BUMMING FOR BEER.

NZ Truth, Issue 105, 22 June 1907, Page 6

BUMMING FOR BEER.

Miserable Mahoney's Methods.

A profligate of the best quality was turned on at the Christchurch Police Court the otlv?r morning. Young, healthy, and educated, lie scorns to earn a living, prefer ring to munch the loaf of idleness of his people, and drinking the br>ew 'of any brand profferred or cadged m the city beer warehouses. Dennis Patrick Mahoney has a number of previous convictions to his discredit, and possesses a thirst that would match a sewer. His biggest sentence was a year for being a rogue and a vagabond, but he is now up on a more serious charge— incorrigible rogue and a vagabond, and that means a couple of years, anyhow. So Mahoney, who is- always well-dressed, has decided to let a Supreme Court settle his hash. The whole, or nearly the whole detective force was arrayed against him at the lower court, and from their irrefutable testimony it would seem that his morals want sweetening with about a ton of sugar. He is a prime scholar m the school of loaferdom. 'Tec. Frank Bishop knew Mahoney right enough, he said ; he got him sent up for a ,year under the vag. m 1905. Since the tol low" s liberation he had been banging round Christchurch. doing little, if any, .toil. His principal as-

sociates were thieves and drunken men, and he passed both day. and night m their company. Hotels were his main "dart ; there were often drunken, or semi-drunken men on tap, and so was cheap beer ; and when he could manage it he borrowed gonce, although the word "borrowed" seems to be out of its latitude m this connection. And a fine tale could he tell, the same Mahoney, not only to convivial associates whom he had never met before, but to city men, to whom he sidled up and spoke m a sorrowful voice when the fates seemed propitious. 'Tec. Bishop told the Court that the man had been turned out of hotels, where he had

MADE HIMSELF A NUISANCE ; they didn't want him about the place. Mahoney had no means of support whatever. In cross-examina-tion, Bishop admitted that he had seen accused along with a photographer for a week or so. ''Wasn't I engaged as a photograph operator ?" "Ne; you carried his bag about, that is all you used to do."

It appeared that 'he had been working for a week with one Wall, and also that he represented Diamond and Hart, of Wellington, but when his coupon book was examined none of the coupons were gone, which sober fact, -demonstrated the large amount of business done Try" him. Detective Eade, who arrested Mahoney, said he had no money m his possession. He produced a couple of letters written by accused's 'brother, complaining of his undesirable method of living, and asking the police to give him a little attention. Eadc went on to tell the Court about the prisoner's whiskyabsorbing proclivities. He was crossexamined on this, and as to the amount of work the witness knew that he did. Eadc naively replied that he might have been working m the hotels—in front of- the bars. He was whiskified when he was arrested. 'Tec. Reggie Ward deposed that the gent m dock knocked about with thieves, vagrants, and other trash, and victimised boozers, who were doing the shouting trick. The accused wanted to know the names of drunken men he had got money from, and Ward said he had seen him doing so repeatedly. Also, "You have asked me for money," said the 'tec, a statement which Mahoney received with feigned incredulity. 'Tec. Cribson was the last of the police squad, and his testimony was corroborative. He enlarged somewhat on Mahonev's thirst ;he was always thirsty. he said. The prisoner received this declaration with a smile, and seemed proud of it.

Francis Malioney. then entered the box, and showed what an awful sponger his brother was. He lived with himself and father and mother •m Eaton Place, and his conduct had become intolerable. . He never contributed ,to tha upkeep of the house, but loafed on them, and always had done so. They would put ur> with it no longer. He had tried to reason with him, but it was no use . whatever ; he persisted, in' his old conduct. All his brother thought about was drinking. Prisoner asked the witness the motive of the present proceedings, and got the reply that the only motive was reform; There was

NO FEMALE IN IT AT' ALL' : the only woman concerned was their mother. The prisoner persisted m asking about another female, but was told that that had nothing to do with the case at all. Transpired that the witness had set the waster up m business some ago, but it was a useless experiment.

Having nothing to say Malioney was committed for trial, being allowed bail, himself m £100 and two sureties of £,50 each, and bondsmen for him will be about as plentiful as ratholes m mid-air.