other man were quite sober. On getting into the boat fifoe prisoner , laid himself down in the ..stem-sheets, . and the prosecutor and .’Ms companion took to the oars, and |}iilied towards the Sarah A nr b which ■w as lying at anchor about a mile and a ■fcaif from the lightship towards St. :EJMa. When the second officer was jil&eed on board his vessel, witness fotmad the boat towards his own schooner, the Storm King, in Hobson’s Bay, and as there was a fair wind from ■the sontb, he stood up in the stern and sculled his boat along. V hile he was dmn-g this the prisoner frequently interfered with him, and more than once knocked the oar out of the row--luck. Twice he rose up and attempted ■to take the oar away from Rock, who -.finally caught him by the beard and digged him down upon the seat. Williamson then lays till for about twenty ada sites or half an hour, when lie got as the prosecutor alleged, in a quiet •'UKi-moer, and asked him to assist in ;i»wing the boat to the schooner, which -Tivas. now close by. Prosecutor complied with the request, and gave Williamson car; but as he turned his back to Iccli ahead for the schooner, the pii* ssi&er plunged a knife into the back of the man’s neck. The wounded man .-ittsfeed upon the prisoner, and a struggle .■took place, which lasted several miu--utes, Rock screaming “murder,” and .holding on to the prisoner, who was catting at him all the while with his 'laiife. It appears that during the struggle Williamson inflicted upon'Rock ■qlg! lass than seven wounds. Two shirts .toess by prosecutor at the time were ex"fa&fted in Court. They were smeared with blood, and were cut into pieces -alxNit the arms and shoolders. When Rack was almost faint from the loss of ..IsJaod the prisoner got up, and prosecustsr then noticed that he had thiown the knife. Williamson asked jsmEsecutor to forgive him for what he fcad done, and when Rock implored him tc exert himself to reach the schooner, Ike took hold of an oar and assisted to hirsg the boat alongside the vessel. Witness got onboard and related what .Js&d happened, and the chief officer senf Sock away in charge of two other sea,mm to the Nelson, lying close by, for medical aid ; but there was no surgeon board, and he was taken to Williamstavm. There Dr Figg dressed his wounds, and he was subsequently .'teught back to the schooner. The evidence showed that none of llsswounds were of a dangerous charac.ti. The one at the back of the neck toss a somewhat serious one, but hapthe knife had not come in contact with any of the principal blood vessels «£z the result would have been fatal. On lining asked by the Bench if he desired ifc© make any statement, the prisoner sharked that both he and Rock were xfennk at the time they fought in the “jMAt, and that the prosecutor had struck Iklffi some severe blows which made him insensible. The prisoner was com©allied for trial at the Criminal Sessions, be held in Melbourne within the asset fortnight —“ Daily Telegraph.”