THE A.C. FORCE AT NORMANBY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5767, 23 September 1879, Page 3

THE A.C. FORCE AT NORMANBY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sin, —No doubt in good faith what your Normanby correspondent writes is perfectly true. You publish his articles, but I venture to ask that you will allow me to contradict a very damaging statement emanating from his pen which appeared in your issue of the 26th instant. Your correspondent makes a very serious charge against the members of the Armed Constabulary Force (whom he styles a mob of ruffians), of attempting an assault upon a lady, and that females are not safe against the attacks of ruffians wearing her Majesty's uniform. Your correspondent might have stated the whole truth : that a charge was laid by a person whose animosity against the force is well known, that his wife was indecently assaulted by a supposed member of the force, and that he and his wife could identify the man. On that statement the officer commanding the division ordered the whole of the men to be paraded, and the complainant minutely inspected them, but failed to identify any one ns the alleged assailant. An offer was mads to parade the men who were on pass on the night of the alleged assault, but this was not availed of, for reasons best known to the complainant, who has not ventured to push the matter further. 1 have no hesitation in saying that the charge has no foundation in fact. It may safely be averred that the A.C. Force stationed here and at Waihi are as well conducted a body of men as can be found anywhere, and such aspersions as your correspondent makes public should not go unchallenged; therefore I beg you will do me the favor to insert this contradiction of his statements.—-I am, &c., Yeeitas. Normanby, September 18. [Our correspondent “Veritas” misquotes the Utter referred to. The following is tho paragraph touching upon the occurrence :—“ I regret to have to write that, with the increased numbers of the Armed Constabulary Force, some bad characters have arrived, and it is now unsafe for females to be out of doors after dusk unprotected. It was only yesterday that a lady who was returning home in the early part of the evening was grossly insulted by one of these ruffians wearing her Majesty’s uniform, and had it not been for her screams attracting help, a gross assault would have been committed." It will be seen that the force was not termed a “mob of ruffians.”— Ed. N.Z.T.]