SERENADING WIFE-BEATERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4488, 7 August 1875, Page 2 (Supplement)

SERENADING WIFE-BEATERS.

At tho Leigh Police Court lately five men were summoned for offending against the public peace, at Lowton, on the 22nd April. Police-constable Longworth deposed that tho defendants, who wore members of the Lowton Women’s Protection Society, on tho day in question inarched through tho village playing tin whistles, besides beating a drum, followed by about 300 persons, and from their demeanor he was apprehensive of a disturbance. Tho demonstration was against a man named Thorpe, who had been boating his wife. Thorpe was called by tho police, and said tho band passed and repassed Ids house several times, but ho did not feel annoyed, as it was the Lowton custom when men had had occasion to beat their wives. (Laughter.) Ho rather liked the tin whistle baud. Mr. Ashton said this was one of tho most ridiculous cases ever brought into a court of justice, contending that, although the custom of serenading wife-boaters at Lowton was a barbarous one, there had been nothing approaching a breach of tho peace by tho defendants. A number of witnesses for the defence were thou called, from whom it was elicited that tho ladies were greatly indebted to the society for tho good it had already done, and that the police had been thus saved a good deal of trouble during tho three years of its existence. Tho Bench dismissed tho case ou tho defendants promising to pay costs.