A VICTORY FOR VIRTUE.

NZ Truth, Issue 143, 14 March 1908, Page 5

A VICTORY FOR VIRTUE.

BUNG BURKE BADLY BIFFED.

Barmaid Sadie Sues For Slander.

VERDICT FOR £125 AND COSTS.

A Low-Minded

Joe BurKe, who keeps , the Record Reign pub, m Gisborne,, *.a. pub that , is not a first-class one either, and if anything, at all is a lamfoing-down establishment and certainly a no-class swiptiry, is just now .cursing the cruel fates that ever led him.' into making a bigger ass of himself than Nature ever, intended. As related m "Truth's" last issue, Joe, who is very well-known m Wellington, and was ,6nce. chucker-but m a Lambton Quay pu&, and next became famous as the 'proprietor of a gambling hell, for Which lie was punished by three months' jug, lias been more or less lucky m his lega\ battles ' since he blossomed • out as a shypoo-seller m Gisborne. It's a long lane that has no turning, and since Joe fell foul of the Law m Wellington m years a- , gone,, it; has been all .plain .sailing for him.- He: successfully buffeted the stormy waves ofthe.Hardie assault prosecution ; he cantered home an easy winner m the recent Perjury Stakes ; v in fact,* Joe was not even extended, and he succeeded beyond bis dreams mv getting Muckdonnell of Napier to greedily suck m his slanders of two barmaids and getting his "friend," 'Madd^rn, the "demon," reduced m .rank. But there Joe's long run of .viMories must end. He stands a' big risk^ of lbfeing' ' his license, and . how on earth a man convicted of RUNNING. A GAMBLING JOINT ever came to be granted an hotel license 1 must forever remain an unsolved mystery, and provides a sad commentary on the administration of the. Licensing Laws. ; However, when Josephus next runs into a Licensing Court, the Bench and the police might say things, and then, so far as the Record Reign pub. is concerned, Joe will be, metaphorically speaking, m a sitting posture. Joe's luck seems to have deserted him— and no wonder. The dirty brute came a cropper at. the Gisborne Supreme Court. on Monday last, when the long-lboked-for action of Sadie Watson and Joseph 1 Burke came on for hearing before Mr. Justice Chapman and a jury, the result being- a victory for virtue, or something . equivalent. Anyhow, the much-maligned barmaid, Sadie Watson, "whoclaimed! -£499 from Burke Mslander, got a verdict of £125 and> costs j Now, as "Truth" anticipated, this case, created quite a sensation m Gisborne, because, thanks to Burke and his pais,; whom ■ he feeds on beer, and occasionally fizz, the woman Watson was an out and out bad'un ; in' fact, a -harlot , the property of any man who. could pay a small figure for her services.! _ The air was thick with slimy. assertions, ; all bruited round by this hog Burke, who, m the first instance, showed his dirty and contemptible spirit by scribbling on the woman's .photograph the following words, ."What price Sydney, two bob-a . r time..', , , and . .'..'.We. don't want iv-omen 'Of-f your bhaihotex m : this, house.'' the said House being the Record Reigh drunkery. What else could those words mean than that THE BARMAID'WAS A PROSTITUTE, . ; yet Burke was foolish enough to attempt to set forth that he meant the photographs could be procured for two bob a time, m Sydney. Jocose Joe; what a goat, to be sure ! It is the easiest thing m the world to maligri- and blacken a woman's character ; but it is not the easiest thing' m the world to make good those Slimy assertions when it comes before a judge and jury. Burke created a \ hell of a. stink and he cut a puerile j puny figure last Monday. He failed, signally failed, to convince the jury that he was hot an evil-minded dog of ia ' man„ actuated by motives of spite m setting the stinking ball rolling that he noped would help to damn, m New Zealand, a young woman earning her own living. It can- , not be denied that while m Burkes employ Sadie Watson was a good drawing card. Fizz flew round' mornUng and ni£ht,, and mugs 'paid for, it, but mugs, tumble m the long, run, and. some of them might now be plfeased to learn that the barmafld herseli saved many from being roofed <by refusing to palm. "Ohampagne Cider" ofi as the -real stuff. "Chamipaghe Cider" is something like . HALF-A-D.OLLAR A BOTTLE, and Joe's game was to trade this slush to mugs at a quid a time. .Glorious game grog-selling ! J;oe set tfip ball roiling,, it came back though and biffed r ßurke badly. Never Jbef ore , \'did Joe. get' such a drabbling. He was raked Xolefand aft. Some of the mud' 'he slung '■■s&& proibably stuck, but Joe, hbw goes it' with him ? If after the - disclosures made last Monday prompt action is not taken to deprive him of a license, then "Truth" willj seriously think of barracking for prohibition m Gisborne, and as Gisborne hotelkeepers fear such a contingency ."they „ should, assist the' police to keep the trade clean, arid one of the methods that ought to lie adopted is to fiurge Gisborne of .Joe Burke. Mr jSell, K.C., who appeared for the young woman Watson gave Burke a hell of a time and his Honor, Mr Justice Chapman, gave this discredited ipurge purveyor such a. keel-hauling that will live long m the memories of tihose '.who heard him. .Now that the murky atmosphere : has been bleared by a jury's verdict for the plaintiff, '."Truth" desires to ask if Burkes treatment . of the girl Dunlbp is to go unpunished. This young woman, who was m his em jploy for sixteen months, has made some tough allegations against Joe's 'reputed character of being a strictly moral man. Joe is married, and has an invalid wife, and he is a father of a grown-up family, nevertheless he seems to be .A CHICKEN HUNTER. This , girl Dunlop was forever, being molested by Joey, and though the girl resented his filthy advances and .his offers of wine,'' it would have? been fair better had she longv ago given the Record Reign a wide berth. As it was, she always listened to Burkes wife and stayed on. It was .when the other young woman Watson came on the scene that Burke was sat on. , Sadie Watson.

Fellow Falls In..

whatever else she is, is no mug and • stands no nonsense, and she quickly took up Ida Dunlop's cudgels. The rest is known to "Truth" readers. Hardie prosecuted Burke for assault, and' the two young women gave evidence against their employer. Burke, m his dirty turn, wrote his filthy assertions on Watson's photo, and attached to it a most disgust/in- postcard, and though he endeavored to shirk the resptißßMlity of this the verdict of £125 and' costs shows what a jury of Gisborne citizens thought of .the low-minded amorous beer-seller. Now it is impossible to make mention of this case without passing reference to Police Inspector McDonnell of Napier.- The allegations .that the two women make against McDonnell paint him a low-minded old wretch, j who, because of Burkes say-S<>i told j the' women,', m the. Napier Police offices, ihat they were abandoned creatures because he could SEE IT IN THEIR EYES, and his advice to the women concern-, ed is curious, being cpntrarv to the usual attitude of a policeman, m fact, Muckdonnell posed as a sort of social purist, and. the idea of McDonnell posing as a purist is certain^ ly calculated to ( tickle. That, per- , haps, is neither here .nor-; there, but, still according .to the assertions of , the women, McDonnell , advised Miss Watson to abandon her action ! against Burke. Why,. "Truth" asks, ' if these assertions are correct, was McDonnell so deeply concerned m Burkes affairs. The verdict of' the jury, has, no doubt,; reached McDpn- . nell's ear by this time, and' his opinion of that verdict ought to be interesting. At anyrate Burke the . scandalmonger , the filthy , . lpw-m inded, convicted gambler and malitrner of helpless women has been .taught a lesson that be will not want repeating. The atmosphere has been cleared somewhat, , and "Truth!' leaves . Burke to enjoy what satisfaction he got out of his dirty doings.