"OUGHT TO BE"

NZ Truth, Issue 1183, 2 August 1928, Page 4

"OUGHT TO BE"

MM Sh6w^ A Knife r To His Guest (Prom a' ! N.Z. Truth's" 'Timaru Rep.) ; j|?jknife m his si.d.e 'was^the last . thitfg that Francis Powell, - ableboaied seaman, of ;■■ .the, motor- . vessel Ta'^aiifam, I^^eXpected : when he was irivitpdVlnto -the cabin', of John.. William, Shields,; -lamp l trinrimer, to joiilvhim /injia drijr^k. / .; 15UT?"-he' fiad' not been m the cabin more than a 'few minutes when a treacherous . knife was thvtis t ' into his right" groin. ■ L'ufekily "for Powell; the blade" r^did' Tipt r gp : m straight or he would- -not Kaye lived ; tb' ; tell the tale -in} the Magistrate's ; Court 'last week. Ffdm : the evidence placed before C. Orr- Walker, S.M., if appears that Pow-* ell returned to. the ship after shore leaved about r7-"p.niT, ,- an'd^.was met by Shields, asked him into his cabin to. liaye,/a. .drink. / . Shield^^ prb'duced sbme^rum, pouring out ia^^ssif or Powell and one f or' himself^ tPb'jw.ell had no sooner drained his bff Shields told. him to clear out. . This j^r.ktjli^r, . sudden \ and unexpected . cliang^ bf ;tprie did not appeal to Powell as being, the kind of. behavior a host Bh'ould display"^ his guest. He. refused /to go then, asking wn^'was-'wrong and why the sud'deWc^ssatio'rj of conviviality/ There : was-rto answer frbm Shields, who whipped but *a knife and stabbed his. companion, inflicting a wound which necessitated his removal to - th,e- public hospital. . ■ Producing a murderous-iookirig kriife.'dbwn the" blade of which ran. a bloodstain one and a-h,alf inches long, Detective,. H. .-: .-Nuttall, who conducted the poiice..casev stated that it had been found on 'a bunk m Shields' cabin. s Shields was sleeping /when the knife fwas found and on being awakened; adtnitted that the knife .washis "property, lie was greatly under the influence of liquor atid when being taken away from the ship, repeatedly asked if |»6well, were dead. On being told that he was not' dead, he had replied, "Well, lie ought to be." , Shields pleaded guilty to the charge, |rhich was one of assault causing acjtual bodily harm, 'and w*as committed $g the Supremo Court for sentence.