PALTRY PETERKIN.

NZ Truth, Issue 132, 28 December 1907, Page 5

PALTRY PETERKIN.

THE PIMPING mm OF LOWER HUTT, ; His Dignity is Badly Bumped. More Idiotic Jay Pay Justice. 'Jay Pay Justice, as everybody knows, it is ; never of much account, and is responsible for much contempt of court, particularly contempt , for the glorious galoots who ...tack .on J.P. to their handles. Indeed, every- ■ body/ view J.P.s with mingled feelings,, and wouid •willingly, if. they could, afford it, emulate the ,, deed . of a celebrated, Yarifee. Now, this Van- . kee was !bnce % ,a v Dakota Court of 'Justice*, and he witnessed, a fool of a. *'Jedge" fine a well-known, identity jfive dollars for contempt of , courtAdvancing to the ■ bar the Yankee counted out -'fifty dollars. ... ;"Whaat's ■ that'fer," said, the "Jedge." "Gee,;', replied the lYartf, "I'm ;takin', fifty dollars' .; worth - of contempts-it's s worth it.'"' Jay Pay Justice m New ' Zealand is .m, a pretty bad way. just ■ Nasty things are being said, of it,* and the ; average Joskins Justice, v who pccasipnaUy fines th^d^unk^aiid; \-.t\m .. d;sqr4%ly''js ßifling, .-iiis x head in' a \r -ior- : fearZ^-^ikiffc be.\.iopped;-*;»;,offf' and. it is- no wonder. Fortunately^ 1 ■Wellington';^summary justice is.vin th©: hands' of v tlipse capable administrators, Dr. McArthur and Mr Riddell,; S.M.'s,.'-and. ; ,the J.P. joke has no chance of" ' - ' '' MAILING AN A^S OF HIMSELF- - m 'the v Wellington Police, Court. It is .. . only at ;>si\ ! ch places : around Wellingc jton' as, Petone and 'the . Lower Hutt, c that ihe. Jißvjoser' gets any show of t 'proclaiming io .the world 'the kind of. 2 Jumped-up jignoramus that -he is;' and c- fthe saill J>p. -josser seldom ..fails , to jrov.ethat'.'he is^a goat, of the wiredo whi-sjcere-d he- variety when -the : ppporiunity is afforded. ;With Lower • Hutt ji Jay Pay justice "Truth" has dealtC ..■ on -various ;occasions,' and: it> ; . looks very much as . if . aripther bolus 1 is- ne-. . .pessary, if only/ to prove to the Mm;- -; isterof Justice that the J's.P./ of ?.o j&ower '. Hutt T are turning court v Pro- ■.- caedings into a kind: of circusr vith - it'hese' silly iSolons: i.as leading clow- .3/ •i,- -With a J.P. . .named: Wilkins, r a -W-eatv; ■ { i ' Willie kind of \ person, who ; seerii-j -tC b .glory. ;in his blundering booimsT.-?; 4? some harsh' tiidn^is have ybeen~.sa.idi; >:, .and /will\haveop'be.;repeaftedi; b- other J.P./ whose '•;. name >isi Elliotts <mvs r t' also; come- ;in ; if or a little UHO! trVlv^ advice, while /with Mayx»r:;iPe^r4--■//■:ldii,: who also js; ■'■■-■ a. Justice, * ' •jiiiis ■/ must .also, haye \a ; few;i.j.plaiit ! ■'•■/ -.words. . Jtvswas ipnly the lottery -^cl'av 4 '■ that these.w6bl)lqrß| WilkinslanieJEl-. •-■'' liottj'finedl.two'' young 'men 'ijamed . ■ . White arvd ■fipwden , the rathei-, excesv *sive- sum;>of ;£l v :and cosiis'ieachttfor 1 ■^< the . awful rtcrHDei of loitering^ Bn.utli& '-''■■ Hutt'icbHd^, i^eiprdsecutor ilxeii^g^TjO ■ ,]ess a* person ; than ;> -Mayor? Peterkih^ itself. The r.yPUhg- men charged; de^ ' fended tlie Jcase, v-.theii 4 version is a : ? vo.yv: clear- ami; reascna^lei ;one, ; ,: and ■h. shows. Mr May ; orPeterkriii:!to/:bB a s very- officipus^sort of cuss^who;plays -v: the /part \of policeman, _;and'!? wants to POSE .AS H^; ; PANJ;^MWJ; <r aUpgetheKii^d -s played.- by 'this -puerile . person i>lieteiv -a. . ldn a' .-little, will be said a litter, lat- ; 0.-'Msr. The young men w.ere> : de|ended by, r* Mr. L. Elliottj of. the: legal? r firm-^ et -..-.. -Messrs Fioldi Luckie, .andN Tlopgootlv ;>' arid. he- raised' a^numbe'r .p.file/,^' oori jections against any conviction* and • ■:.-. which he.,argue(l at sOme length, but, ,i; judge to -his dismay, . and to^tlie^.cpn- '■'-■ stematipn. '•-.pf everybody who. inow.s j anything; at.- all.- of - legal proceedure, :; .the bright, specimens of. .administra- ' tor's J pf jjustipeoh the Bench-^Wil-kins .and., Elliott aforesaid, one' of them, presumably,,, speaking for the . pair, ''■ declared ttiat they ■ were .not there to -hear legal argument but . simply to deal with the charge be^ fore them, '^'hich; was.tp. the .effect ■ that.the two ,-young .'men i. did obstruct a public place, • to - r - wit',, the „ Hutt Bridge, by leaying ;mbtor ; t '. 'bicycles standing thereon.i.^Mr'Law-, ' yer Elliott's arguments,; of', bourse, .'.were of 4°. avail, and as .. Mayor Peterkirx's word prevailed, a .fine, with • 'an-f alternative In prison' yjid foe re- 1 ' suit. It seems useless to suppose J.. that Justices of the Peace, Wilkins -, . and Elliott would believe anybody * s " a.gainst Peterkjn, and- it is on this , matter "Truth 5 ' wishes to bjß heard. ,:,, JV Peterkin averred that' the young.. men, ;\ n jn leaving, their motor bikes on, the A i '-bui^e; . nearly ' resopiisible for j r _ an,- tt accident' /toa 'bus' that crossed. «". Now, ' ; these' '^ou'hg, men 'declare ,_ that there was V.no semblance .of anaccir den:t.'_ N,o ' horse shied, nobody was; , "incpriveniencedv A "mptor party crpss--r?' ed the< bridge close on the 'bus,, and both, the s ''bus- «.nd the motor were: j . clear of 4he bridge a minu^'or . two. -'■ : before Peterkin came on "the ! scene, driving. a:gig, or some'^ suolj vebiclei. ': Being Mayor of the village; 1 arid. - 'a- sort %! tin-^pot;; czali -„ .'in his pwn,,;mind,-.the fact' that twP -i. weary m.otop cyclists' were resting on ; 4 the. bridge seems to have -struck ; the 5/ little , irian as being, a terrible 1 affair, •/and an action likely to disturb: the ■*\: . peace or blciw up the-. . bridge,- or T-: " wreck 'rthe^municipai. "df^ .".-• : destroy the hinay oral .robes or some--5 thin?;* Anyhow, '-'Pete,'! without; any -r mayoral ai-Bnityj ;pulled tip his.: trap, ; / and • roared out.: c 'Get off c : the ..bridge,"; and was for' his pains promptly consigned to- blazes, .which i^ a politer r manner pf Wishing anybody "m hell-.- ;,' Then "Pete's?' dander Mriz,?' ; He rustied away, declaring he, ,wou,ld, have ; them shifted: , by; a policeman.; ; True ,'-' enpuffh • a V policeman came on; the ~ scene,, ; ?'Pete'' evidently . knpwin'g where, one- iwas handy; and then it '■;. dawned on, .t ne wicked malefactors ' , that they/had ■uhwittingly dared ..... a -. , Daniel m the shape of Lower Hutt's . mighty .May^or. . Their nariies were^ ' taken and §\inimpn^es were accordingly issued against them, and, as, stat- '., ed, court proceedings resulted. Now, it .looks to ''Truth" that -Peterkin made a holy show' of ' himself, and ; took adyanffl^e pf ,his "hij^h arid px- \ alted .'posititifT" to, prdsecute;; two youne; men osferisiblv *or pb'fjifcructin^ a bnd«re,' but really for cheeking bim. 'A Mayor 1 of siich a, village as" Lower • liut't..^ of 'coUr.se, ■ expects fepect, and ' -ifobctolf] m his own Vc Trinff(loni'' to pro to hla7p:ft» is" Rometfiine. a Mayor cannot nut nn with. These young men tell "Truth" that PeterMn's •version of the obstruction was gr^atIv ■.py. < *. <rrr^rn.tp(l. Be that as it may. or may not be, it appears that Petjfcrkili has very little to (\o m. - play-