RESENTED HIS EMBRACE

NZ Truth, Issue 1177, 21 June 1928, Page 7

RESENTED HIS EMBRACE

Thought Freeman Far Too Free (From "N.Z. Truth's" Gisborne Representative.) The man said the girl had entered into an arrangement with him whereby he was to come into the house and see her after everyone else was m bed HE also, asserted that they had been courtship? — I've- had some experience on familiar terms for a long time; of it. thai he had kissed her hundreds Well, don't you think it's possible Of jtimeS iWd that his presence m her they were courtingr? — It is possible, room on the night ill question was at but not probable. The shrl always her invitation. said she hated himThe girl happened to be absent when Monteafh denied ever having said he paid his nocturnal, call. that Freeman frequently visited his She denied having extended the daughter and that he was going to informal invitation; having been on marry her. familiar terms or having been kissed Katherine, aged 19, the real leading by him, except against her wishes. lady m the drama, although she had not She admitted, however, that he had been present to receive Freeman on been persistent m his attentions, al- his fateful visit was the star witness. though she gave him no encourage- There was nothing m her appearment; and that on one occasion she ance, however, to indicate that she was guilty of unladylike conduct be- would feature m a story such as was cause he tried to "dry shave" her. ' told by the defence. Although Mr. Justice Ostler She *«*sly admitted that she had was not called upon to decide the seen a great deal of Freeman during case, h© expressed the opinion £ 1S frequent visits to her father's that the man was the liar and that house. the allegations made concerning When they were alone he had the girl were untrue. insisted upon her marrying him The ease, which came before the and s f id c ?* ould no * all ° w , any ,- Gisborne Supreme Court last week, one else to become her husband, did not cast any shadows before it. although she had never encourOn the face of things, it was nothing a 9 ed h,nl " more sensational than a claim for Since the occasion on which she had £300 for alleged trespass, the plaintiff spat m his face, Freeman had cooled being James Bernard Monteath, farm- off. er, of Morere, and the defendant, She had never invited him to the •Frederick William Freeman, of. the house and it was not true that he had same occupation and address. been m the habit of going to her bedLawyer Len. Burnard sponsored the, room a!t night, plaintiff's case', while Lawyer Dawson To Lawyer Chrisp, Katherine adChrisp did his best for Freeman. mitted that Freeman was a frequent The case was not fought to a finish, visitor, requiring no invitation and Freeman throwing m the towel when often calling at night, the defence was^ only part heard, Lawyer. ., Chrisp.: .. You have heard agreeing to pay half the sum claimed, your parents tell him to come whenDuring th'e hearing of the action, it ever he liked?— Yes. , was mentioned that Monteath was You know that we allege that he seeking further damages on the strength W as courting you? — In. his way, he of the statement made by Freeman to was, but I was never a willing party, the police to account for his presence Did he kiss you on one occasion m on the plaintiff's premises. front of another man? — It is possible. Any hopes which he might have held Did he kiss you once m the kitchen? out m this direction, however, were — I. don't remember, quashed by the judge, who remarked: His honor: Did he kiss you often? — "He may seek, as much as -he likes, Tes, but against my will, but the court will not award damages Lawyer Chrisp: Very, much against for slander." - your will? — Yes. The casus belli dated back to July Wh didn . tyou comp | a i n to your 23, 1927, when freeman admittedly en- fh ' then? _, did but he t k tered the plaintiff's house at night and notice disturbed the family—without any m- ■ tention of so doing— and as a result of What had he been doing when you which he was convicted of being un- were so unladylike as to spit m his lawfully on premises. . face?— Just fooling around The story told by __ _ He t often *** , plaintiff's counsel you to marry him? was The Leading Ladu * F / eemsiri '**** * c the night, Esther 1" C IjWUt "» *f™*y had gone into the Monteath, who • .' house before at happened to .be " "«*<■, and that on sleeping by herself, was awakened to occasions you left the door open for find Freeman m her room. him. I'm not suggesting that there was She aroused the house, picked up a anything wrong m it, but merely that gun and rushed to her father, the lat- you went into another room and talkter communicating -with a neighbor, cd. Is that correct?— No. who intercepted Freeman down the For the defence, Lawyer Chrisp pq^' maintained that Freeman went to the The police were communicated with house at Katherine's invitation, reand Freeman, when taken m charge, marking that on the evidence there aaid he had been invited to the house was no other way of accounting for by another daughter, Katherine; who his^presence. happened to be absent m Gisborne. Freeman himself was even more exMonteath had been anxious to have plicit. He said he had been on friendthe police charge adjourned until ly terms with the plaintiff and his Katherine returned, but this was not family for years. * oite It was not true that he had annoyed In 'the meantime, Freeman's defence the girl when she spat m his face, was commonly talked of, although he He had done nothing more than had admitted the charge, and it was what he had idone hundreds of timesdecided to -bring an action, for slander, kiss her. • _ ____ . . . . . ■ , . „'„i.!„„i.u vo Sometimes she had not welcomed This bemg found . '^Practicable re happened not to be course was taken to the present ac & but on ofcher occag _ tion * ._, ._, . . , . ______ ions she had kissed him m return. The plaintiff said he had Known He had fre q Uently ; gone o ver to see Freeman for six years that tney nap Katherine at niffht on her invitation, done most of their work together until the girl leaVing . the door or the winthe beginning of 1926, and that . X ree- d ___ Qf her bedroom ap6n f or him. man had visited his house about three times a week up to that time. When the girl had warned him A partial estrangement arose through that her mother- had seen footKatherine's behavior m consequence Prmts outside the window, she of Freeman having tried to "dry said she would leave the doqr unshave'V her; thereafter, it appeared, locked. Freeman was not on the regular visit- When it was found that the mother ing list. had taken to locking the door, they Under cross-examination, Monteath discovered a way of opening it by said he thought Freeman had gone to lifting the latch with a knife, the house intending to do Katherine He had an agreement with the girl harm, as he was armed with a sharp to visit her at night at a certain, time table-knife. once every three weeks ... and _ . _ " the night of the disaster was a call Lawyer Chrisp: But Freeman by appointment. and your daughter were courting He went to the house, opened the one another? — No. door with a knife, and then, to his „ surprise, found Katherine's place m •Haven't you seen Freeman kiss your bftd occupled , by her sister Esther . daughter?— No, I have never seen it. "When the latter called out, he deYou know the usual procedure of cided that it was time to go home. ,„„ He heard the mother coming on the "'" scene, so decided to leave by the window; when he heard father calling for a gun, he expedited his departure. On entering the house, he had left his boots on- the verandah and some other clothes m the sitting room, but he did not wait to collect them, although he went back afterwards. Had he known that Katherine was away, he would certainly not have called. It was at this stage that the ' luncheon adjournment was taken. Apparently the parties were more reconciliatory when the hearing was resumed, for a settlement was reached. After remarking that he did not believe Freeman|s story, his honor commented that there was one bright spot m the defence, this being the courtesy and tact used by Lawyer Chrisp m examining the girl, a duty which had been Very fairly carried out.