WHEN SHE SAW RED

NZ Truth, Issue 1149, 8 December 1927, Page 6

WHEN SHE SAW RED

What Happened At A Dance At Papanui

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative.)

With fury blazing m her dark eyes, she seized the table-knife that lay SO temptingly close at hand and then, with hand upraised, she dashed like a panther across the floor, on vengeance bent.

the porch of the hall when the Incident occurred which caused the sensation.

A SUDDEN flash as the knife ** descended, but the blow never reached its mark. There was a startled cry m the dance hall, a rush of feet, a hand shot out and the knife fell clattering from her trembling fingers to the floor.

Reaction and tears followed and Gladys Victoria Carpenter, a pretty young woman of .21, was led away sobbing m mingled rage and relief. So ended the dance at a hall m Papanui, Christchurch^ on the night of November 6 last. But it was not the end of the Incident, and last week Gladys faced Magistrate Mosley, when' fine pleaded guilty to assaulting Lancelot John Sneddon.

She was fined £2 m default aeven days and then collapsed m court.

The police version of the melodrama m the dance hall was that after parting company with the girl, Sneddon began keeping company with another, and on the night of the dance something had provoked her causing her to pick up a table-knife and rußh at Sneddon with the knife held

m the air. . , According to the police, the girl had frankly admitted that she bore Sneddon a grudge, that it was her intention to do him harm with a view to getting revenge. That was the police version of the affair, but when Lawyer A. B. Hobfaa got up to state the girl's side of the case, a totally different complexion was placed upon it.

"There is no doubt," said oouneel, "that this girl and Sneddon were very friendly with eaoh other for a space of fourteen months and then they parted company. v She bears him a grudge, because he

treated hw very badly. "On the day of the affair, another young man asked the girl to accompany him to the dance, and she at once asked if Sneddon would be present. She was told he would not be present, but on arrival at the hall she found he was one of the leading lights of the function."

Apparently Sneddon's presence ln the hall was too much for the girl, whose feelings began to get the better of her, Much better, she thought, if she were to withdraw from the dance sooner than see him, but Fate stepped m and precipitated the crisis. Gladys was at this time standing m

The Knife Trick

A young man who was standing just outside the porch evidently had a grievance against some man inside, for without warning a bag of sugar came hurtling into the hall. As chance would have it, Sneddon happened to be directly m the path of tho bag, for he stopped it on his head. Naturally 'Sneddon was not too pleased and came dashing out looking for the author of this forcible joke. Just what happened then was described by Lawyer Hobbs. "Sneddon came rushing out and demanded to know if the girl Carpenter had thrown the bag at him, and threatened that if she had, he would smash her."

That was the spark that set Are to all the combustible fabric of the girl's grievances against the man. As it happened, supper for the dancers had been arranged m the poreh — hence the knife.

Vehemently Gladys denied that she was responsible for the sugarbag incident, and as she denied it all her pent-up feelings burst into a flame of passionate hatred and rage.

An then her eyes fell on the knife which was resting on a ledge. The gleaming blade held her; it fascinated her and rapidly became an obsession.

With a cry she snatched lt up m her hand, having completely lost her head, and made a lunge at the man on whom all her rage was centred. And now come a few words m mitigation from Lawyer Hobbs. "It seems incredible to me, sir," he told the magistrate, "that a young girl of 21 could possibly do harm to a grown man with a blunt table knife, though that, of course, does not excuse the offence.

"We have heard that 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' but I submit the whole thing was a piece of melodrama and that a small fine would meet the case."

"Now, look here, you will have to learn to control yourself," was the stern warning of the bench. "If you get up to these capers again, the result will be serious trouble. Fined £2 m default seven days' imprisonment." As the decision was given, Gladys collapsed and had to be helped out of court.