A TECHNICAL KNOCK-OUT

NZ Truth, Issue 1180, 12 July 1928, Page 11

A TECHNICAL KNOCK-OUT

Referee Decides Against Purely r On Glaring Eoul

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

"I hit him m the eye, blackened the other eye, and then hit him m the gob. . ." ' Yes, of course. All over a member of the stockings-andshingle sex. And? as sure as jainl heart never n>on fair maid, Robert Edward Purdy, of Freeman's Bay, Auckland, lives up to the he-man principle that a feinted left, hacked up by: ah active right, can be usefully employed m retaining the maiden won. \ , .<

UXI7HAT is this/ all abouti?" asked YY Magistrate Hunt m the Auckland Magistrate's Court when an array of city gallants AVith female attachments spread themselves around the seats of the court. ' , .; "A .squabble, between two young fellows over a girl," . explained Lawyer Sullivan. "And .%*' ask that all witnesses m the case be ordered to leave the court." ; ' So sundry of the young bloods took their "exeunt" cue, returning to their fags and fairy-tales m the corridor. Lawyer Kirker then arose to give his worship the hypothesis of the particular problem of Old. Eternal Triangle which Robert Whistler, ■■ the complainant; had asked him to prove. •:.'. ■ '■'■ "My client is a particularly inoffensive chap and has good reason for ; being so. "• "With a friend he attended a dance at Surrey Crescent "Hall, Grey Lynn, on the evening of May 9. "Defendant, whom he knows only by sight, was present at the dance and buttonholed Whistler, saying he wanted to see him outside. . . : . "When 'Purdy got Whistler outside he unexpectedly struck him. The blow stunned Whigtler V. . . and defendant then sailed into him and left him on the -footpath.- ; "Purdy returned to . the dance . and from the centre of the hall boasted about what he had done." : : Robert' Whistler, twenty-five years' of age and not over-endowed with muscular appear- : _ ahce, told the court that he was a to'olsmith by trade and res'ided;at Edendale. „"I thought he. wanted to borrow money or something," he said, as he related the incident leading up to -the alleged assault at the dance.;.",'. Purdy, 'after piloting witness^along the footpath for about ' 50 yards;, suddenly exclaimed: "You ask6dVmy.. girl [to go for a joy-ride?" f ; ;- ! . -From what transpired, according to complainant's tale,' Purdy is 1 a 'modern swain who holds that actions — besides speaking louder than words— are a sententious . acquisition to chivalry. For with no. more to-do' — as .counsel had so aptly ; phraseographed it — he "sailed into" his man, quickly avenging himself by despoiling Whistler of all claim to facial beauty. •;.. I Two black eyes, a damaged nose and a split lip were found to be complainant's issue when later the ' blood was washed from his face m a nearby house. ' : As to having paid court to the,' lady of Purdy's choice, complainant .nad never been so romantically inspired: .-•' He had just asked the girl to have an orange drink — and she had- confided to him that \ she was , "gping with Purdy." • . '•.,..'■■■ Not wishing to divulge the name of. the 'coveted 'maiden whose attractions had infused Jier lover" with the chival-. rous spirit of a Roland, LaAvyer. Sullivan intimated that for the purpose of cross-examination he would refer to the damsel as "Miss- L." "Did you know that Miss .L. was Purdy's girl?" — "No." . "It was the night of "April 26 when Purdy did not turnu p and you took her home?" — "No, I didn't." ; "Didn't you, tell her Purdy had slipped her up?" — "No." , : '

Eyes In Mourning

"Did you ask her to go for a joyride?" — "No." , "You have a 'car ?"— "No, my friend has one." '" . .. • "At; the dance, was it hjft you who asked P.urdy to go out for a chat?": — "No." " ■••:•-. ;■' . '- ..;;■' ■ ■■:■».-. "Did not Purdy aslt you what you meant by: telling his girl lies behind his bade? And you called him ja .' Hah and hit him?" ; — "No, he asked me to come outside." ■.■-■ ' ••.; . "ghat's a fine big ring you have on your finger, Whistler?" remarked coun-. sel, noticing, as complainant left -the witness-box, a heavy decoration on one of his fingers. "I only got it last week," replied witness. ' ■ The man who claimed to have f Keard Purdy's gladjatorial gas- : conadings m the. dance-hall, after' vanquishing his- supposed rival, I was Thomas Victor Harris, q young commercial traveller with whom complainant was living.., •He was at the dance. When Purdy returned to the hall, aglow with the cup of , vengeance, witness heard him say: "For everything he said about my girl- i. hit him once ...'.. . I hit him m the- eye . . . blackened the other eye . . . then hit him m the gob." \ : " ■■'■■ '• .- ■'■' / i. ■ . "Cop oh that!" defendant had been heard to say when recounting to his awe^stricken audience Whistler's futile attempt to utilize aleft punch. I Eight or nine other fellows, witness said, were gathered round Purdy dur- . ing- his exultations. Harris knew that Whistler, owing to a former injury to Oils skull had been _________________ medically advised ■ to refrain from" strenuous athletics. , „' ' A> youth who saw .Purdy. hitting Whistler, and who picked up the punished man and called assistance, -gave evidence \o this effect. Robert Edward Purdj;, aged 27, went into the box, not to deny that he had given Whistler a thrashing, but to give evidencQ more m elucidation of the strong circumstances which he considered warranted prompt and punitive revenge, plus an element of selfdefence. : . " , ■ . "f asked him what he meant by asking my girl to go for a joy.-' 1 ' ride," he declared plaintively. • , "He called me a liar and sent a blow over, but I saw it coming. T only liit him four times.". "Wasn't it suggested that you could settle the matter out of court with £20?"^ asked his counsel. "Yes, : and . if I would apologize through the papery they, would take £11." • : .. ... ■ ■ ■ :■• • •.'.■■■ ■ ■ ; "You are an expert- boxer?" counsel vwinted to know. ." "W,ell, I used to be an amateur." ' . . • "You can use your fists ?"'- : -I can look after myself all right:" ■ ■ Defendant admitted to. counsel tk\a,% he. had indulged m "some. boagtfulnes;s" iWheh" he returned to the hail, but there were only two or three present to hear him.,' ./ . ' ../.'' "He 'wants a very .sharp lesgoh," .volunteered counsel 'for the complainant. ' '■.-. i. -. •'■•' ■; ..;. ■■■■.' '• , .' .:■ "I' know ; what to 'do with him all right," retorted the bench, and soon settled the affair by fining »Purdy. ! £5, half' the fine tog o to Whistler. Default was fixed at 14 days. ;','